Telescoping Pedestrian Light Emitter for Collision Risk Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle collisions with pedestrians are a significant safety concern, especially at night or in low visibility conditions, as pedestrians may be below a driver's line of sight, and existing solutions do not adequately address the issue of increasing pedestrian visibility to drivers.
Innovation Solution
A portable, lightweight, and waterproof collision risk mitigation device that mounts a light source at an elevated height using a telescoping extension pole and extension rod, which can be secured within a backpack, providing a visual alert to vehicle operators through a light-emitting device powered by a rechargeable battery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a light source is mounted at elevated height to increase pedestrian visibility to drivers, then visibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The telescoping extension pole is nested within the backpack structure, with the pole containing smaller telescoping segments that store within larger segments. This nesting approach allows the device to achieve elevated light mounting height while maintaining a compact form factor when not in use, resolving the contradiction between visibility improvement and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The device employs a dynamic telescoping mechanism that allows the pole to extend and retract. When extended, the light source reaches elevated positions for maximum visibility; when retracted, it returns to a compact state for easy storage in the backpack. This dynamic capability enables the device to adapt between two extreme states, addressing the contradiction between needing high visibility and maintaining simple device structure.
2Illumination intensity
If a telescoping extension pole is used to elevate the light source, then visibility is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The telescoping pole is divided into multiple segmented sections that can extend and retract relative to each other. This segmentation allows the pole to achieve extended lengths for elevated light mounting while maintaining a compact retracted form. The segmented structure simplifies the extension/retraction operation compared to a single-piece mechanism, improving ease of operation while maintaining visibility benefits.
3Ease of operation
If the device is made collapsible for transport and storage, then ease of storage is improved, but structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The device transitions between two stable configurations: an extended operational state where the telescoping pole provides structural stability for elevated light mounting, and a collapsed storage state where segments nest within each other for compact transport. The dynamic telescoping mechanism maintains structural integrity in both states, resolving the contradiction between ease of storage and structural stability.
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
The device effectively increases pedestrian visibility to vehicle operators, reducing the risk of collisions by providing a visual indication of a pedestrian's presence, especially in low-light conditions, and is durable and collapsible for easy transport and storage.
Implementation Method 1
a light source mounted to a telescoping extension pole that is connected at its opposite end to an extension rod used for mounting the device
Data Source
AI summary
A collision risk mitigation pedestrian light emitter is a safety device through which a pedestrian's presence is visually signaled to a vehicle operator to decrease collision potential. The safety device includes a first telescoping leg, a second telescoping leg, a light-emitting device, a power source, and a locking mechanism. The first telescoping leg and second telescoping leg are terminally and hingedly connected to each other to form an L-shaped structure. The locking mechanism secures the L-shaped structure and is mechanically integrated between the first telescoping leg and second telescoping leg. The light-emitting device visually indicates the pedestrian's presence and is adjacently mounted to the first telescoping leg to enable variable light height adjustment. The light-emitting device is powered by and electrically connected to the power source mounted to the first telescoping leg. The second telescoping leg is used to mount/attach the safety device to the pedestrian, preferably to a backpack.