Autonomous Vehicle Hazard Response Routing and Cabin Air Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current autonomous vehicles are unable to effectively handle or mitigate hazardous or biohazardous materials present inside the vehicle, leading to unpleasant or dangerous conditions for occupants.
Innovation Solution
The autonomous vehicle is equipped with processing circuitry that detects hazardous materials using sensors and responds by adjusting settings such as ventilation and window operation, and calculates a modified route to address the hazard, potentially diverting to a first-responder or cleaning facility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the autonomous vehicle increases ventilation and opens windows to mitigate hazardous material, then air quality improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system selectively opens only certain windows rather than all windows, and adjusts ventilation to partial levels based on hazard severity. This partial action approach mitigates hazardous material while avoiding maximum energy consumption, achieving a balance between air quality improvement and energy efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts ventilation parameters (air flow rate, window opening degree) based on the detected hazardous material concentration. By changing these parameters adaptively rather than maintaining maximum settings, the system reduces energy consumption while still effectively mitigating the hazard
2Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle modifies the route to include emergency facilities, then occupant safety improves, but travel time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system proactively modifies the route to include emergency facilities before the hazardous situation escalates. By taking preliminary action to divert to safety facilities, the system ensures occupant safety while managing the time loss through advance route planning rather than reactive diversion
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces emergency facilities as intermediary stops between the current location and final destination. These intermediary facilities serve as safety buffers where occupants can be protected or treated, allowing the journey to continue safely afterward with minimal overall time loss
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the autonomous vehicle uses sensors to detect hazardous material, then detection capability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous vehicle uses multi-functional sensors that can detect various types of hazardous materials (chemical, biological, radiological) using a single integrated sensor system. This universal detection approach improves comprehensive hazard detection capability while avoiding the complexity of deploying separate specialized sensors for each hazard type
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines multiple detection functions into a single integrated sensor platform that can identify different hazardous materials. By merging detection capabilities rather than using separate sensor systems, the patent achieves comprehensive hazard detection while reducing overall device complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables the autonomous vehicle to autonomously mitigate hazardous conditions, ensuring occupant safety by improving air quality and routing to appropriate facilities for handling the hazardous materials.
Implementation Method 1
The processing circuitry may use a gas sensor to detected presence of urine or vomit
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided herein for operating an autonomous vehicle in the presence of hazardous materials. The autonomous vehicle is operated in travel along a selected route. A determination is made, using a sensor, that a hazardous material is present inside the autonomous vehicle during the operation of the autonomous vehicle. In response, a setting of the autonomous vehicle is changed to counteract the presence of the hazardous material inside the autonomous vehicle. Additionally, also in response, a modified route is calculated, the modified route addressing the presence of the hazardous material inside the autonomous vehicle. Then, the autonomous vehicle is operated to travel along the modified route.