Vehicle Ignition Interlock with Ambient Alcohol Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle ignition interlock systems lack effective supervision to prevent circumvention, allowing non-drivers to bypass breath tests and enabling the use of non-human breath samples, leading to safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle ignition interlock system with a breath analyzer and controller that requires periodic retests, incorporates ambient air monitoring for alcohol detection, and includes operator identification methods such as fingerprint or voice recognition to verify the driver's identity, ensuring only the vehicle operator can start the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If conventional ignition interlock systems use breath analyzers without supervision, then the system is simple and cost-effective, but the system can be bypassed using non-human breath samples or balloons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an ambient air monitoring system as an intermediary layer between the driver and the breath analyzer. This mediator detects alcohol in the vehicle's air and provides supervisory verification, making it harder to bypass the system with fake breath samples while adding only moderate complexity to the overall system.
2Reliability
If the system requires periodic retests after ignition, then the system can detect circumvention attempts, but the system increases operational time and driver inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic retesting at predetermined intervals after ignition. This allows the system to maintain high reliability for detecting circumvention attempts while limiting the time loss to specific periodic moments rather than continuous monitoring, balancing safety with operational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The ambient air monitoring system operates continuously in the background without requiring driver intervention, automatically detecting alcohol presence and providing supervisory verification. This self-service approach enhances reliability without adding to the driver's operational time burden.
3Reliability
If the system monitors ambient air for alcohol presence, then the system can detect open alcohol containers and enhance safety, but the system increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The ambient air monitoring system serves multiple functions: it detects alcohol from open containers, provides supervisory verification of breath test results, and triggers additional retests when alcohol is detected. This multi-functionality approach enhances safety capabilities without proportionally increasing system complexity, as a single monitoring system accomplishes multiple safety goals.
4Reliability
If the system triggers additional retests when alcohol is detected in ambient air, then the system prevents unauthorized operation, but the system increases operational time and driver inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of alcohol in ambient air before allowing vehicle operation. When alcohol is detected, the system preemptively triggers additional retests or prevents ignition, stopping potential unauthorized operation before it can occur. This preliminary anti-action enhances reliability while limiting time loss to pre-ignition verification rather than continuous interruptions during driving.
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
The system effectively prevents unauthorized vehicle operation by ensuring only the qualified driver can start the vehicle, reducing the risk of alcohol-impaired driving and enhancing safety without the need for continuous retesting when alcohol is not detected inside the vehicle.
Implementation Method 1
The breath analyzer is configured to detect the breath alcohol level of an operator of the vehicle
Implementation Method 2
The breath analyzer is also configured to detect the presence of alcohol within the vehicle, such as alcohol emanating from an open container of alcohol
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A vehicle ignition interlock system includes a breath analyzer and a controller operably connected to the breath analyzer and to an ignition system of the vehicle. The breath analyzer detects the breath alcohol level of a vehicle operator and is configured to prevent vehicle ignition if a breath alcohol level is greater than or equal to a threshold value. The controller requires the vehicle operator to periodically take breath analyzer "retests" after vehicle ignition in order to allow vehicle operation to continue. The breath analyzer also detects the presence of alcohol within the vehicle, such alcohol emanating from an open container of alcohol. The controller may override one or more periodic retests if alcohol is not detected within the vehicle over a predetermined period of time. In addition, the controller may increase the frequency of periodic retests of the vehicle operator in response to detecting alcohol within the vehicle.