School Bus Road Projection for Child Crossing Visibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

There is a significant safety concern for school children crossing roads near school buses due to inattentive or impatient drivers who ignore flashing lights and stop signs, especially at non-standard crosswalks without visible signs indicating child activity, leading to potential fatalities or injuries.

Innovation Solution

A system that includes an image projection device on a school bus to project traffic patterns, such as crosswalks and stop signs, onto the road surface using sensors to detect the bus's state and surrounding traffic, ensuring safe pedestrian crossing by alerting drivers to the presence of children boarding or disembarking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If standard law enforcement and visible signage are used to indicate stopped bus zones, then drivers may be intimidated or educated into being more careful, but most drivers pass illegally due to simple distraction and inattentiveness rather than deliberate violation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedriver complianceVSAvoiddriver inattentiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of projectors, sensors, and communication devices that mediate between the bus and approaching vehicles. This intermediary system actively detects approaching vehicles and communicates safety information to them, bridging the gap caused by driver inattentiveness and making the hidden hazard visible and actionable.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary detection of approaching vehicles before they reach the bus stop area. By detecting vehicles in advance and projecting warning messages or crosswalk patterns on the road surface, the system prepares drivers with safety information before they arrive at the critical zone, allowing them to respond appropriately.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If school buses use flashing lights and stop signs to indicate passenger boarding or alighting, then drivers should be alerted, but drivers frequently pass the stopped bus illegally despite these signals

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety signal effectivenessVSAvoidillegal passing

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If pick-up and drop-off points are located at non-standard locations without visible crosswalks, then children can be picked up and dropped off at their residences, but there are no visible signs to indicate that children may frequently be crossing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflexible stop locationsVSAvoidcrossing visibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from static, two-dimensional road markings to dynamic, projected visual information that can be displayed on the road surface. The projector creates temporary crosswalk patterns and warning messages that appear in the third dimension of time, allowing the crossing indication to be activated only when needed and at any location, not just at fixed crosswalks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Reliability

If the system projects traffic patterns on the road surface to alert drivers, then driver awareness is improved, but the system complexity increases with sensors, projectors, and processing units

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedriver awarenessVSAvoidsystem components

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent designs a multi-functional system where the processor handles both detection data processing and projection control, the projectors serve both as warning signals and crosswalk markers, and the sensors detect both vehicle presence and environmental conditions. This consolidation of multiple functions into integrated components reduces overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive safety coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the bus's existing infrastructure (power supply, mounting structures, communication systems) to support the safety projection system. The bus's own sensors and processors are leveraged to detect conditions and control the projectors, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring entirely separate dedicated components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11794641B2System and method for roadway user safety

Publication Date: 2023.10.24 INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONIC MACHINES CORP

AI summary

A system, a method, and a computer program product may be provided for user guidance. In an example, the system includes an image projection device configured to project traffic patterns on a surface, at least one non-transitory memory configured to store computer program code, and a processor configured to execute the computer program code to control operation of the image projection device. For example, sensor data from one or more sensors onboard a vehicle is obtained. The sensor data is associated with a state of operation of the vehicle, and proximate movement associated with the vehicle. Based on the sensor data, one or more traffic patterns for projection is determined. Further, an image projection device is controlled to project the one or more traffic patterns in one or more direction of the vehicle.