Light-Emitting Directional Indicators for Personal Mobility Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Providing relevant and easily interpretable directional information for riders of personal mobility vehicles, such as scooters, is challenging, as they often need to stop to verify their route, leading to frustration and increased travel time.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses light-emitting devices on personal mobility vehicles to provide relative headings, indicating the direction of travel through bounding areas, allowing riders to navigate without constant map reference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the transportation requestor refers to a map or navigation aide on a mobile device, then the directional information is provided, but the transportation requestor needs to stop travel multiple times during the route
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical interaction of stopping, looking at a map on a mobile device, and continuing with an optical signaling system. Light-emitting devices mounted on the personal mobility vehicle provide continuous directional information through visual indicators (such as arrows or colored lights) that show the current heading and route status, eliminating the need for the rider to stop and consult a map.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces light-emitting devices as an intermediary between the navigation system and the rider. These devices serve as a visual mediator that continuously communicates directional information to the rider without requiring the rider's active engagement with a map or mobile device, thus maintaining continuous travel while providing necessary navigation guidance.
2Reliability
If the transportation requestor focuses on safely riding the personal mobility vehicle, then the riding safety is improved, but the transportation requestor cannot easily check the route progress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service navigation system where the personal mobility vehicle itself provides directional information through mounted light-emitting devices. The vehicle automatically displays its current heading and route status through visual indicators, allowing the rider to verify route progress without taking eyes off the road or stopping the vehicle, thus maintaining both safety and ease of route verification.
3Loss of information
If the directional information is provided through a map on a mobile device, then the route information is available, but the transportation requestor needs to stop and refer to the map multiple times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures continuous provision of directional information through light-emitting devices that are always active and visible to the rider. Unlike a map that requires periodic consultation, the optical indicators continuously display the current heading and route status, allowing the rider to maintain continuous travel without interruptions, thus improving travel efficiency while maintaining constant access to route information.
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
Enables riders to navigate more accurately and efficiently by providing continuous directional information, reducing the need to stop and consult a map, thereby decreasing travel time and enhancing the riding experience.
Implementation Method 1
A personal mobility vehicle (PMV) may include a directional indicator that includes a plurality of light-emitting devices in a configuration for use as a directional indicator
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed computer-implemented method may include determining a route with at least one waypoint for a personal mobility vehicle, determining at least one navigational boundary, and providing the at least one navigational boundary and the at least one waypoint to a computing device associated with the personal mobility vehicle, wherein the computing device is configured to provide a direction of travel to a user for navigating the personal mobility vehicle along the route via the waypoint. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.