Dual Memory Clocking for Cargo Vehicle Hour Meter Data Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cargo-handling vehicles face challenges in maintaining accurate cumulative operating time records, as existing hour meters reset to zero when replaced, leading to difficulties in tracking correct operating time and potential falsification of data.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method with dual functional units, each equipped with a clocking device and memory, where data is periodically transmitted and compared between units to ensure accurate timekeeping and prevent falsification, with a 0-reset mechanism to securely reset data to zero at factory shipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the hour meter is combined in a speed display device and the cumulative operating time is integrated, then the display function is unified, but the cumulative operating time cannot be revised and is lost when the display unit is replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the cumulative operating time storage function from the display unit by introducing a dedicated nonvolatile memory device that operates independently. This segmentation ensures that the time storage function survives even when the display unit is replaced, resolving the contradiction between integrated design and data preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a nonvolatile memory device as an intermediary between the clocking device and the display unit. This intermediary stores the cumulative operating time data separately, allowing the display unit to be replaced without losing the stored time information, thus maintaining reliability while permitting display updates.
2Device complexity
If the cumulative operating time is stored in a single memory, then the storage is simple, but the data is vulnerable to loss when the display unit is replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the storage system into two separate components: a volatile memory associated with the display unit and a nonvolatile memory that persists independently. This segmentation ensures that critical time data is not lost when the display unit is replaced, while maintaining relatively simple overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nonvolatile memory that serves as a backup cushion for the cumulative operating time data before the display unit is replaced. This beforehand cushioning ensures that even if the primary storage in the display unit is lost, the data remains preserved and can be restored.
3Ease of operation
If the 0-reset operation is allowed after factory shipment, then the adjusting operation is flexible, but the cumulative operating time can be falsified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the 0-reset operation as a preliminary action during factory shipment before the vehicle is delivered to the user. By completing the reset operation beforehand and then disabling further reset capabilities, the system maintains data authenticity while having provided the necessary flexibility during the setup phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic control mechanism where the ability to perform 0-reset operations changes over time. Initially, the reset function is enabled during factory shipment, but after a certain condition is met (such as vehicle delivery), the function becomes disabled. This dynamic approach balances operational flexibility with data security.
4Ease of repair
If the display unit is replaced when it becomes out of order, then the display function is restored, but the cumulative operating time is reset to zero
Solution Approach 1:
The nonvolatile memory acts as an intermediary that preserves the cumulative operating time data during display unit replacement. The new display unit can be installed and initialized without affecting the stored time data, which remains intact in the separate nonvolatile memory and can be transferred to the new display unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a copying mechanism where the cumulative operating time data is copied from the nonvolatile memory to the new display unit's memory after replacement. This copying process ensures that the new display unit displays the correct cumulative time without requiring a reset, maintaining data integrity while enabling easy repair.
Data Source
AI summary
The use time till a display unit including an hour meter (a time measuring device) is replaced can be continued even if the time measuring device fails, and false alteration after shipping can be prevented while infallibly resetting the hour meter to zero when the vehicle equipped with the hour meter is shipped from the factory. The cargo handling vehicle includes a first storage device for accumulatively storing the vehicle use time measured by a first time measuring device provided in a display unit of the vehicle and a second storage device for accumulatively storing the vehicle use time measured by a second time measuring device provided in a control device. The control device allows the first and second storage devices to communicate the accumulated use times stored therein when the electric power of the vehicle is turned on. The control device compares the accumulated use times and writes the longer accumulated use time in the storage device storing the shorter one.