Connected Vehicle Hazard Detection and Alert System
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lag in treating hazardous road conditions due to reliance on weather forecasts, leading to untreated slippery roads and increased accident risk, as maintenance crews and electronic roadway signs take time to respond after conditions become hazardous.
Innovation Solution
A processor-implemented method that receives and analyzes safety feature activation data from connected vehicles to determine hazardous conditions and provides real-time alerts to highway transportation departments and drivers through electronic road signs, wireless devices, and in-vehicle displays, enabling timely maintenance and warnings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If weather forecasts are used to determine highway maintenance needs, then maintenance planning can be done in advance, but there is a long lag time between when the highway becomes slippery and when treatment begins
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by collecting real-time safety feature activation data from vehicles, analyzing this data to detect hazardous conditions, and immediately relaying this information to maintenance crews and electronic roadway signs. This closed-loop feedback system eliminates the lag inherent in forecast-based systems by using actual observed conditions to trigger maintenance actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by proactively identifying hazardous conditions through real-time data collection and analysis, then immediately alerting maintenance crews before accidents occur. This allows maintenance to be initiated as soon as conditions become hazardous, rather than waiting for forecast predictions or accident reports.
2Reliability
If real-time safety feature data is collected and analyzed from connected vehicles, then hazardous conditions can be identified immediately, but this requires complex data processing and communication infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an intermediary approach by leveraging existing vehicle safety feature systems and their activation data as the primary detection mechanism. Rather than installing complex new sensors in vehicles, the system processes data already being collected by vehicle stability control and anti-lock brake systems, simplifying the overall infrastructure requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves universality by utilizing existing vehicle safety features (stability control, anti-lock brakes) for a dual purpose: their original safety function and as indicators of hazardous road conditions. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated hazard detection sensors in vehicles, reducing system complexity.
3Productivity
If maintenance crews wait for forecast predictions to treat highways, then resource allocation can be optimized, but accidents occur due to untreated slippery conditions during the lag period
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback on actual road conditions through vehicle safety feature data, enabling maintenance crews to respond immediately to hazardous conditions rather than relying on forecasts. This eliminates the harmful lag period where accidents could occur while maintaining efficient resource deployment to actual problem areas.
Data Source
AI summary
A system that receives and analyzes a connected vehicle's safety feature activation and the location of activation on a road to determine if a hazard condition exist and providing an alert on a subscriber's vehicle or wireless device. Weather information for the location of the activation, highway engineering information for the location of the activation and other connected vehicles' safety feature activation at the location are also considered in the determination if the hazardous condition exists on the road. The hazardous condition alert can also be sent to the highway transportation department so that the hazardous condition can be mitigated.