Mobile Crash Detection Using Event-Triggered Sensor Activation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for detecting vehicle crashes using sensors and apps are inefficient, as they often require continuous operation of all sensors, leading to power consumption issues and inaccurate crash detection due to limitations in sensor capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that determines if a vehicle crash has occurred using base sensor data from a mobile device, activating additional sensors only when a crash is detected, and generating an indication based on data from these sensors for a predetermined time after the event.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all sensors operate continuously to detect vehicle crashes, then detection coverage is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is divided into base sensors that operate continuously and additional sensors that operate only when needed. Base sensors perform basic monitoring at low power, while additional sensors are activated selectively to provide comprehensive detection coverage only when potential crash conditions are detected, thus resolving the contradiction between continuous monitoring and power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Additional sensors are activated periodically or event-driven based on crash risk assessment rather than operating continuously. The system transitions between low-power monitoring mode and high-power detection mode, activating additional sensors only during periods when crash likelihood increases, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining detection reliability.
2Use of energy by moving object
If additional sensors are activated only when crash is detected, then power consumption is reduced, but detection accuracy may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Base sensors continuously monitor for potential crash conditions and prepare the system for rapid response. When preliminary indicators of a crash are detected, the system pre-activates additional sensors to ensure they are ready to capture accurate crash data, eliminating any delay or loss of detection precision while still maintaining low power consumption during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from base sensor data to dynamically control the activation of additional sensors. When base sensors detect patterns consistent with crash conditions, this feedback triggers the activation of additional sensors to verify and precisely measure the crash event, ensuring detection accuracy is maintained while minimizing unnecessary sensor operation.
3Speed
If base sensor data is used to trigger additional sensors, then system response time is improved, but false detections may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a two-stage detection approach where base sensors provide partial monitoring with lower sensitivity thresholds to ensure rapid response, while additional sensors provide excessive or confirmatory measurement to verify crash conditions. This partial action by base sensors triggers the excessive action of additional sensors, maintaining fast response time while reducing false detections through verification.
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 approach reduces power consumption and enhances the accuracy of crash detection by selectively operating additional sensors only when necessary, improving the reliability of crash indication and data collection.
Implementation Method 1
determining whether base sensor data output by at least one base sensor of a mobile computing device indicates that a condition corresponding to a crash of a vehicle has occurred
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for generating an indication of whether a vehicle crash has occurred is presented. It may be determined whether data output by a base sensor(s) of a mobile computing device indicates that a vehicle crash condition has occurred. An additional sensor(s) of the mobile computing device may begin outputting additional sensor data when the data output by the base sensor(s) indicates that the vehicle crash condition has occurred. The additional sensor(s) may be caused to output the additional sensor data for an amount of time after the additional sensor(s) begins outputting the additional sensor data. An indication of whether a crash of a vehicle has occurred may be generated based on the additional sensor data output by the additional sensor(s) for the amount of time after the additional sensor(s) begins outputting the additional sensor data.