Inverted Pendulum Vehicle Floor Projection Direction Indicator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inverted pendulum vehicles have difficulty in effectively indicating their traveling direction to pedestrians due to low visibility of traditional lamps, which can be either not noticeable with low intensity or annoying with high intensity, especially in environments with pedestrians nearby.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle employs a display unit that illuminates the surrounding floor surface with a pattern of light, controlled by an inclination detection system, to indicate direction without direct eye exposure, using LEDs or other light sources on footrests or the vehicle body, ensuring visibility and attractiveness without annoyance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If an indicator lamp having a low intensity is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the illumination intensity is insufficient and not visible to pedestrians
Solution Approach 1:
The patent projects light patterns onto the floor surface (a different dimension) rather than emitting light directly toward pedestrians' eyes. This dimensional shift allows the indicator to be highly visible as a projected pattern while avoiding direct eye exposure that causes annoyance.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor surface acts as an intermediary medium. Instead of light traveling directly from the indicator to the pedestrian's eyes, the light first projects onto the floor and then reflects to the viewer, creating an indirect viewing path that reduces annoyance while maintaining visibility.
2Illumination intensity
If the light emitted from the vehicle is increased to improve visibility, then the illumination intensity is improved, but the light may annoy pedestrians
Solution Approach 1:
The system projects light patterns onto the floor surface rather than emitting light directly toward pedestrians. This allows high illumination intensity to be achieved in the projected pattern while the actual light source remains directed away from pedestrians' eyes, eliminating annoyance.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor surface serves as an intermediary that receives the high-intensity light projection and then reflects it to pedestrians. This indirect path allows the vehicle to emit high-intensity light for visibility while the pedestrians view it indirectly, preventing annoyance.
3Illumination intensity
If a headlamp or rear lamp is used to indicate direction, then the device complexity is reduced, but the visibility is poor due to small vehicle height and obstruction by pedestrians
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing lights on the vehicle body at a limited height, the system projects light patterns onto the floor surface, effectively utilizing the ground plane as the display area. This dramatically increases the visible area and eliminates obstruction issues since the projection area is not blocked by the vehicle's compact structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a light pattern copy on the floor surface that represents the vehicle's directional information. This projected copy is visible from a distance and cannot be obstructed by the vehicle itself or nearby objects, solving the visibility problem inherent in compact vehicle designs.
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 provides unobtrusive yet highly visible indication of the vehicle's movement and direction, maximizing visibility by illuminating a large area and avoiding direct light exposure, thus enhancing safety and user experience.
Implementation Method 1
a display unit (70) for illuminating a floor surface (110) surrounding the vehicle body
Data Source
AI summary
An inverted pendulum vehicle 10 is provided with a display unit 70 for illuminating a floor surface 110 surrounding a vehicle body thereof, and a display control unit 87 for controlling an illumination pattern of the display unit according to an inclination angle detected by an inclination detection unit 66, 81.