Brake Pedal Weight Device for Solo Light Check
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for checking the functionality of vehicle brake lights require a second person to engage the brake pedal, which is impractical for solo operators and inefficient in terms of labor and storage space, especially in commercial vehicles where distances and inconsistencies in brake pedal positions complicate the use of existing devices.
Innovation Solution
A device using an elongated shaft with a weight at one end and a bracket or clamp at the other end to engage the brake pedal, leveraging weight to depress the pedal without additional force, allowing for adjustable length and angle to fit various brake pedals and providing a supplemental weight for increased resistance, enabling a single person to activate brake lights without attaching to the seat or steering wheel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If existing devices are attached to the seat or steering wheel to engage the brake pedal, then the brake lights can be activated, but the devices become large, bulky and lengthy, difficult to install and remove, and occupy significant storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the attachment point from the seat or steering wheel and relocates it directly to the brake pedal. By removing the intermediary attachment structure, the device becomes compact and eliminates the need for large flanges or hooks required for seat/steering wheel engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of anchoring the device to a fixed structure (seat/steering wheel) and extending to the brake pedal, the invention inverts the approach by directly engaging the brake pedal as the anchor point. This reversal eliminates the need for lengthy construction and reduces overall device volume.
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing devices are designed to reach from the seat or steering wheel to the brake pedal, then the brake pedal can be engaged, but the devices become lengthy and difficult to store in the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates an adjustable-length telescoping shaft that can dynamically change its length to accommodate different brake pedal positions and vehicle types. This dynamic adjustment capability provides versatility without requiring a permanently lengthy structure that would be difficult to store.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping shaft employs a nested structure where one shaft segment is inserted within another, allowing the device to collapse to a compact size for storage while extending to the required length during operation to reach the brake pedal.
3Extent of automation
If the device uses frictional contact with the seat or steering wheel to engage the brake pedal, then the brake lights can be activated, but the device becomes more complex and requires additional engagement elements
Solution Approach 1:
The device uses its own weight as the activating force, eliminating the need for frictional contact or additional engagement elements with the seat or steering wheel. The weighted lever directly engages the brake pedal through gravity, providing automated single-person operation with minimal structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical friction-based engagement system with a gravity-based weight system. Instead of using frictional contact forces from the seat or steering wheel, the device substitutes a weighted lever that uses gravitational force to directly depress the brake pedal.
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
Enables a single person to check brake light functionality efficiently, reducing labor costs and storage needs by using the device's weight to engage the brake pedal effectively across different vehicle types and pedal configurations, while being compact and easy to store.
Implementation Method 1
A device using an elongated shaft with a weight at one end and a bracket or clamp at the other end to engage the brake pedal, leveraging weight to depress the pedal without additional force
Implementation Method 2
the devices of the present invention generally take advantage of leverage: the majority of the weight of the device is at the distal end of the device opposite from the brake pedal engagement structure
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides methods and apparatus for engaging the brake pedal of a vehicle using only the weight of the device, allowing a single person to check for proper functioning of the vehicle's brake lights without having to further attach the device to a seat or steering wheel of the vehicle, and methods of using the same. The device may include an elongated arm or lever, an attachment member at one end of the arm for engaging it with the brake pedal, and a weighted member at the opposite end of the arm for providing downward force against the brake pedal. The attachment member may comprise a bracket with one or more widths, allowing the device to securely engage with brake pedals of varying sizes and thicknesses, such that the same bracket may be used to engage a relatively small and thin brake pedal of a car, or a larger, thicker brake pedal of a commercial vehicle such as a bus or a semi-truck.