Floor Cleaner Lateral Acceleration Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for ensuring sideways stability in vehicles, particularly those used for industrial floor treatment, are complex, costly, and do not provide automatic control, especially when operating on inclined surfaces or with limited turning radii, leading to instability risks.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses an accelerometer to detect lateral acceleration and a control unit to automatically adjust vehicle speed, limiting it to prevent excessive centrifugal force, without modifying the steering, ensuring stability and safety through real-time speed control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex stability control systems with multiple sensors and processing units are used, then vehicle stability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential function needed for stability control - using a single accelerometer to detect lateral acceleration - rather than implementing complex multi-sensor systems. This selective extraction of the core stabilizing function reduces system complexity while maintaining effectiveness for floor treatment vehicles operating at low speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a simple, inexpensive accelerometer instead of expensive sophisticated sensors and processing units. This single low-cost component provides sufficient stability control for the specific application, avoiding the high costs associated with complex stability control systems designed for high-speed vehicles.
2Extent of automation
If automatic stability control systems are implemented, then operator intervention is reduced, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automatic stability control through a feedback mechanism where the accelerometer continuously monitors lateral acceleration and the control unit automatically adjusts vehicle speed in response to detected instability conditions. This simple feedback loop provides effective automatic control without requiring complex processing units or multiple sensors.
3Productivity
If vehicle speed is increased to improve productivity, then operational efficiency improves, but vehicle stability deteriorates on inclined surfaces during turning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic speed control that automatically adjusts the vehicle speed based on real-time stability conditions. When the vehicle operates on inclined surfaces or executes tight turns, the system detectively reduces speed to maintain stability. This dynamic adjustment allows the vehicle to operate at higher speeds during stable conditions, improving productivity while ensuring stability when needed.
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
The system effectively maintains vehicle stability by automatically controlling speed based on detected lateral acceleration, preventing tipping and ensuring safe operation on inclined surfaces without human intervention, enhancing safety and reducing operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
an accelerometer (4) oriented at right angles with respect to said direction 'X' and in a horizontal direction when said wheels are resting on a horizontal working surface and the vehicle is stationary with respect to said working surface, and in which said accelerometer is suited to generate an electric signal depending, also in a non-linear form, on the lateral acceleration given and detected by said accelerometer
Implementation Method 2
controlling the vehicle speed so that it is limited to a value which prevents the generation of excessive centrifugal acceleration
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~3A
Figure 4
AI summary
The present invention relates to land vehicles in general, and particularly vehicles for the treatment of paved surfaces such as floor washers, sweepers, etc., that are improved for the purpose of avoiding their lateral tipping over when negotiating tight turns, or in other similar running conditions. This objective is achieved by the adoption of control devices that make it possible to control and particularly to reduce the speed of the vehicles in an automatic manner, when their lateral acceleration exceeds a preset value corresponding to running in conditions of potential risk. The vehicle includes an accelerometer to detect its lateral acceleration while in operation; traction means normally consisting of an electric motor or an internal combustion engine, and a relative transmission acting on the wheels; means of control activated by the operator of the vehicle and suitable to actuate in a controllable mode the mechanical power delivered by the motor so as to adjust the speed of the vehicle, and a monitoring and control unit in which algorithms are memorized suitable to compare the lateral acceleration signal detected by the accelerometer with a preset value corresponding to a preset lateral acceleration. Said control means are suitable to operate on traction means as a function of the result of said comparison of said lateral acceleration signal and said preset value, and in particular to operate on the traction means so as to reduce the speed of the vehicle to the point at which the signal generated by said accelerometer is lower than a preset value corresponding to a preset lateral acceleration.