Vehicle Starter Control via Contact Timing Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current starter control systems for keyless push-button switch assemblies in vehicles fail to accurately detect accidental or incorrect interactions and faults, leading to potential misoperation of vehicle motors.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that assess driver intent by monitoring the closure and opening times of multiple contacts in a push-button switch assembly, emitting a start command only when predetermined intervals are met, and initiating fault detection and alternative starting procedures if these intervals are not satisfied, thereby preventing accidental motor operation and ensuring correct functioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If starter control systems use simple push-button switch assembly without monitoring multiple contacts, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability of motor start operations deteriorates due to inability to detect accidental or incorrect interactions
Solution Approach 1:
The push-button switch assembly is segmented into multiple independent contacts (first contact, second contact, third contact) that are monitored separately. Each contact's closure and opening events are individually detected and timed, allowing the system to assess driver intent through the temporal pattern of contact operations rather than treating the switch as a single unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the state of multiple contacts and using the temporal relationships between their closure and opening events to determine whether the driver intends to start or stop the motor. This feedback mechanism enables the system to distinguish between intentional and accidental button presses, improving reliability while maintaining manageable complexity through algorithmic analysis of contact patterns.
2Measurement precision
If the system monitors closure and opening times of multiple contacts within predetermined intervals, then accuracy of driver intent detection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system establishes predetermined time intervals (first predetermined interval, second predetermined interval, third predetermined interval) in advance as reference criteria for assessing driver intent. These pre-defined temporal thresholds allow the control unit to quickly compare actual contact closure and opening times against expected patterns, improving detection accuracy without requiring complex real-time analysis algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses parameter changes in the temporal domain by measuring the duration and timing of contact closure events. By monitoring when contacts close and open relative to each other within specific time intervals, the system transforms the static push-button press into a dynamic temporal pattern that encodes driver intent, achieving precise detection through time-based parameter analysis rather than complex spatial or mechanical mechanisms.
3Reliability
If the system implements fault detection cycles and alternative starting procedures, then reliability of motor operation is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to additional procedures required
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements preliminary anti-action by detecting fault conditions (such as contacts that fail to close or open within expected time intervals) before they can cause motor operation issues. By identifying abnormal contact patterns early through the fault detection cycle, the system can prevent unreliable motor starts or stops, improving overall operational reliability while keeping the fault detection integrated into the normal starting procedure to minimize impact on ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods are described for interfacing between a push-button switch assembly for a motor of a vehicle and a starter control device. The push-button switch assembly has plural contacts arranged to close when a driver operates the push-button switch assembly, the interface being arranged to respond to closure of the contacts within a predetermined interval to emit a signal for commanding starting of the motor of the vehicle.