Obstruction sensor...?

[Gasboy]

I am looking to build a kind of very complicated ship, one with interesting moving parts.

But it has some delicate moments, and I am wondering if there is a way to make a logic sensor of some kind to detect obstructions and prevent a certain action from activating?

Basically, think of a flower's petals opening up as it blooms. Now imagine stuff docking to each petal. I want a way to prevent the "Close the petals" button from activating the rails if there are still things docked to the petals. Because no one wants to lag a server offline intentionally. Right?

 

[nightrune]

I am looking to build a kind of very complicated ship, one with interesting moving parts.

But it has some delicate moments, and I am wondering if there is a way to make a logic sensor of some kind to detect obstructions and prevent a certain action from activating?

Basically, think of a flower's petals opening up as it blooms. Now imagine stuff docking to each petal. I want a way to prevent the "Close the petals" button from activating the rails if there are still things docked to the petals. Because no one wants to lag a server offline intentionally. Right?

I've had some luck with a checkboard pattern of area triggers on a moving entity, So you can "scan" anarea.

 

[DrTarDIS]

dock(c) ->( v)activator(c) -> (v) not (c)-> (v)and(V)<- (c) you close signal? only works for docked things though...and wireless could break.

 

[unelsson]

I've heard, and it's easy to believe, that area triggers sometimes result in unexpected behavior, but then, wireless might break as well. Maybe it's possible to use both and connect them to AND-signal? Eg. chessboard or loose grid of area triggers to scan a wider area to detect undocked ships blocking the petal area, and an activator block next to a rail to detect docked ships.

 

[Endal]

Trigger Area cannot detect Docked entities.
As such, the only way to carry out such a function is having an input on every dock on each petal fed to an AND, then all the petals fed to an AND which co-inputs with the petal closing signal. Output from here.
Of course, wireless does break, but without logic beam modules *rolls eyes* or true wireless radios there is no other method.

 

[Gasboy]

Hmm, alright, sounds like I have some timkering to do. Thank you for the suggestions, folks.