Alps Alpine has filed a patent for a switch device that includes multiple sensors to detect measurement values for the switch’s operation position. A processor determines the switch’s state and identifies sensor failures by comparing measurement values. If half or more of the other sensors’ measurement values are not within a predetermined range of one sensor’s value, the processor determines that the sensor has failed. GlobalData’s report on Alps Alpine gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Alps Alpine, gesture-based recognition systems was a key innovation area identified from patents. Alps Alpine's grant share as of September 2023 was 30%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Switch device with sensors to detect measurement values and determine failures
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230313881A1) describes a switch device that utilizes multiple sensors to detect measurement values related to the operation position of a switch. The device includes a memory and a processor that determines the switching state of the switch by making a majority decision based on the measurement levels of the sensors. Additionally, the processor is capable of determining whether a failure has occurred for each sensor. If half or more of the measurement values of the other sensors are not within a predetermined range of a particular sensor, the processor determines that the sensor has failed.
In cases where the processor determines that multiple sensors have not failed, the switching state of the switch is determined by making a majority decision based on the measurement levels of the functioning sensors. The device can continue to operate using the functioning sensors. However, if the processor determines that only one or none of the sensors have not failed, it determines that the switch device has completely failed and is unusable.
The sensors in the switch device have a hysteresis region between two level ranges, which serves as a third level range. The predetermined range for determining sensor failure is beyond the hysteresis region in the high-low direction of the measurement levels. The processor does not determine the switching state of the switch if a plurality of level ranges include the largest number of measurement values among the sensors.
The patent also describes a push-type input device and an electronic shifter that utilize similar principles. The push-type input device includes a switch, a clicking sensation-providing mechanism, a slider, a rotating body, and three or more sensors. The rotating body rotates based on the sliding of the slider, and the sensors detect measurement values related to the rotation angle of the rotating body.
Similarly, the electronic shifter includes a switch and three or more sensors to detect measurement values related to the operation position of the switch. The processor in both devices determines the switching state of the switch and checks for sensor failures using the same majority decision and predetermined range criteria as described in the switch device.
Overall, this patent introduces a switch device, push-type input device, and electronic shifter that utilize multiple sensors and a processor to determine the switching state of the switch and detect sensor failures. The devices provide improved reliability and functionality in various applications.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
