Timed Electrode Deployment for Consistent CEW NMI Induction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing conducted electrical weapons (CEWs) face inefficiencies in delivering electrical stimuli to targets, particularly in inducing neuromuscular incapacitation (NMI), due to suboptimal electrode spacing and pulse parameters, leading to battery depletion and inconsistent effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
The CEW is equipped with a position sensor that automatically deploys electrodes based on changes in position, orientation, and time, optimizing electrode spacing and pulse parameters to enhance the likelihood of inducing NMI while conserving energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrodes are deployed with fixed spacing and manual operation, then device complexity is reduced, but NMI induction consistency and effectiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic electrode spacing adjustment based on real-time detection of target distance and orientation. The control system automatically modifies deployment parameters (spacing, timing, pulse duration) according to detected conditions, transitioning from fixed manual deployment to adaptive dynamic deployment that optimizes NMI induction while maintaining manageable system complexity through automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that detect target distance, orientation, and electrode contact status, feeding this information back to the control system. This feedback loop enables automatic adjustment of electrode spacing and pulse parameters to maintain consistent NMI induction effectiveness across varying operational conditions, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
2Reliability
If electrode spacing is increased to improve NMI effectiveness, then pulse delivery efficiency improves, but battery energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts electrode spacing and pulse parameters based on real-time detection of target characteristics and distance. Rather than using fixed increased spacing that would always consume more energy, the control system optimizes spacing dynamically - using larger spacing only when necessary for effective NMI induction while reducing spacing and pulse energy when targets are closer or smaller, thereby balancing effectiveness with energy conservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements automatic modification of electrical pulse parameters (voltage, current, duration, frequency) in conjunction with electrode spacing adjustments. The control system changes these parameters dynamically based on detected conditions, allowing the system to achieve effective NMI induction with optimized energy consumption by adapting pulse delivery to match the actual electrode-target configuration rather than using fixed high-energy settings.
3Reliability
If multiple electrodes are deployed simultaneously to ensure adequate spacing, then NMI induction reliability improves, but device complexity and operational control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of target distance and orientation before electrode deployment. Based on this pre-detection, the control system automatically calculates and sets the optimal number of electrodes to deploy and their respective spacing, eliminating the need for manual judgment about adequate spacing. This preliminary action ensures reliable NMI induction while simplifying operator interaction to a single trigger pull.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system automatically manages the complexity of multi-electrode deployment by self-calculating optimal spacing and timing based on sensor input. The system serves itself by autonomously determining deployment parameters without requiring the operator to manually coordinate multiple electrodes, thereby maintaining NMI reliability while significantly improving ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrode may be automatically deployed based on a change associated with a conducted electrical weapon. The change may comprise a change in time. The electrode may be automatically deployed after a previous electrode is deployed from the conducted electrical weapon and the change in time is detected.