Vehicle Marker Lights for Remote Battery Charge Status
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric and hybrid vehicles lack an effective method to indicate the charging status of their batteries, which can lead to inefficiencies in operation and management, especially in scenarios where multiple vehicles are being charged simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A controller system that utilizes existing safety lights on the vehicle to indicate the battery's charge status by controlling their illumination patterns, color, or flashing sequences, allowing users to determine the charge level from a distance without additional hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If dedicated charge status indicator lights are added to the vehicle, then the charging status can be clearly indicated, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by enabling existing vehicle safety lights to serve dual purposes: providing safety illumination during vehicle operation and indicating battery charging status when the vehicle is parked or charging. The controller selectively activates these lights based on vehicle state, eliminating the need for dedicated charge status indicators while maintaining clear communication of charging status to users.
2Productivity
If multiple vehicles are charged simultaneously without visual indicators, then charging infrastructure is efficiently utilized, but users cannot monitor charging status remotely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs color changes in the existing vehicle lights to convey different charging status information. By varying the color or illumination pattern of the safety lights, the system provides intuitive remote visual feedback to users about their vehicle's charging state, enabling efficient fleet management and remote monitoring without requiring users to physically approach each vehicle.
Data Source
AI summary
A refuse vehicle includes a battery configured to power the refuse vehicle, a light, and a controller electrically coupled to the battery and the light. The controller includes one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to control the light to provide a safety function and/or provide visibility to a user of the refuse vehicle when the refuse vehicle is in active operation and to control the light to indicate a charge status of the battery when the refuse vehicle is not in active operation.