Elevated Roadway Pylon Structure for Autonomous Vehicle Lanes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing road infrastructure is inadequate for autonomous vehicles, as it must accommodate a wide range of vehicle sizes, weights, and driving behaviors, leading to inefficient design and safety concerns, particularly in urban environments.
Innovation Solution
Elevated roadways supported by pylons with modular, prefabricated joist structures and monolithic road sections, designed for autonomous vehicles with controlled loading, allowing for optimized shapes and contours that enhance safety and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing road infrastructure is designed to accommodate a wide range of vehicle sizes, weights, and driving behaviors, then versatility and adaptability are improved, but design efficiency and safety are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The roadway is segmented into dedicated lanes for different vehicle types (autonomous vehicles only, micro-transit vehicles only) rather than a mixed-traffic road. This segmentation allows each lane to be optimized for specific vehicle characteristics, improving safety by eliminating conflicts between different vehicle types while maintaining versatility through multiple dedicated lanes.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevated roadway structure serves multiple functions: it provides dedicated transportation for autonomous vehicles, accommodates micro-transit vehicles, and can be configured for different lane configurations based on demand. This multi-functionality achieves versatility without compromising safety, as each function operates in a controlled environment.
2Ease of manufacture
If existing road infrastructure uses conventional materials and construction methods, then ease of manufacture is maintained, but manufacturing precision and structural optimization are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The roadway uses composite construction combining concrete for structural support and precision grading, with modular paving sections for the road surface. The concrete base provides the necessary precision for target ride characteristics, while modular paving allows for easy replacement and maintenance, balancing manufacturing precision with ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The roadway structure is designed with pre-engineered components and modular sections that can be manufactured off-site with high precision and then assembled. This preliminary action allows for optimized shapes and contours to be achieved during manufacturing rather than during construction, improving manufacturing precision while keeping the overall process feasible.
3Manufacturing precision
If elevated roadways are constructed with modular joist structures and monolithic road sections, then manufacturing precision and structural optimization are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elevated roadway is divided into modular joist structures that can be assembled in standardized patterns, with each module containing monolithic road sections. This segmentation reduces overall complexity by breaking down the large structure into repeatable units that can be manufactured and assembled using standardized procedures, while maintaining the manufacturing precision of monolithic road sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular joist structures are designed to nest or interlock with each other, forming larger structural units that support the monolithic road sections. This nesting approach simplifies the overall device complexity by using nested modular components rather than requiring complex custom connections between each element.
4Reliability
If autonomous vehicles operate on separated grade elevated roadways, then safety and efficiency are improved, but disruption to existing infrastructure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous vehicle roadway is placed on an elevated grade, separating it from the existing surface road infrastructure. This dimensional change to an elevated plane allows the new roadway to coexist with existing infrastructure without disrupting it, while maintaining safety through controlled access and separation from mixed traffic.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevated roadway acts as an intermediary structure that connects to existing infrastructure at designated access points without requiring modification of the existing road network. This intermediary approach allows autonomous vehicles to operate safely while minimizing disruption to existing infrastructure, as the elevated structure can be accessed from existing roads without altering them.
Data Source
AI summary
An elevated roadway for autonomous vehicles may include a pylon extending vertically from a ground anchor and comprising a metal tube defining a central cavity and a concrete column within the central cavity. The elevated roadway further includes a bracket coupled to the pylon and comprising a mounting plate secured to the pylon and a cantilevered road support member extending from the mounting plate. The elevated roadway may further include a cantilevered road section coupled to the pylon via the cantilevered road support member and comprising a joist structure structurally coupled to the cantilevered road support member, a road member above the joist structure and supported by the joist structure, and first and second side barriers along first and second sides of the road member, respectively. The road member may be adapted to receive a four-wheeled roadway vehicle.