Pulsed Power Controller for Safe Brake Rescue Signal Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electro-mechanical devices, such as elevators, face challenges in ensuring safety during power outages and faults, particularly in distinguishing intentional from unintentional control signals used to manage brakes, which can lead to unsafe operations.
Innovation Solution
A power controller system with a remote controlling device that transmits pulsed instruction signals according to predetermined patterns, allowing the power controller to differentiate between intentional and unintentional signals by comparing received signals with predetermined patterns, ensuring safe operation of electric devices like elevator brakes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional analog electronic controllers are used to control electro-mechanical devices, then the control system is simple and fault tolerant, but it cannot reliably distinguish between intentional and unintentional control signals, leading to safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by using pulsed instruction signals with specific time patterns to control the electro-mechanical device. The controller receives periodic pulse trains where the duty cycle (ratio of pulse width to period) encodes different control commands. This allows reliable distinction between intentional signals (with specific periodic patterns) and unintentional signals (without matching patterns), thereby improving safety while maintaining relatively simple controller architecture.
2Ease of operation
If manual rescue mode is implemented by bypassing safety circuits and manually disengaging brakes, then passengers can be rescued during faults, but the system becomes vulnerable to unintentional signal activation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by encoding control signals using specific duty cycle parameters. The controller is configured to recognize only pulse signals with predetermined duty cycle values (e.g., 20%, 50%, 80%). This parameter-based authentication ensures that manual rescue operations can be performed intentionally by applying the correct pulse pattern, while unintentional activations (with incorrect duty cycles) are automatically rejected, thus eliminating the harmful effect of accidental brake release.
3Ease of manufacture
If simple wired connection is used for remote control, then the control system is easy to implement, but it cannot filter out noise and unintentional signals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by transforming the control signal into a periodic pulsed format with specific temporal characteristics. Instead of using continuous or simple switched signals, the system uses pulse trains with defined period, pulse width, and duty cycle. This periodic structure allows the receiver to distinguish valid control signals from noise and unintentional activations through pattern recognition, significantly improving signal accuracy while maintaining the simplicity of wired connection implementation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A power controller 110 with a cable 108 is connected to a remote controlling device 107. The remote controlling device 107 is configured to transmit a pulsed instruction signal according to a predetermined signal pattern to the power controller 110. The power controller 110 determines if the instruction signal corresponds to a predetermined signal pattern. If the instruction signal corresponds with a predetermined signal pattern, the controller 110 passes the instruction signal to switches 105 that control power supply of an electric device.