Ramp-Equipped Vehicle Boarding Control During Height Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In ramp-equipped vehicles, there is a risk of individuals rushing to board while the vehicle height is being adjusted, leading to potential strain or swaying as the ramp position changes, highlighting a need for improved safety during this process.
Innovation Solution
A ramp-equipped vehicle with a vehicle-height adjusting mechanism, a movable ramp, and a camera system that detects approaching individuals, interrupting vehicle height adjustments if a person is about to board, and verifying if they are a scheduled passenger through communication with their terminal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If vehicle height adjustment is performed during ramp deployment, then ramp usability is improved, but safety deteriorates due to risk of persons rushing into the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The camera detects a person approaching the vehicle before the height adjustment completes, and the system interrupts the adjustment process in advance. This preliminary detection and interruption mechanism prevents the person from rushing into the vehicle during height adjustment, thereby maintaining safety while allowing height adjustment to proceed when safe.
2Ease of operation
If vehicle height is lowered during ramp deployment, then ramp angle is improved, but stability deteriorates due to changing ramp position
Solution Approach 1:
The system completes the vehicle height adjustment to the lowered position before deploying the ramp. This preliminary height adjustment ensures that the ramp deploys from the correct height position, achieving the desired ramp angle while maintaining stability during deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the vehicle height based on the deployment state of the ramp. When the ramp is deployed, the vehicle height is lowered to optimize the ramp angle for user accessibility. This dynamic adjustment maintains the appropriate ramp angle while ensuring stability through coordinated control of height and ramp position.
Data Source
AI summary
A ramp-equipped vehicle includes: a vehicle-height adjusting mechanism configured to adjust a vehicle height of a vehicle; a ramp configured to be movable between a deployed state and a stored state, the deployed state being a state where the ramp protrudes outwardly from the vehicle, the stored state being a state where the ramp is stored inside the vehicle; and a camera configured to detect a person coming closer to the vehicle. When the camera detects a person coming closer to a doorway of the vehicle during vehicle height adjustment by the vehicle-height adjusting mechanism, the vehicle height adjustment by the vehicle-height adjusting mechanism is interrupted.