Vehicle Light Branch Circuit With Unified Failure Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle light systems do not effectively alert users to a defective condition when one or more lights fail, as they continue to operate partially or not at all, lacking a unified failure indication across multiple branches.
Innovation Solution
A light system with parallel branches, where a primary branch includes a bias circuit and switch, ensuring all lights turn off if any branch fails by maintaining the switch in a closed position only when all lights are operational, and switching to an open position if any light fails, preventing electricity flow through non-operational branches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single bulb or branch with multiple bulbs is used in vehicle light systems, then the lighting function is provided, but there is no effective alert mechanism when lights fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the operational status of lights in parallel branches is monitored and fed back to a control switch. When any light fails across the parallel branches, the feedback signal causes the switch to open, turning off all lights to provide a visible failure alert to the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The light system is divided into multiple parallel branches, each with its own lights. This segmentation allows independent monitoring of each branch while using a unified control mechanism (the switch) to indicate system-wide failure status, resolving the contradiction between providing lighting function and enabling failure detection.
2Illumination intensity
If parallel light branches are used to meet lighting standards, then lighting coverage is improved, but failure detection across all branches becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The control switch receives feedback signals from all parallel light branches. When any branch experiences a light failure, the feedback mechanism triggers the switch to open, providing a unified and obvious failure indication that is easily detectable by the user, thus solving the difficulty of detecting failures across multiple parallel branches.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the failure detection function of all parallel branches into a single control switch mechanism. Instead of requiring separate detection for each branch, the unified switch provides a consolidated failure indication, making it easy to detect and communicate system status to the user.
3Productivity
If lights continue to operate partially after failure, then some lighting function is maintained, but user awareness of defective condition is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The feedback mechanism continuously monitors the operational status of all lights in parallel branches. When a failure occurs, the feedback signal immediately triggers the control switch to open, cutting power to all lights. This provides clear information to the user about the defective condition, preventing loss of failure alert information while temporarily suspending lighting operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of partial operation (which masks failures) into a beneficial failure alert mechanism. By designing the system so that any failure causes complete shutdown, the 'harm' of lost lighting is transformed into the 'benefit' of clear failure notification, ensuring user awareness of defective conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A light system including: light branches extending in parallel to one another with each of the light branches have lights that provide light to a region around a vehicle, the light branches include: a primary light branch include: a bias circuit and a switch; and secondary light branches that are controlled by the primary light branch; wherein electricity is provided to the light branches and when all of the lights on the light branches are operating properly the electricity maintains the switch in a closed position; and when any of the lights fail or are not operating properly, electricity is prevented from extending through the light branch, by the lights that have failed, and the electricity continues to extend through the light branches that are operating properly so that the electricity that extends to the switch is not sufficient to maintain the switch in the closed position.