Custom Vehicle Tone Sequences for Parking Lot Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In crowded parking lots, it is difficult for drivers to locate their vehicles due to the similarity of car horns and alarms, leading to confusion among users and the need for repeated button presses, especially when carrying packages, without correlation to distance from the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle-based computing system that receives a wireless vehicle-locate request and outputs a user-selected tone through external sound systems, allowing customization of tones to identify a specific vehicle, with options for tone selection on a remote device and playback based on distance from the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If car horn or alarm is used to locate vehicle, then vehicle can be located, but it is difficult to distinguish between various vehicles due to similar sounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning unique acoustic characteristics to different vehicles. Each vehicle plays a distinct tone or tone sequence that is specific to that vehicle, allowing the driver to identify their particular vehicle among many others in the parking lot through sound differentiation.
2Reliability
If traditional horn or alarm is used, then vehicle location can be signaled, but repeated button presses are needed especially when carrying packages
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically playing the unique tone when the driver activates the vehicle location feature, eliminating the need for repeated button presses. The tone continues to play until the driver approaches the vehicle or cancels the feature, providing continuous location signaling without requiring further user input.
3Loss of information
If unique tone sequences are implemented for each vehicle, then vehicle identification is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by having each vehicle replicate a unique tone sequence that has been assigned to it. The vehicle's audio system copies and plays back pre-defined tone patterns, allowing each vehicle to have a distinctive acoustic signature without requiring complex identification hardware or software in each individual vehicle.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a vehicle-based processor configured to receive a wireless vehicle-locate request from a remote device. The processor is also configured to receive an instruction from the remote device relating to selection of an outputtable tone and output, through use of one or more external vehicle sound systems, a selected tone in accordance with the instruction.