Segmented Bumper Shaft Assembly for Autonomous Vehicle Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavier autonomous agricultural spraying vehicles face challenges with existing soft material safety bumpers, which are limited in thickness and cave-in distance, leading to insufficient vehicle stopping before impact, posing risks to personnel, objects, and the vehicle itself.
Innovation Solution
A safety bumper assembly featuring a bumper bar hinged to first and second bumper shafts with resistance elements and a switch mechanism, allowing for controlled inward movement and engine shutdown upon contact, ensuring complete vehicle stop before maximum bumper shaft displacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If soft material safety bumpers are made with limited thickness (5-10 inches), then the bumper remains compact and not bulky, but the cave-in distance is insufficient to fully stop heavier autonomous vehicles before impact
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper system is divided into multiple shafts (first bumper shaft and second bumper shaft) that can move independently relative to each other and the support structure. This segmentation allows each shaft to contribute to the total stopping distance without requiring a single excessively thick bumper, resolving the contradiction between compact size and sufficient stopping capability for heavier vehicles
Solution Approach 2:
The inner bumper shaft portion is nested within the outer bumper shaft portion, with the inner shaft having an inner shaft end and the outer shaft having an outer shaft end. This nested configuration allows multiple stages of compression and movement, effectively increasing the total cave-in distance and stopping capability while maintaining a compact overall bumper structure
2Stability of the object's composition
If the cave-in distance for soft material is limited by its coefficient of elasticity, then the bumper structure remains manageable, but the vehicle cannot fully stop before impact, causing significant impact to persons, objects, and the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper shafts are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing dynamic adjustment of the stopping distance. The shafts can move inward relative to the support structure and relative to each other, providing a longer, progressive deceleration distance that reduces impact forces on persons, objects, and the vehicle while maintaining manageable material properties
Solution Approach 2:
The switch mechanism is positioned to be actuated during the inward movement of the bumper shafts, before the shafts reach their maximum compressed position. This preliminary action (engine shutdown) occurs during the deceleration process, allowing the vehicle to stop completely before full impact, thereby reducing harmful impact forces
3Reliability
If heavier autonomous vehicles are equipped with extended soft material bumpers to increase stopping distance, then vehicle stopping capability improves, but the bumper becomes too bulky and impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper is segmented into multiple shafts that move in a coordinated manner, allowing the stopping function to be distributed across multiple compact components rather than requiring a single large-volume soft material bumper. This segmentation achieves sufficient stopping distance for heavier vehicles while maintaining a practical, compact overall bumper volume
Solution Approach 2:
The bumper shafts are arranged and move in multiple dimensions - the outer shaft and inner shaft can move relative to each other and relative to the support structure. This multi-dimensional movement arrangement effectively increases the stopping distance without proportionally increasing the bumper's external volume, making it practical for heavier autonomous vehicles
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 solution effectively controls forces during vehicle contact, ensuring safe shutdown and stopping of heavier autonomous vehicles, reducing impact risks for personnel, objects, and the vehicle, even at low speeds.
Implementation Method 1
a first resistance element biasing the first bumper shaft and a second resistance element biasing the second bumper shaft to respective outermost positions
Data Source
AI summary
A safety bumper assembly for a vehicle shutting off a vehicle engine when the vehicle hits an obstacle, particularly an autonomous vehicle used for agricultural purposes. The assembly includes bumper shafts holding a bumper bar at a distance from a support structure of the vehicle and shuts off the vehicle engine in such fashion that the vehicle comes to a full stop before the bumper has reached its most inward position closer to the vehicle body. A vehicle equipped with the safety bumper assembly has vehicle frame integrating a support structure of the safety bumper assembly.