Steerable Motorized Passenger Cart with Location-Based Speed Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large amusement and retail spaces face challenges in providing efficient and safe transportation for patrons with young children, as existing vehicles like strollers, shopping carts, and Segways are either cumbersome or unsafe when mixed with pedestrians, limiting foot traffic and retail sales potential.
Innovation Solution
A system of steerable motorized passenger carts with interchangeable vehicle skins, equipped with monitoring and safety mechanisms, that can be remotely towed and feature location-based advertising, ensuring safe indoor transportation and extended patronage by minimizing travel times and enhancing customer experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If motorized passenger carts are introduced to transport patrons with children, then travel time is reduced and customer experience is improved, but safety risks increase due to potential mixing with pedestrians
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the operating space into distinct zones: designated cart lanes and pedestrian areas. This spatial segmentation allows motorized carts to operate efficiently in dedicated corridors while pedestrians move in separate zones, reducing safety risks from mixing while maintaining transportation speed benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces remote guardians as intermediaries who control and monitor motorized carts. These guardians act as a buffer between the automated cart system and pedestrians, enabling safe operation by mediating cart behavior and ensuring adherence to safety protocols without requiring direct passenger control.
2Reliability
If monitoring and control systems are added to ensure safety, then safety and reliability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cart system incorporates automated monitoring and control features that operate autonomously without requiring constant human intervention. The cart self-monitors its operation, communicates with the central system, and automatically adjusts to maintain safety, reducing the burden on operators while ensuring reliable safety monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system is integrated into the existing cart control architecture, serving multiple functions: safety monitoring, location tracking, communication with guardians, and pedestrian detection. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by consolidating safety features into the primary control system rather than adding separate dedicated systems.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If speed limits are imposed based on location to ensure safety, then safety is improved, but transportation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different speed limits to different spatial locations within the facility. Carts can travel at higher speeds in designated corridors and lower speeds near pedestrian areas or sensitive zones. This location-based speed differentiation maintains safety where needed while preserving transportation efficiency in appropriate areas.
Solution Approach 2:
Speed limits are dynamically adjusted based on the cart's current location, detected pedestrians, and operational context rather than applying a fixed speed restriction throughout. This dynamic speed control allows the system to optimize for safety when necessary and for efficiency when conditions permit.
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with one embodiment, a system is provided for safely conveying passengers indoors using a steerable motorized passenger cart, the maximum speed of which is limited based on its location within the interior space. In particular embodiments, the present invention further includes an interchangeable vehicle skin affixed to the motorized passenger cart.