Microprocessor Safety Circuit Prevents Unintended Vehicle Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicles and industrial equipment pose safety hazards when left in gear with the power on, as they can unintentionally move due to external factors, potentially causing injury or damage.
Innovation Solution
A safety system that includes a microprocessor-based safety circuit positioned between the activation mechanism and the drive system, which requires an unlocking code or sequence of pulses to transition from a locked state to a normal operation state, ensuring that the device can only be operated intentionally by the user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the vehicle is left in gear with power on for convenience, then ease of operation is improved, but safety deteriorates due to risk of unintended movement
Solution Approach 1:
The safety circuit is pre-configured to block activation signals before they can reach the drive system. When the vehicle is left in gear with power on, the system proactively prevents unintended movement by requiring a specific unlocking sequence (pressing accelerator to threshold position and holding for predetermined time) before allowing normal operation. This preliminary protective action resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of operation during intentional use while preventing harmful unintended movement during vacancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety circuit acts as an intermediary component positioned between the accelerator pedal (activation mechanism) and the drive system. It intercepts and filters activation signals, allowing only authenticated signals (those meeting the unlocking sequence criteria) to pass through to the drive system. This intermediary function resolves the contradiction by enabling convenient operation when authorized while blocking unintended activation from foreign objects or accidental contact.
2Device complexity
If a simple activation mechanism is used, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to inability to distinguish intentional from unintentional activation
Solution Approach 1:
The safety circuit dynamically adjusts its response based on the characteristics of the activation signal. It monitors parameters such as the position threshold reached by the accelerator, the duration the threshold is held, and the timing of subsequent activation attempts. By evaluating these dynamic parameters, the system reliably distinguishes between intentional activation (which follows the unlocking sequence) and unintentional activation (which does not), resolving the contradiction between simplicity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety circuit continuously monitors the accelerator position and provides feedback to determine whether an unlocking sequence has been completed. It tracks whether the accelerator reached the threshold position, held it for the required time, and then allows subsequent activation signals to pass. This feedback mechanism enables the simple accelerator mechanism to reliably distinguish intentional from unintentional activation, resolving the contradiction between device complexity and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A safety system comprises an activation mechanism, a safety circuit, and a drive system in communication with each other. In one embodiment, the activation mechanism produces an activation signal in response to an actuation of the activation mechanism. The safety circuit operates in either a locked state or a normal operation state. In this embodiment, the safety circuit is programmed to prevent the activation signal from being communicated to the drive system when the safety circuit is operating in the locked state and to allow the activation signal to be communicated to the drive system when the safety circuit is operating in the normal operation state. The safety circuit is programmed to transition from the locked state to the normal operation state in response to receiving both an unlocking code and a follow-up signal that is received by the safety circuit within a predetermined amount of time. The safety circuit may be further programmed to transition from the normal operation state to the locked state in response to the safety circuit failing to receive an activation signal within a second predetermined amount of time.