Block-Based Actuator and Heater Control with Safety Rule Validation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional home appliances require pre-developed control programs by manufacturers, making it difficult to customize and update control settings to meet user-specific needs, and there is a challenge in ensuring safety when third-party applications are used.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a controller that modifies the execution order of application blocks based on safety rules to prevent unsafe combinations of actuator or heater operations, allowing for customizable and safe execution of control programs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If control programs are pre-developed and stored by the manufacturer, then the reliability and safety of the control program is ensured, but the adaptability and ease of customization for different users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control program is segmented into multiple blocks that can be independently arranged and configured. Each block represents a discrete control function that can be ordered and combined differently to create customized control sequences while maintaining safety through predefined block structures
Solution Approach 2:
The control program transitions from a static, pre-fixed sequence to a dynamic, user-configurable sequence. Users can arrange blocks in different orders and configurations to adapt the control program to their specific needs while the system maintains reliability through safety rules that constrain valid arrangements
2Ease of operation
If users are allowed to freely arrange and execute control blocks, then the adaptability and ease of operation is improved, but the reliability and safety of the control program deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Safety rules act as an intermediary layer between the user's block arrangement actions and the actual control program execution. The controller checks proposed arrangements against safety rules before execution, allowing user freedom while preventing unsafe configurations from being executed
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary safety validation by checking proposed block arrangements against safety rules before execution. This preemptive check prevents unsafe control sequences from being executed, addressing potential safety issues before they can cause harm
3Reliability
If extensive verification and validation of control programs is performed, then the reliability is improved, but the productivity and development time deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Safety rules are established in advance before control programs are developed or executed. These pre-defined safety constraints eliminate the need for extensive verification and validation during development, as the safety checks are automatically performed against the predefined rules
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs automatic safety validation by checking block arrangements against safety rules without requiring manual verification. This self-validating mechanism reduces the need for extensive human review and testing while maintaining high reliability standards
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes at least one of an actuator or a heater, and a controller that controls the at least one of the actuator or the heater. The controller: obtains an application that is defined by a plurality of blocks that drive the at least one of the actuator or the heater and includes information on an order in which each of the plurality of blocks is executed; consults a first rule that prohibits two or more given blocks from being executed in a given order, and when the information on the order correlates with the given order, modifies the application by changing the order in which each of the plurality of blocks is executed; and drives the at least one of the actuator or the heater based on the modified application.