Autonomous Vehicle Cabin Contamination Detection and Zone Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
In autonomous vehicles, the absence of a driver leads to a lack of continuous monitoring and control over interior conditions, resulting in contamination issues such as litter, odors, and bodily excretions, which can render the vehicle unusable for further passenger transport.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous vehicle equipped with a monitoring device that detects contamination using sensors like cameras, electrochemical sensors, and liquid sensors, an evaluation device that determines the severity of contamination, and a signaling device that blocks the contaminated area, allowing the vehicle to continue operating while ensuring passenger safety by signaling and physically preventing access to contaminated sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the vehicle is taken out of service when contamination is detected, then passenger safety is ensured, but vehicle productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The passenger compartment is divided into contaminated and non-contaminated zones using partition elements. The contamination detection system identifies specific areas affected by contaminants, and only those areas are blocked off while the rest of the vehicle remains operational. This segmentation allows the vehicle to continue serving passengers in clean areas while isolating hazardous zones.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of blocking the entire vehicle when contamination is detected, the system applies localized blocking measures only to the specific contaminated sections. The partition elements and signaling devices are deployed selectively in the affected areas, allowing other parts of the vehicle to maintain normal operation and passenger capacity.
2Reliability
If continuous monitoring of the interior is implemented, then contamination is detected early, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system uses multi-functional sensors that can detect various types of contaminants (odors, gases, liquids) using a unified detection platform. The control unit integrates multiple detection functions and coordinates the deployment of partition elements and signaling devices, reducing the need for separate specialized systems for each contamination type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically detects contamination, identifies the affected area, deploys partition elements, and activates signaling devices without requiring manual intervention. The control unit processes sensor data and autonomously manages the response actions, reducing operational complexity while maintaining high detection reliability.
3Reliability
If the contaminated area is blocked off, then passenger safety is maintained, but the vehicle's operational capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle interior is segmented into blocked and accessible zones using partition elements. This allows passengers to be redirected to non-contaminated areas while the contaminated sections remain isolated. The segmentation approach preserves maximum operational capacity by keeping clean areas fully accessible.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition elements are designed to be dynamically deployable and reconfigurable, allowing the blocked area to be adjusted based on the extent and location of contamination. This dynamic adaptation optimizes the balance between passenger safety and transport capacity by blocking only the necessary minimum area.
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
Enables the automatic detection and blocking of contaminated areas within an autonomous vehicle, allowing it to remain in service despite cleanliness issues, while informing passengers of affected sections and facilitating deodorization and ventilation to maintain a safe environment.
Implementation Method 1
The monitoring device (12) has a number of electrochemical sensors, which are preferably arranged for olfactory (e.g. olfactory-related) monitoring of the several sections of the passenger lounge
Implementation Method 2
The monitoring device (12) can have a number of liquid sensors, for example
Implementation Method 3
The monitoring device (12) has at least one camera device, which is arranged for visual monitoring of the multiple sections of the recreation room
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates, inter alia, to a vehicle (10) for passenger transport, comprising a signaling device (16), a monitoring device (12), and an evaluation device (14). The evaluation device (14) is configured to detect, based on signals received from the monitoring device (12), a section (18D) of the passenger compartment (18) containing contamination, to determine whether the detected section (18D) should be closed, and to instruct the signaling device (16) to signal the closed section (18D).