Polite Vehicle Horn with Pedestrian Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle horns cause noise pollution and unpleasant feelings for pedestrians, leading to stress and potential accidents, and existing solutions have not adequately addressed the issue of imprudent horn use.
Innovation Solution
A polite-sounding vehicle horn apparatus with a main horn sound generator and a subsidiary horn sound generator, along with an electronic control unit, allows for the selection of softer subsidiary horn sounds, including 'chirp,' 'bang,' or 'ticktick,' which can be automatically generated when a pedestrian is detected, using a camera sensor, to reduce noise pollution and improve safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a vehicle horn is used to alert pedestrians and prevent accidents, then safety is improved, but noise pollution and stress for pedestrians increase
Solution Approach 1:
The horn system is divided into two independent sound generators: a main horn sound generator for traditional alerting and a subsidiary horn sound generator for polite alerting. This segmentation allows the system to provide different types of horn sounds for different situations, resolving the contradiction between effective alerting and noise pollution by enabling selective use of softer subsidiary sounds for pedestrian alerting while maintaining the main horn for more serious warnings
Solution Approach 2:
Different sound characteristics are assigned to different parts of the horn system. The subsidiary horn sound generator produces specifically softer, lower-volume sounds suitable for pedestrian alerting, while the main horn maintains its traditional louder characteristics. This local quality differentiation allows the system to address noise pollution in pedestrian areas while preserving effective warning capability when needed
2Reliability
If traditional horn sounds are used to ensure visibility and alertness, then safety warning effectiveness is improved, but pedestrian comfort and acceptance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically selects between main horn sound and subsidiary horn sound based on the detected situation. The ECU determines whether to activate the subsidiary horn sound generator based on conditions such as pedestrian detection, allowing the horn system to adapt its sound characteristics to the specific context, thereby maintaining warning effectiveness while improving pedestrian comfort in appropriate situations
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 apparatus effectively alerts pedestrians with softer sounds, reducing noise pollution and stress while enhancing safety by automatically generating subsidiary horn sounds when a pedestrian is detected, thus preventing accidents.
Implementation Method 1
a camera sensor configured to detect the shape of a human in front of the vehicle
Implementation Method 2
a main horn sound generator provided in a vehicle, and configured to generate main horn sounds; a subsidiary horn sound generator provided in the vehicle, and configured to generate subsidiary horn sounds
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a polite-sounding vehicle horn apparatus. The polite-sounding vehicle horn apparatus includes: a main horn sound generator provided in a vehicle, and configured to generate main horn sounds; a subsidiary horn sound generator provided in the vehicle, and configured to generate subsidiary horn sounds lower than the main horn sounds; a main horn button provided on a steering wheel of the vehicle; a subsidiary horn button provided on the steering wheel of the vehicle; a camera sensor configured to detect a shape of a human in front of the vehicle; and an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to generate a main horn sound via the main horn sound generator when the main horn button is pushed, and to generate a subsidiary horn sound lower than the main horn sound via the subsidiary horn sound generator when the subsidiary horn button is pushed.