Deployable Drone Collision Warning for Emergency Blocker Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Increased incidents of vehicles colliding with blocker vehicles at emergency scenes due to distracted drivers, posing risks to personnel and equipment.
Innovation Solution
A collision avoidance and mitigation system (CAMS) equipped with deployable drones and sensors that monitor approaching vehicles, evaluate threat levels, and transmit alerts when the threat exceeds a predefined threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If blocker vehicles are deployed at emergency scenes to prevent approaching vehicles, then personnel safety and scene protection are improved, but the risk of collision with distracted drivers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of approaching vehicles using multiple sensors (cameras, LIDAR, radar) mounted on the blocker vehicle and surrounding infrastructure. Threat assessment algorithms evaluate detected vehicles before they reach the blocker, enabling early warning and preventive action to avoid collisions with distracted drivers
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors approaching vehicles and provides real-time feedback through alert signals to the blocker vehicle operator and surrounding personnel. When a distracted or threatening vehicle is detected, the system generates warnings and can trigger automated responses, creating a closed-loop safety mechanism that adapts to changing conditions
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors and cameras are deployed to monitor approaching vehicles, then collision detection capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is divided into multiple independent sensor modules (cameras, LIDAR, radar) positioned at different locations on and around the blocker vehicle. Each sensor type detects different aspects of approaching vehicles, and their data is processed separately before being integrated by the control system, enabling precise detection while maintaining modular simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting vehicle presence, determining vehicle speed and trajectory, assessing driver distraction levels, and evaluating overall threat levels. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems into a unified platform, improving detection accuracy without proportionally increasing complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A collision avoidance and mitigation system (CAMS) includes a deployable drone including at least one of a first sensor or a first camera that has a first field of view and a CAMS module. The CAMS module includes a housing and at least one of a second sensor or a second camera that is supported by the housing and has a second field of view. The CAMS includes one or more processing circuits configured to acquire the first CAMS data regarding an approaching vehicle, evaluate a threat level of the approaching vehicle based on the first CAMS data, and transmit an alert signal to at least one of an alert system associated with the CAMS module, the approaching vehicle, or a portable device associated with the CAMS module in response to the threat level exceeding a threat threshold.