Portable Radio Control Unit with Acceleration Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radio control units for industrial trucks restrict the driver's freedom of movement and workflow, as they require manual operation that diverts attention and interrupts the normal sequence of tasks.
Innovation Solution
A portable radio control unit with an acceleration sensor that detects momentum transfers, such as tapping or knocking, to transmit control signals to a vehicle radio unit, allowing for hands-free operation without interrupting the driver's work.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a radio control unit is held or worn on the hand, then the vehicle can be controlled remotely, but the driver's freedom of movement and workflow are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operation (pressing buttons with fingers) with automatic mechanical detection (acceleration sensor detecting momentum transfers). The control unit is activated by tapping or knocking on the housing, which generates momentum transfers detected by the acceleration sensor, eliminating the need for manual button pressing and allowing hands-free operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit activates itself automatically when subjected to specific momentum transfers (tapping or knocking patterns). The acceleration sensor autonomously detects these patterns and triggers the corresponding control functions without requiring the driver to consciously operate the device, enabling the system to serve itself and the driver simultaneously.
2Reliability
If manual button pressing is used for control, then precise control signals can be transmitted, but the driver must divert attention from his current activity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical action of finger button pressing with the physical action of tapping or knocking on the housing. The acceleration sensor detects the momentum transfers from these taps, automatically converting them into control signals. This substitution maintains control accuracy while eliminating the need for visual attention and conscious operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The acceleration sensor acts as an intermediary between the driver's tapping action and the control signal transmission. It detects the momentum transfers and automatically translates them into the appropriate control commands, serving as a mediator that converts simple physical gestures into precise control actions without requiring driver intervention.
3Ease of operation
If the control unit requires conscious operation, then control functions can be executed accurately, but the driver's sequence of movements is interrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic tapping or knocking patterns as the activation mechanism. Different control functions are triggered by different patterns (single tap, double tap, knocking sequence), allowing the driver to execute various control operations through rhythmic physical actions that integrate naturally into the workflow without causing interruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit automatically executes the appropriate control function based on the detected momentum transfer pattern. The system monitors acceleration signals continuously and autonomously determines which control action to take, eliminating the need for the driver to consciously initiate or monitor the control process, thus maintaining workflow continuity.
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
Enables seamless and uninterrupted operation of industrial trucks by allowing drivers to control the vehicle through intuitive momentum transfers, reducing the need to divert attention or interrupt their workflow.
Implementation Method 1
an acceleration sensor arranged in the housing. The method includes detecting a momentum transfer to the control panel. The momentum transfer to the control panel is present and detected when an acceleration is partially or entirely captured in one direction by the acceleration sensor
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling an industrial truck equipped with a vehicle radio unit via a radio control unit that is portable and designed to transmit signals to the vehicle radio unit, which has a transmitter, a housing equipped with at least one control panel and an acceleration sensor arranged in the housing, wherein the method comprises the following steps:Detecting a momentum transfer to the control panel when an acceleration is captured entirely or partially in one direction,Forwarding the detected momentum transfer as a signal to the transmitter of the radio control unit andTransmitting the forwarded signal by the transmitter to the vehicle radio unit.