Refuse Vehicle Control Panel with Status Lights
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refuse collection vehicles lack reliable feedback mechanisms for operators, leading to inefficient operation and difficulty in diagnosing errors, as operators rely on visual cues that can result in false perceptions and incorrect operation of lifting devices.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a control panel with buttons and associated lights that send actuation and information signals to the controller, which transmits control signals to actuator systems and provides visual feedback through illumination characteristics, indicating the status and progress of operations, thus enhancing operator understanding and reducing errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If operators rely on visual observation of lifting device behavior to understand operation status, then no additional feedback components are needed, but operator perception is unreliable and errors occur frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where lights on the control panel provide visual information about the current operation status of the lifting device. Each button has an associated light that illuminates to indicate whether the corresponding operation is active, completed, or pending, giving operators reliable feedback without requiring them to interpret complex mechanical movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses different light emission characteristics (such as different colors or illumination patterns) to indicate different operational states. For example, green lights may indicate successful completion while red lights indicate errors or pending operations, allowing operators to quickly understand system status through color-coded visual signals.
2Ease of operation
If operators press buttons without feedback confirmation, then the control system remains simple, but operators cannot verify if intended actions are executed correctly
Solution Approach 1:
The control panel provides immediate visual feedback through lights that illuminate when a button is pressed and remain lit to confirm the operation is being executed. This allows operators to verify that their input was received and is being acted upon, reducing uncertainty and enabling better operational control.
3Ease of repair
If no operational status information is provided, then the control system remains simple, but operators cannot diagnose errors effectively when they occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous visual feedback about operational status through the light indicators. When errors occur, the pattern of illuminated lights (or lack thereof) provides diagnostic information about which operation is affected, helping operators quickly identify and address problems without needing complex diagnostic tools.
Data Source
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AI summary
The refuse collection vehicle lifting device (5) comprises actuators for performing actions related to the lifting device; a control panel (30) provided with multiple buttons (31) for invoking the actions, and multiple lights (32); and a controller configured to control the actuators. Each light is associated with one button and provided next to this button. The control panel sends an actuation signal to the controller upon actuating a said button. The controller generates, depending on the actuation signal received, control signals transmitted to the actuator systems associated to the button actuated. The controller generates and transmits to the control panel an information signal associated to one or more of the button(s) and containing information about the action operated with these respective button(s). The control panel drives the light(s) associated to these one or more buttons to emit a lightening characteristic depending on the information in the information signal.