Utility Vehicle RTC Control for Subsystem Time Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Utility vehicle control systems often lack synchronization between components, leading to inefficiencies and operational challenges due to the absence of a unified timing mechanism.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a real-time clock (RTC) into the vehicle control system to synchronize subsystems and components, enabling time-based operations such as charging, wake-up/shutdown, and data timestamping, which can be used to manage and control various functions of the utility vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a real-time clock is integrated into the vehicle control system, then synchronization between subsystems and components is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the real-time clock functionality directly into the existing vehicle control system architecture, merging the timing function with the control module rather than adding a completely separate synchronization system. This approach provides centralized timekeeping across all subsystems while minimizing additional hardware complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The real-time clock is designed to serve multiple functions including synchronizing data logging across different sensors, coordinating wake-up/shutdown cycles for various vehicle subsystems, and providing timestamp references for control operations. This multi-functional approach justifies the added complexity by delivering broad synchronization benefits across the entire vehicle system.
2Use of energy by moving object
If time-based operations are implemented for wake-up and shutdown, then energy management is improved, but control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the real-time clock to schedule and initiate wake-up and shutdown operations in advance based on predetermined time schedules. This allows vehicle subsystems to be activated or deactivated proactively according to planned operations, optimizing energy consumption by ensuring systems are only active when needed rather than running continuously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic wake-up and shutdown cycles for vehicle subsystems based on time-based scheduling from the real-time clock. This periodic operation allows the vehicle to enter low-power states during non-operational periods and automatically wake up when operations are scheduled, creating an energy-efficient operational pattern that reduces overall power consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
A utility vehicle that includes a vehicle control system having one or more real time clocks (RTC). The RTC can be embedded in the vehicle control system, or in components or subsystems of the vehicle control system, and can be either dedicated electronics or software based. Information provided by the RTC can be used to synchronize components and subsystems of the vehicle control system. Further, such inclusion of the RTC can enable the vehicle control system to initiate a number of time based functions, including, for example, time based functions relating to battery charging, wake-up and shut down of components, status reporting, periodic vehicle level events and maintenance, and management of time based operation or use of the utility vehicle or components thereof, including vehicle cameras.