Remote Tire Deflation Puller with Motorized Winch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Law enforcement officers face danger when deploying tire deflation devices as they must manually place them in the path of a fleeing vehicle, leading to injuries and fatalities due to the current deployment methods.
Innovation Solution
A remotely activated puller system that includes a housing with a battery-powered motor, rope spool, and wireless remote control, allowing for the tire deflation device to be deployed from a safe distance and quickly retrieved, using a rope connected to a spike strip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If officers manually drag the tire deflation device into the roadway by hand, then the device can be deployed, but officers are exposed to harm and face danger of injury or death
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical dragging operation with an automated motorized winch system. The winch motor automatically reels in the spike strip, eliminating the need for officers to physically drag the device into the roadway, thereby substituting mechanical automation for manual labor and improving officer safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) as an intermediary between the officer and the tire deflation device. The ROV carries and deploys the spike strip, acting as a mediator that separates the officer from the dangerous deployment zone, allowing the officer to control the device from a safe distance.
2Productivity
If the tire deflation device is deployed quickly to stop a pursuit, then the response time is reduced, but officers must stand directly in the path of the fleeing suspect
Solution Approach 1:
The ROV serves as an intermediary that can quickly deploy the spike strip without requiring officers to be in the path of the fleeing vehicle. The device is launched from the ROV, which remains at a safe distance, thus maintaining rapid deployment capability while eliminating officer exposure to the harmful factors of the fleeing vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the deployment function into two separate components: the ROV that handles the dangerous deployment task and the officer who remains safe. This segmentation allows the deployment action to be performed quickly by the ROV while the officer is separated from the hazardous zone, resolving the contradiction between speed and safety.
3Reliability
If the rope is made long enough to reach the tire deflation device from a safe distance, then officer safety is improved, but the rope may get tangled or caught on objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the passive rope with an active motorized winch system. The winch motor actively controls the rope deployment and retraction, preventing tangling and catching issues that plague passive ropes. This mechanical substitution maintains the safety benefits of distance while eliminating the complexity of rope management.
Solution Approach 2:
The winch system is self-service in that it automatically manages its own rope deployment and retraction without requiring manual intervention. The motorized spool winds the rope back in automatically after deployment, eliminating the need for officers to manually manage the rope and reducing the complexity associated with long rope handling.
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 enables safe and rapid deployment of tire deflation devices from a distance, reducing the risk to officers and allowing for quick removal to avoid unintended impacts, while being portable and requiring no replacement parts for resetting.
Implementation Method 1
a motor disposed within the housing and powered by the battery
Data Source
AI summary
A remote tire deflation puller is provided. The tire deflation puller includes a housing. At least one battery is disposed within the housing. A motor is disposed within the housing and is powered by the battery. A rope spool is disposed within the housing and is rotatable by the motor. A first end of a rope is attached to the rope spool and runs from the rope spool through an aperture formed in the housing. The motor rotates the rope spool so that the rope wraps around the rope spool. A connector is secured to a second end of the rope, which connects to a spike strip.