Mobile Terminal Image Guidance for Vehicle Damage Proof

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Solution Overview

Problem

In the context of sharing economy platforms, there is a challenge in efficiently documenting and proving damage to high-value products like vehicles and audio equipment, which are borrowed by multiple users, making it difficult to determine who caused the damage and when.

Innovation Solution

A mobile terminal equipped with a camera, touch screen, and wireless communication unit is used to generate proof data for damage on products registered in a server. The terminal guides the user to capture specific portions of the product using guide information based on vehicle information, and detects new damage by comparing images, allowing for easy documentation and communication of damage findings.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual damage documentation is used for shared products, then users can record damage, but it is difficult to prove who caused the damage and when, leading to loss of information reliability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedamage proof reliabilityVSAvoiddamage attribution information
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system captures images of the product condition before and after use, and automatically records timestamps and user identification information. This preliminary documentation creates reliable proof data that attributes damage to specific users and time periods, eliminating the need for manual damage reporting and ensuring accurate damage attribution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If comprehensive product inspection is performed to detect all damage, then damage detection accuracy improves, but the time and complexity of the inspection process increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedamage detection accuracyVSAvoidinspection time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically captures reference images of the product condition at the beginning and end of each rental period. These pre-captured images serve as the basis for automatic damage detection, eliminating the need for manual inspection while maintaining high detection accuracy through image comparison algorithms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The manual inspection process is replaced by an automated image-based detection system. The controller compares images captured at different time points to automatically identify damage, substituting human inspection with computational image analysis, thereby reducing inspection time while maintaining or improving detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Loss of information

If users are guided to capture specific portions of the product, then the completeness of damage proof data improves, but the complexity of the capture process increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedamage proof completenessVSAvoidcapture process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides real-time feedback to users through the touch screen, displaying guide information that indicates which portions of the product should be captured and whether the captured images meet the required standards. This feedback mechanism ensures complete damage proof data collection while simplifying the user interface and making the capture process more intuitive.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

4Reliability

If multiple images are captured to ensure complete damage documentation, then the quality of proof data improves, but the time required for data collection increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproof data qualityVSAvoiddata collection efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically captures multiple images of the product at predetermined time points (beginning and end of rental) without requiring users to manually take multiple photos. The controller manages the image capture sequence and ensures all necessary views are obtained, thereby maintaining high proof data quality while improving collection efficiency through automation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3502960B1Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same
Publication Date: 2025.04.23 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP3502960B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3502960B1 patent drawingFigure 1B~1C
  • EP3502960B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3

AI summary

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, including a camera, a touch screen configured to output an image received from the camera, a wireless communication unit configured to receive vehicle information related to the vehicle from a server or the vehicle, and a controller configured to control the touch screen to output guide information on the image to guide a moving direction such that a predetermined portion of the vehicle is captured based on the vehicle information.