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Safety Interlocks & Voice Warning System

📌 What is this for? (Quick Summary for New Interns)​

In Simple Words:
A hyperloop vehicle carries high-voltage lithium batteries (364 Volts) and high-power motors capable of driving cargo at 60 km/h. If something overheats or a switch fails, serious damage could occur.

This subsystem is our safety net:

  1. Battery Handshake: Clicking Enable Battery doesn't unlock the Launch button immediately. The software waits for the physical voltage sensors to confirm that voltage is above 48V before allowing a launch.
  2. Temperature Limits: If batteries or motors get too hot, alarms sound. If they hit 100°C, the system cuts power automatically and locks the controls for 1 hour to cool down.
  3. Spoken Voice Alarms: The dashboard speaks critical warnings out loud so operators on the track hear them instantly without needing to stare at the screen.

1. Safety Thresholds Table (POD_CONFIG)​

All safety numbers are stored in one single file: src/config/podConfig.js.

ParameterValueWhat Happens If Reached?
Minimum Battery Voltage48.0 VHigh-voltage switch must reach this within 5 seconds, or a contactor fault triggers.
Normal Pack Potential364.0 VFull battery voltage when completely energized.
Battery Warning Temperature80.0 °CYellow alert banner on screen + voice warning: "Battery temperature high."
Inverter Warning Temperature90.0 °CYellow alert banner on screen + voice warning: "Inverter temperature high."
Emergency Shutdown Temp100.0 °CImmediate shutoff. Battery contactors cut and controls lock for 1 hour.
Emergency Abort Countdown5 secondsGives the operator 5 seconds to abort a flight before physical contactors cut power.

2. The Battery Turn-On Handshake​

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Standby: Vehicle Connected to Cloud
    Standby --> Checking: Operator clicks "Enable Battery"
    Checking --> Active: Voltage climbs above 48V (Confirmed within 5s)
    Checking --> Fault: Takes longer than 5s (Switch didn't close)
    Fault --> Standby: Reset & alert operator
    Active --> Running: Operator clicks "Launch"
  1. You click "Enable Battery": The dashboard sends a message to the vehicle's electronic switch.
  2. The timer starts: The software watches incoming voltage readings for up to 5 seconds.
  3. Physical confirmation: When the voltage climbs past 48V (reaching ~364V), the system confirms the battery is physically connected.
  4. Voice confirms: The computer speaks out loud: "Battery Contactors Verified 364.0 Volts."
  5. Launch unlocked: The Launch button changes from disabled gray to active blue.

3. Voice Warning Priorities (speech.js)​

In speech.js, normal informational messages (like "Enabling battery") play in sequence.

However, if an Emergency Stop or Overheat happens:

  • The code immediately cancels any sentence being spoken right now (window.speechSynthesis.cancel()).
  • It clears out all queued background chatter.
  • It immediately shouts: "🚨 Emergency Stop Activated!" so that life-safety warnings are never delayed by trivial notifications.