Jump Start Apparatus with Automatic Polarity Detection and Switching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle jump-start systems risk damage to vehicles and safety hazards due to incorrect polarity connections and voltage mismatches during jump-start operations, as users often struggle to accurately identify and connect the correct polarities and voltages.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle jump-start apparatus featuring a sampling circuit, polarity determining circuit, and clamp polarity switching circuit that automatically determines the vehicle battery's polarities and adjusts the ignition clamps to match, ensuring safe and correct connections without specific polarity or voltage requirements, using only hardware circuits.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If users manually connect ignition clamps to vehicle battery terminals, then the jump-start operation can be performed, but incorrect polarity connections may occur causing damage to vehicle instruments and safety hazards

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of connectionVSAvoidconnection safety

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically detects battery polarity and controls the switching circuit to connect clamps to correct terminals without user intervention. The control unit receives polarity detection signals and autonomously configures the switching circuit, eliminating manual connection requirements and preventing incorrect polarity connections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates a polarity detection circuit that provides feedback to the control unit about the battery terminal polarities. This feedback mechanism enables the system to automatically adjust the clamp connections to match the correct polarity, ensuring safe operation without relying on user knowledge or attention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If users manually connect ignition clamps to vehicle battery terminals, then the jump-start operation can be performed, but reverse connections may cause short circuits, battery damage, and safety hazards such as fire

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of connectionVSAvoiddamage and safety hazards

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The polarity detection circuit performs preliminary detection of battery terminal polarities before the jump-start operation begins. This preliminary action prevents reverse connections by establishing the correct polarity configuration in advance, thereby preventing short circuits, battery damage, and safety hazards before they can occur.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

3Reliability

If the apparatus automatically determines polarity and switches clamp connections, then connection safety is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional circuits

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection safetyVSAvoidcircuit complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The polarity detection circuit and switching control functions are integrated into a unified control system. The control unit combines polarity detection, analysis, and switching control in one integrated architecture, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high reliability through automated polarity-matched connections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS11689034B1Apparatus for jump starting a vehicle and jump start system

Publication Date: 2023.06.27 WU ZHIPENG

AI summary

An apparatus for jump starting a vehicle is disclosed. The apparatus comprises: a first and a second ignition clamp, a sampling circuit configured to sample polarity output signal from the vehicle battery when each of the first and the second ignition clamps is connected to a respective one of the first and the second terminals of the vehicle battery, a polarity determining circuit configured to determine, based on the sampled polarity output signal, a polarity of the first and the second terminal of the vehicle battery, and a clamp polarity switching circuit configured to connect the first and the second ignition clamps to a portable power supply, and enable, in response to the determined respective polarities of the first and the second terminals of the vehicle battery, a polarity on the first and on the second ignition clamps to be the same as that of the corresponding terminal connected thereto.