Vehicle Door Control Assembly with Auxiliary Motor for Rescue Closing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control and drive assemblies for transport vehicle doors fail to reliably manage door closure in case of control unit or motor failures, leading to potential delays and safety risks, particularly in driverless systems, and are often costly and complex to implement.
Innovation Solution
A control and drive assembly comprising a main control unit, main motor, auxiliary control module, and auxiliary motor, with a connection device transmitting a reference signal for proper operation, allowing the auxiliary motor to actuate the door at a lower speed when the main system fails, ensuring reliable rescue closing with minimal additional components and energy expenditure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an auxiliary motor and control module are added to enable rescue closing operations, then door closure reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into a main control unit and a separate auxiliary control module. The auxiliary module remains dormant during normal operation and only activates when the main control unit fails, providing rescue closing functionality without interfering with primary door operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary control module is pre-configured with the capability to control the auxiliary motor, but remains inactive until needed. This preliminary preparation ensures immediate response to failures without requiring complex real-time decision logic or additional sensors to detect failure conditions.
2Productivity
If the auxiliary motor operates at high speed for rapid door closure, then productivity is improved, but energy consumption and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary motor operates at a reduced speed parameter compared to the main motor, prioritizing safety and energy efficiency over speed. This parameter change is appropriate because rescue closing operations are infrequent and safety is the primary concern during failure conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary motor is designed as a low-cost, low-power component intended for occasional use only during failure conditions. It accepts lower performance specifications since it serves as an emergency backup rather than a primary drive system.
3Reliability
If the auxiliary control module continuously monitors the main control unit, then reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The main control unit continuously transmits a reference signal as part of its normal operation, effectively monitoring its own status. The auxiliary control module only needs to detect the presence or absence of this signal, rather than actively monitoring through additional sensors or communication channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The reference signal transmitted by the main control unit serves as feedback to the auxiliary control module, indicating whether the main system is functioning properly. This feedback mechanism is integrated into the existing communication infrastructure, avoiding additional energy-consuming monitoring hardware.
4Adaptability or versatility
If additional control plates are used to manage multiple doors, then adaptability is improved, but failure rate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary control module is merged with the existing main control unit infrastructure, sharing communication protocols and control signals. This merging allows the auxiliary module to control any door in the vehicle without requiring separate dedicated control plates for each door.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary control module is designed with universal functionality to control any door on the vehicle, not just a specific door. This multi-functionality is achieved through flexible signal routing and control logic that can adapt to different door configurations without requiring additional specialized components.
Data Source
AI summary
A control and drive assembly for a transport vehicle door, and which includes a main control unit; a main motor to drive the door leaves and which is controlled by the main control unit to displace the leaves; an auxiliary control module; an auxiliary motor operable to: control the auxiliary motor so as to displace the leaves in at least one direction to a closed position, control a locking of the leaves in the closed position; and a connection device arranged between the main control unit and the auxiliary motor to facilitate transmission of a reference signal by the main control unit to the auxiliary control module, the reference signal being representative of a proper operating state of the main motor and the main control unit. The auxiliary control module is operable to actuate the auxiliary motor when the auxiliary control module does not receive the reference signal.