Directional Pedestrian Alert Sound for Noise-Masked Urban Traffic
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pedestrian warning systems are ineffective in congested urban settings due to noise masking, assume pedestrians are attentive to sounds, fail to direct alerts correctly, and are not easily localized, leading to safety concerns in environments with varying noise levels and vehicle types.
Innovation Solution
A system that derives pedestrian and vehicle paths, determines alert characteristics based on their intersection, and generates directional, adjustable sound alerts using sensors and emitters to effectively warn pedestrians of potential collisions, adapting volume and directionality to environmental noise and movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If constant volume alert sounds are used, then the alert is always audible, but it becomes disturbing in quiet environments and gets masked in noisy environments
Solution Approach 1:
The alert sound system dynamically adjusts its volume based on detected environmental noise levels. In noisy environments, the alert volume is increased to overcome masking effects, while in quiet environments, the volume is reduced to avoid disturbance. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between maintaining constant audibility and avoiding environmental harm.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the acoustic parameters (volume level) of the alert sound based on environmental conditions. By monitoring ambient noise levels and adjusting the alert parameters accordingly, the system achieves reliable audibility without causing disturbance in quiet areas or being masked in noisy areas.
2Measurement precision
If alert sounds are projected forward, then the alert is easily localized, but it does not account for the vehicle's intended direction of motion
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds a directional dimension to the alert sound by projecting it sideways perpendicular to the vehicle's forward motion. This dimensional change allows the alert to indicate the vehicle's intended turning direction rather than just its forward movement, resolving the contradiction between localization accuracy and conveying intended direction information.
3Reliability
If alert volume is increased in noisy environments, then the alert becomes more audible, but it creates more disturbance to surrounding people
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by directing the alert sound laterally toward the pedestrian's location rather than projecting it omnidirectionally. This localized sound projection achieves high audibility for the target pedestrian in noisy environments while minimizing disturbance to other people in the surrounding area.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method comprising: determining, over a continuous time period, an intersection of a first path representing a predicted path for a person or animal and a second vehicle path representing a predicted path for a vehicle; determining an alert characteristic responsive to the intersection, the alert characteristic including a loudness characteristic; emitting an alert signal from the vehicle responsive to the alert characteristic; and increasing loudness of the emitted alert signal over the continuous time period.