Remotely Releasable Tow Line Assembly for Drag Racing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tow line solutions for drag racing require teams to stop and manually push race cars into pit stalls, consuming valuable time and labor, as they are not designed for rapid release while the car is in motion.
Innovation Solution
A quick release tow line with a releasable latch and cable system that allows a user to untether the race car from the tow vehicle while it is still moving, using a simple tug of a release cord, enabling the car to glide into the pit area without assistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a traditional tow line is used to tow a race car back to the pit stall, then the car can be transported from the finish line, but the tow vehicle must stop and crew members must manually push the car into the pit stall, which consumes valuable time (2-3 minutes) and labor
Solution Approach 1:
The race car serves itself by gliding into the pit stall under its own momentum after being remotely released from the tow vehicle. The car's惯性 (inertia) and momentum carry it the remaining distance without requiring crew members to push or guide it manually, thereby eliminating the need for manual intervention in the final positioning step
Solution Approach 2:
The release mechanism is extracted from the pit stall area and relocated to the tow vehicle. By implementing a remote release system on the tow vehicle, the coupling between the tow vehicle and race car can be severed while the car is still in motion, removing the need for crew members to be physically present at the pit stall to unhook the car
2Ease of operation
If the tow vehicle stops to unhook the race car and push it into the pit stall, then the car can be positioned accurately, but valuable time is lost during the stopping and manual positioning process
Solution Approach 1:
The race car is released from the tow vehicle while still in motion, before reaching the pit stall. This preliminary release action allows the car to continue moving under its own momentum and glide into the pit stall without requiring the tow vehicle to stop or crew members to manually position the car at the final destination
Solution Approach 2:
The towing action continues uninterrupted until the moment of release. The race car maintains continuous motion from the finish line through the release point and into the pit stall, eliminating the interruption that would occur if the tow vehicle had to stop. The useful action of moving the car back to the pit stall continues without breaks
Data Source
AI summary
A remotely releasable tow line is provided. The tow line has a releasable latch at a distal end that is removably connected to a race car. The releasable latch is operatively associated with a cable handle adjacent to a proximal end of the tow line. Accordingly, a user disposed on a tow vehicle, to which the proximal end is connected, may manipulate the cable handle so that the release latch disconnects from the race car, in such a way that while the race car is still being towed it is unhooked from the tow vehicle, thereby saving time in getting the race car in a pit area where the race car can be tended to before its soon-approaching next race.