Electric Pruning Shears With Contactless Hand-Proximity Cutoff
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable electric pruning shears lack effective safety systems that prevent user injury, as they often require physical contact or are sensitive to environmental conditions like moisture and metal wires, leading to potential accidents during use.
Innovation Solution
A contactless security system using electromagnetic waves emitted by a wearable device and received by the pruning shears, which controls the cutting tool's operation based on the wave's position and speed, ensuring the tool stops or opens before the user's free hand can touch it, thereby preventing injuries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a contactless security system based on electromagnetic waves is used, then safety and reliability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical contact-based safety systems with an electromagnetic wave-based detection system. The emitter and receiver use electromagnetic fields to detect the position of the free hand, eliminating the need for physical contact sensors and providing more reliable contactless safety monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces electromagnetic waves as an intermediary between the cutting tool and the user's free hand. The emitter transmits electromagnetic waves that reflect off the free hand to the receiver, creating an indirect detection mechanism that improves safety without requiring direct contact or complex sensor arrays.
2Reliability
If electromagnetic wave-based detection is used, then sensitivity to environmental conditions is reduced, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The emitter transmits electromagnetic waves in periodic pulses rather than continuously. This pulsed operation reduces energy consumption while maintaining reliable detection capability, as the system only needs to detect hand position during critical cutting phases rather than constantly monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adjusts parameters such as electromagnetic wave frequency, pulse duration, and transmission power dynamically based on operational conditions. This allows the system to maintain stable detection performance while minimizing energy consumption by using lower power settings when full power is not 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 provides enhanced safety by reducing sensitivity to environmental conditions and eliminating the need for physical contact, ensuring the user's free hand never comes into contact with the cutting tool, thus preventing injuries during operation.
Implementation Method 1
an emitter for emitting at least one electromagnetic wave and a receiver for receiving at least one electromagnetic wave emitted by said emitter
Data Source
AI summary
A portable electric pruning shears including:a longitudinal body intended to be held by one hand of a user, called the holding hand,a cutting tool arranged at a distal end of the body,an electric motor for operating the cutting tool, anda security system provided to protect the user;wherein the security system includes:an emitter for emitting at least one electromagnetic wave and a receiver for receiving at least one electromagnetic wave emitted by the emitter, one of which is embedded by said portable electric pruning shears and the other one of which is intended to be worn by the other hand of the user, called the free hand, anda control unit for acting on the operating of the cutting tool as a function of the wave(s) received by the receiver.