Stranded Motorist Assistance With Offline Breadcrumb Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles stranded in areas without wireless telecommunication service face challenges in navigating back to a connected zone due to limited battery life and unavailable satellite navigation, making it difficult to seek emergency assistance.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system with a transceiver and powertrain system records a breadcrumb route and generates guidance instructions for a mobile device to navigate back to a connected zone, managing battery life and providing diagnostic codes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a vehicle travels to remote areas for recreational usage, then the user can access off-road locations and wilderness areas, but the user may become stranded in areas without cellular connectivity where emergency assistance cannot be requested
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting when the vehicle enters a non-connected zone and automatically recording the return route to the crossing point before the user needs it. The breadcrumb trail is created in advance during normal vehicle operation, so when stranding occurs, the navigation path is already prepared and stored in the vehicle's memory, eliminating the need for real-time route calculation in emergency conditions.
2Ease of operation
If a user attempts to navigate back to a connected zone on foot or by bicycle, then the user can reach an area with cellular service, but the path back may be difficult to identify and remember
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a digital copy of the vehicle's travel route and stores it as a breadcrumb trail in the vehicle's memory system. This recorded path includes waypoints and navigation data that can be transferred to the user's mobile device, providing a reliable replica of the return route that does not depend on the user's human memory or ability to recognize terrain features.
3Measurement precision
If radionavigation is available to provide location guidance, then the user can determine their location, but satellite signals may become unavailable in remote areas
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle's onboard system acts as an intermediary that records the route using the vehicle's own navigation and sensing capabilities during normal operation. When satellite signals become unavailable, this pre-recorded route data serves as a backup navigation source that can be transferred to the mobile device, providing location guidance without requiring continuous satellite signal availability in the remote area.
4Ease of operation
If a battery-powered smartphone is used for navigation and communication, then the user can access navigation apps and contact emergency services, but the battery charge may be insufficient to last long enough to reach a connected zone
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by calculating the estimated time to reach the crossing point and comparing it with the mobile device's current battery charge state before the user begins their journey. This advance assessment allows the system to warn users of potential battery insufficiency and provide recommendations for recharging, ensuring the device has adequate power before the user embarks on the return trip.
5Loss of information
If the vehicle records and stores route information, then the user can receive guidance instructions, but the vehicle's memory and processing resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential navigation data needed for the return journey - specifically the breadcrumb trail representing the vehicle's path and key waypoints - and stores this condensed route information in the vehicle's memory. By extracting and storing only the critical path data rather than complete operational vehicle data, the system preserves necessary navigation information while minimizing memory consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
A help system is provided for a vehicle occupant who carries a mobile communication device. The vehicle has a transceiver providing two-way wireless telecommunication and which detects a loss-of-signal condition. A powertrain system provides vehicle movement and is configured for reckoning a path traversed by the vehicle. The help system includes a guidance controller and an interface adapted to connect to the mobile communication device. The guidance controller is configured to A) identify a crossing point when the transceiver detects an initiation of the loss-of-signal condition, B) store a breadcrumb route for returning to the crossing point based on the reckoned path, C) detect a stranded condition of the vehicle during the loss-of-signal condition, D) generate guidance instructions including the breadcrumb route from the vehicle back to the crossing point when the stranded condition is detected, and E) transfer the guidance instructions to the mobile communication device.