Mobile Proximity Detector for Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of mobile electronic devices often fail to notice approaching individuals or objects due to being distracted, leading to potential collisions or misunderstandings, especially when the approach is from behind or outside their peripheral vision.
Innovation Solution
A mobile proximity detector system that determines the position and velocity of both the user's device and remote devices, using wireless communications to receive proximity indicators and notify the user of the likelihood of close contact, taking into account path information to enhance accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If users focus on technology and listen to music or news through headphones, then they can enjoy entertainment and information, but they become unaware of their surroundings and may miss approaching individuals or objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (audio device with proximity detector) that mediates between the user's entertainment needs and environmental awareness. The system detects approaching objects and delivers targeted audio notifications without requiring the user to remove headphones or visually check surroundings, thus maintaining both entertainment consumption and situational awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the environment for approaching objects and providing real-time audio notifications to the user. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows users to stay informed about their surroundings while maintaining focus on entertainment content, resolving the contradiction between information consumption and environmental awareness.
2Loss of information
If users pay attention to their surroundings to notice approaching individuals, then they improve awareness, but they become distracted from their activities and technology use
Solution Approach 1:
The audio proximity detection system acts as an intermediary that handles environmental monitoring automatically, allowing users to maintain their activities without conscious attention to surroundings. The system translates environmental data into selective audio alerts that inform users of approaching objects without requiring them to divert attention from their primary activities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by autonomously detecting approaching objects and generating appropriate notifications without user intervention. Users simply wear the audio device and engage in their activities; the system independently manages environmental monitoring and alert generation, thus maintaining activity continuity while improving awareness.
3Measurement precision
If the mobile proximity detector monitors position and velocity of remote devices continuously, then it improves detection accuracy, but it increases energy consumption and data processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic action by updating position and velocity measurements at optimized intervals rather than continuously. The proximity detector calculates detection intervals based on current conditions (such as relative velocity and distance), performing measurements only when necessary to maintain detection accuracy, thus reducing overall energy consumption while preserving measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies dynamics by adapting the monitoring frequency and intensity based on real-time conditions. When remote devices are far away or moving slowly, the system reduces measurement frequency to conserve energy. When objects approach faster or enter critical proximity zones, the system increases monitoring intensity, dynamically balancing detection accuracy with energy consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile electronic device includes a wireless communications interface configured to receive, from a remote device, a sequence of remote device proximity indicators. The sequence of remote device proximity indicators indicate positions of the remote device. A mobile proximity detector of the mobile electronic device is configured to monitor a current position and a current velocity of the mobile electronic device; determine, from the sequence of remote device proximity indicators, a current remote device position and current remote device velocity; and determine, using at least the current remote device position and velocity, and the current position and the current velocity of the mobile electronic device, a likelihood of close contact between a user of the mobile electronic device and the remote device. A notification manager of the mobile electronic device is configured to notify the user of the likelihood of close contact.