Tensioned Wire Network for Vehicle Structural Damage Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for structural damage detection in vehicles are inadequate for accurately assessing damage and ensuring safety, as they lack a comprehensive and real-time monitoring system to identify changes in structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a multiplicity of nodes tethered by tensioned wires with integrated tension sensors, communicatively coupled to a computer, which detects changes in wire tension, records and timestamps these changes, and uploads data to a remote server, including GPS coordinates and environmental indicators, to assess structural damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a comprehensive real-time monitoring system with multiple sensors is implemented, then damage detection precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is divided into multiple independent nodes distributed across the vehicle structure. Each node contains a tension sensor and processing unit that independently monitors local wire tension changes. This segmentation allows comprehensive coverage without requiring a single complex centralized system, thereby improving detection precision while managing system complexity through modular deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
Each node in the network is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting tension changes, processing local data, storing information, and communicating with other nodes. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, improving overall system efficiency and detection capability without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Reliability
If multiple tension sensors and nodes are deployed across the vehicle, then damage detection reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multiple simple tension sensor nodes distributed throughout the vehicle rather than a single complex sensor array. Each node is a standardized, relatively simple unit that can be manufactured independently and installed at key structural locations. This segmentation approach improves reliability through redundancy and distributed monitoring while keeping individual component costs low and manufacturing straightforward.
Solution Approach 2:
Each node contains integrated processing and decision-making capability, allowing it to autonomously detect tension changes and generate alerts without requiring constant external processing. This self-service capability reduces the need for expensive centralized processing hardware and simplifies the overall system architecture, improving reliability while controlling manufacturing costs.
3Loss of time
If real-time data upload and remote monitoring are implemented, then response time is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic data upload cycles rather than continuous real-time transmission. Nodes monitor tension changes continuously but upload data to remote systems only when changes exceed thresholds or at scheduled intervals. This periodic action maintains effective response time for critical events while dramatically reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback mechanisms where nodes only initiate data upload when tension changes indicate potential damage events. The local processing unit analyzes sensor data and triggers remote communication only when necessary, creating an event-driven feedback loop that improves response time for actual incidents while minimizing energy-wasting continuous data transmission during normal operation.
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 real-time detection and assessment of structural damage, allowing for immediate identification of damage locations and types, enhancing vehicle safety and operational integrity by providing timely data for damage analysis and response.
Implementation Method 1
each of the nodes includes a tension sensor measuring changes in tension of a coupled one of the tensioned wires
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for structural damage detection in a vehicle. The method includes detecting a change in tension of a wire coupled to two different nodes of a multiplicity of nodes tethered to one another by way of tensioned wires and affixed to a portion of a vehicle. Thereafter, in response to the detection, data is uploaded that includes the change in tension to a computer remote form the vehicle over a computer communications network.