Vehicle Lighting System Dynamic Work Area Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of material handling vehicles often lack adequate illumination of the work area, particularly when the material or equipment changes position, leading to reduced visibility in dark environments or with automated vehicles where human oversight is necessary.
Innovation Solution
A lighting system that includes a lamp coupled to the vehicle, a height module to determine the position of movable elements, and a microprocessor to adjust the light pattern dynamically, ensuring continuous illumination of the work area as it changes position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a stationary light source is used to illuminate the work area, then the device complexity is reduced, but the illumination cannot track the movable element as it changes position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the Dynamics principle by making the lighting system adaptable through electronic control. Instead of mechanically moving the light source, the system dynamically adjusts which light sources are activated based on the position of movable elements like forklift carriages. The microprocessor receives position data from sensors and dynamically switches between different light sources to maintain illumination on the work area as it moves.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of light source activation status rather than physical position. By controlling which light sources are turned on or off based on detected position data, the system achieves tracking functionality through parameter changes (on/off states) instead of mechanical movement, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and adaptability.
2Illumination intensity
If multiple light sources are used to cover the entire work area, then the illumination coverage is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies Local quality by providing non-uniform illumination distribution. Instead of illuminating the entire potential work area uniformly, the system activates only the specific light sources corresponding to the current position of the movable element. This creates localized illumination exactly where needed, improving energy efficiency while maintaining adequate coverage of the actual work area.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses partial action by activating only a subset of available light sources at any given time. Rather than turning on all light sources to ensure complete coverage, the microprocessor selectively activates only those light sources that correspond to the current position detected by sensors, reducing energy consumption while maintaining sufficient illumination.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for illuminating and tracking a work area (21) is provided. Systems can include at least one lamp (14) to couple to an object, the at least one lamp (14, 24) to illuminate the work area (21), and a height module (50), the height module (50) in communication with the at least one lamp (14, 24) to provide an indication of a height of the work area. Methods can include the steps of determining a height data of the movable portion of the vehicle to be illuminated; communicating the determined height data of the movable portion to a stationary lamp (14, 24), the lamp including a microprocessor and plurality of light sources (20), each light source (20) controllable to illuminate an area at a predetermined height; and illuminating at least one of the plurality of light sources to correspond to the determined height data to illuminate the movable portion.