Retractable Vehicle Safety Sign With Lane-Blocking Arm Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle safety signs are not retractable, making them difficult to see and not easily visible to drivers, leading to potential injuries or fatalities when school children or public transportation passengers cross the street, especially with distracted drivers.
Innovation Solution
A retractable vehicle safety sign device with a traffic-lane-blocking arm that extends from the vehicle side, featuring wireless activation, LED illumination, audio and video components, and a mounting bracket for secure attachment, ensuring high visibility and enhanced safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a traditional fixed safety sign is used, then the device structure is simple, but the visibility to drivers is poor and safety effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a retractable arm mechanism that transitions between retracted and extended positions. When extended, the safety sign protrudes into the adjacent lane to block distracted drivers' view of pedestrians, significantly improving visibility. The dynamic extension capability allows the device to adapt between low-visibility and high-visibility states based on operational needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds the dimension of spatial extension by deploying the safety sign into the adjacent lane rather than keeping it confined to the vehicle side. This dimensional change from a side-mounted position to a lane-blocking position dramatically increases the sign's visibility to approaching drivers and enhances its safety effectiveness.
2Reliability
If the safety sign extends across the lane to block distracted drivers, then the safety effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retractable arm mechanism provides dynamic deployment capability, allowing the safety sign to extend into the adjacent lane only when needed. This dynamic action blocks distracted drivers' view of pedestrians, improving safety effectiveness. The mechanism includes motorized actuators, hinge joints, and control systems that manage the extension and retraction operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety sign device integrates multiple functions: it serves as both a visual warning sign and a physical lane-blocking barrier. The same extended structure simultaneously displays safety messages and obstructs distracted drivers' line of sight, achieving multi-functionality that enhances safety while managing device complexity through integrated design.
3Illumination intensity
If the safety sign is made retractable with extension capability, then the visibility and safety are improved, but the ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The retractable arm mechanism is equipped with motorized actuators that automatically extend and retract the safety sign based on detected conditions or control signals. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual operation, allowing the device to deploy its high-visibility configuration automatically when safety conditions require it, thereby maintaining ease of operation while achieving improved visibility.
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 provides increased safety by warning adjacent drivers to stop and preventing vehicles from passing, using wireless activation, LED illumination, and audio-video features for enhanced visibility and security.
Implementation Method 1
The device is comprised of an LED border and uses wireless activation for high visibility and ease of use
Data Source
AI summary
A retractable vehicular safety sign device is disclosed for providing enhanced safety for school age children and individuals using public transportation, such as but not limited to a school bus crossing a roadway. The retractable safety sign device comprises a mounting bracket with a hinge component for extending and retracting the safety sign. The device has a reflective element, an audio element, and a camera, located on the sign for increased safety. Further, the retractable safety device extends and retracts from a control that is comprised of a button and a battery which is rechargeable. Finally, the control for the device has an adhesive element that can be secured to the dashboard of a vehicle for ease and convenience.