Electric Mobility Vehicle Auto-Return Using Seat and Luggage Sensors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to provide a stable and efficient electric mobility vehicle sharing service in facilities like airports, where user diversity in age, physical condition, and language can make it difficult to maintain a consistent service.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising multiple electric mobility vehicles equipped with seating sensors, occupancy sensors, and a management server that allows automatic driving and manual operation, enabling quick stops, sharp deceleration, rapid acceleration, reduced rotation radius, and increased speed, while ensuring safe and efficient vehicle return to standby areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automatic driving mode is used for vehicle return, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to safety concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes driving parameters dynamically by switching between manual and automatic driving modes. When sensors detect that the seat and luggage carrier are empty, the vehicle automatically transitions to automatic driving mode for efficient return to the standby area, while maintaining manual mode availability for safety-critical situations.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle autonomously determines when to return to the standby area by monitoring its own occupancy status through sensors. The system self-manages the return process by automatically navigating back without requiring user intervention, improving productivity while maintaining safety through continuous sensor monitoring.
2Ease of operation
If seating sensor and occupancy sensor are added, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensors automatically monitor occupancy status and trigger the return process without user intervention. The system self-determines when the vehicle is empty and initiates automatic driving mode, eliminating the need for manual mode switching or user input while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The seating sensor and occupancy sensor provide continuous feedback to the control unit about vehicle occupancy status. This feedback loop enables automatic mode switching and return initiation, simplifying user interaction while the added sensor complexity is justified by the automation benefits.
3Productivity
If quick stop and sharp deceleration are enabled in automatic driving, then productivity is improved, but object-affected harmful factors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts driving behavior based on occupancy status. Aggressive maneuvers like quick stops and sharp deceleration are enabled only in automatic driving mode when the vehicle is empty, while manual mode maintains gentler acceleration and deceleration profiles for passenger comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The control parameters for acceleration and deceleration change based on driving mode and sensor input. In automatic driving mode with empty vehicle detection, the system permits higher acceleration rates and sharper deceleration to improve return speed, while manual mode maintains conservative parameters for passenger comfort.
Data Source
AI summary
A system in facility includes a plurality of electric mobility vehicles, and a server which stores information of the electric mobility vehicles. In this system in facility, a user operates one of the electric mobility vehicles to move the electric mobility vehicle, after the user finishes using the electric mobility vehicle, the electric mobility vehicle moves to a standby area by automatic driving, and usage information of the electric mobility vehicle by the user is stored in a management data in a server, and at least one of a seating sensor for a seat unit and a occupancy sensor for a luggage carrier of the electric mobility vehicle is provided in each of the electric mobility vehicles.