Charging Cable With Integrated Temperature Sensor And Alarm
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical cables for charging electronic devices do not effectively detect fires or high temperatures, which can lead to injuries and property damage, as they lack integrated sensing and alarm systems to alert users of potential hazards during charging.
Innovation Solution
An electrical cable equipped with a sensor device and an alarm unit, connected to the connector, which detects fires or high temperatures and initiates alarms through audio, tactile, or visual feedback, and can communicate wirelessly to alert users even when not in close proximity, using a capacitor or battery for power, ensuring continuous operation even if the external power source fails.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional electrical cables without sensing devices are used, then the device complexity is low and manufacturing is simple, but the safety monitoring capability is insufficient and fire risks cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sensing device and alarm unit directly into the cable structure, merging multiple safety functions (temperature sensing, fire detection, alarm notification) into a single integrated component. This allows the cable to monitor charging safety and alert users without requiring separate external monitoring devices, thus improving reliability while keeping the overall system compact.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable is designed to perform multiple functions: electrical power transmission, temperature monitoring, fire detection, and alarm notification. By making the cable multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for separate safety monitoring equipment, thereby improving safety monitoring capability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Reliability
If a sensor device and alarm unit are integrated into the cable, then fire and high temperature detection capability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing device and alarm unit are merged into the cable assembly, allowing simultaneous production of the cable and safety components through integrated manufacturing processes. This reduces the number of separate assembly steps and lowers overall manufacturing complexity despite adding safety functionality.
3Reliability
If the alarm unit is always active, then the safety notification is immediate and reliable, but the energy consumption increases and battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The alarm unit operates periodically rather than continuously - the sensor continuously monitors temperature, but the alarm only activates when abnormal conditions are detected. This periodic action maintains reliable safety notification while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous alarm operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the charging process itself to power the sensor and alarm unit, eliminating the need for a separate battery. The cable draws power from the charging device to operate the sensing and alarm functions, making the system self-sufficient and reducing overall energy requirements.
4Reliability
If only wired alarm methods are used, then the alarm notification is reliable and immediate, but the user cannot be alerted when not in close proximity to the device
Solution Approach 1:
The alarm unit is designed to provide multiple notification methods simultaneously - wired/local alarm (buzzer, LED) and wireless alarm (text message, email, push notification). This multi-functional approach ensures that users are notified regardless of their proximity to the device, combining the reliability of local alarms with the versatility of remote notification.
Data Source
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AI summary
The disclosure proposes a cable for connecting to an electronic device. The cable comprising an electrical cord, a connector, a sensor device and an alarm unit. The connector is connected to one end of the electrical cord, and adapted to connect the cable to the electronic device. The sensor device is arranged at the connector and is adapted for collecting sensor data from the electronic device when the connector is connected to the electronic device. The alarm unit is connected to the sensor device and arranged to initiate an alarm based on output data from the sensor device.