Steering Wheel Horn Actuation via Integrated Force Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional steering wheel horn systems often lack quick and reliable access, leading to delayed reactions in urgent situations, with existing solutions prone to false alarms or requiring hand movement to actuate the horn.
Innovation Solution
A steering wheel with an external force-sensing device, such as a pressure sensor array or mechanical buttons, integrated into the handle, allowing drivers to actuate the horn without releasing their grip by detecting and thresholding external forces, and optionally adjusting sensitivity through a user interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If horn actuators are located on the center hub or spoke of the steering wheel, then the horn can be actuated, but the driver needs to move their hand to press the button, causing delayed reaction in urgent situations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the horn actuation function with the steering wheel handle itself by integrating a force-sensing device into the handle. This merging eliminates the need for separate horn buttons on the hub or spoke, allowing the driver to actuate the horn through natural gripping actions already performed during steering, thus achieving immediate response without hand movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The steering wheel handle performs dual functions: steering control and horn actuation. The force-sensing device detects forces applied during normal gripping and steering actions, enabling the handle to automatically trigger the horn when appropriate force thresholds are exceeded, without requiring dedicated horn-pressing action from the driver.
2Ease of operation
If a flexible tube embedded with fluid material is provided around the steering wheel to sound the horn when squeezed, then horn actuation is simplified, but false alarms are frequently caused
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical flexible tube system with an electronic force-sensing device that uses sensors and electronic threshold detection. This substitution provides more precise and controllable force measurement, enabling reliable differentiation between intentional horn-actuating forces and incidental forces during normal steering, thereby reducing false alarms while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces adjustable force thresholds as a parameter to control horn actuation. By allowing the threshold to be configured and adjusted, the system can adapt to different driving conditions and driver preferences, ensuring that only forces exceeding the设定的 threshold trigger the horn, thus eliminating false alarms while keeping the operation simple.
3Speed
If pressure sensors are used to detect external force on the handle, then rapid horn actuation is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The force-sensing device is designed to serve multiple functions: detecting horn-actuating forces, monitoring steering input characteristics, and potentially providing haptic feedback. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing additional value beyond mere horn actuation, making the enhanced device complexity worthwhile for the rapid response capability achieved.
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
Enables rapid and reliable horn actuation without hand movement, reducing false alarms and allowing customizable sensitivity settings for personalized use, ensuring quick and effective signaling in emergency situations.
Implementation Method 1
the pressure sensors can be made of piezoelectric material
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus of sounding a horn of a vehicle is provided where the user operator need not release his or her hand from steering wheel handle to actuate a horn. In one example, a steering wheel with force-sensing device is provided for a driver of a car for quick access to sound the horn by simply squeezing or pressing the steer wheel in a particular way without releasing his or her hand from the steering wheel. The vehicle can have a control algorithm to monitor external force applied to the steering wheel through a sensor array which activates the horn when the pressure level reaches a threshold value. Drivers can optionally use a user interface to selectively set one or more threshold values so they can activate the horn or activate different volume or tones of horn by setting and achieving various threshold conditions. The horn may be activated by a squeezing/pressing/twisting action, by squeezing/pressing/twisting the handle with one hand, by squeezing/pressing/twisting the handle with two hands simultaneously, by squeezing/pressing/twisting the handle in a particular way, by squeezing/pressing/twisting the handle at a particular location(s) of the steering wheel handle, etc.