Autonomous vehicle with bumper device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous vehicles often experience malfunction after collisions due to persistent activation of microswitches, leading to undesirable situations where the vehicle remains switched off, and there is a need for a solution that balances safety with minimal risk of malfunction.
Innovation Solution
The autonomous vehicle employs a connecting device with a ring, ball parts, a shaft, and a spring mechanism that allows elastic displacement and self-alignment, ensuring the bumper returns to its original position and resets microswitches, preventing plastic deformation and ensuring safety without stiffness-related issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a spring means is used to allow elastic displacement of the bumper, then the vehicle can detect collisions and stop, but the spring may undergo plastic deformation or permanent bending after repeated use
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting device allows dynamic movement of the shaft and ball parts during collision, enabling the bumper to return to its original position after impact. This dynamic mechanism prevents permanent deformation by allowing controlled elastic displacement rather than rigid fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring means automatically resets the bumper to its original position after collision through elastic recovery. The system is self-resetting, eliminating the need for manual intervention and ensuring consistent collision detection capability without permanent deformation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the spring means is made stiffer to support the bumper weight, then the bumper remains stable during vehicle operation, but it cannot deform enough to detect light collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting device provides dynamic elastic displacement capability that adapts to different collision forces. The spring means is configured with optimal stiffness to allow sufficient deformation for light collision detection while maintaining stability for supporting the bumper weight during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring constant and pre-tensioning force are optimized to achieve the right balance between stability and sensitivity. The spring means is pre-tensioned to provide initial stability while maintaining enough compliance to detect light collisions through measurable displacement.
3Reliability
If the bumper is made more elastic to absorb collision energy, then safety is improved, but the vehicle may move additional distance during collision before stopping
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting device with spring means provides controlled elastic displacement that absorbs collision energy while maintaining a compact structure. The dynamic elastic mechanism allows energy absorption through reversible deformation rather than permanent compression, minimizing the increase in stopping distance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration provides a balanced combination of elastic deformability and stiffness, preventing permanent deformation of the spring mechanism and ensuring the vehicle's safety features function correctly after collisions, reducing the likelihood of malfunction.
Implementation Method 1
a spring means, wherein the ring is fixedly connected to the frame, wherein the first ball part and the second ball part are both provided rotatably tiltable with respect to the ring on opposite sides thereof... wherein the spring means is connected to, or presses against, a spring connector which is fixedly connected to the shaft at or near a first end thereof, wherein the spring means extends around or along the shaft between the second ball part and the spring connector, and is arranged to pretensionedly press the first and second ball parts against the ring
Data Source
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AI summary
An autonomous vehicle comprises a frame with a motor, a bumper connected to said frame via a connecting device, a sensor detecting displacement of said bumper upon a collision. The sensor is connected with said propulsion system, that interrupts displacing said vehicle upon detecting a displacement. The connecting device comprises a ring, a first ball part, a second ball part, a shaft, and a spring. The ring is fixedly connected to the frame, and the first and second ball part rotatably tilt in the ring. The shaft extends through the ring and the first ball part, and through and beyond the second ball part to a second end, at which the shaft is connected to the bumper by a joint. At least one ball part is displaceable along the shaft. The spring extends around the shaft between the second ball part and a spring connector, and pretensionedly presses the first and second ball parts against the ring. Upon a collision with an obstacle, the bumpers shifts, and the shaft tilts with respect to the frame. This tilting pushes the two ball parts away from each other. The spring also tilts, as a whole, preventing plastic deformation. The spring now exerts a larger spring force on the ball parts, and, after taking away the obstacle, will move back and realign. This will also realign the sensor, ensuring a longer effective lifetime of the sensor and thus of the safety of the vehicle.