Vehicle External Display for Mobility Identification
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users requesting vehicle allocation for mobility services often find it difficult to identify the allocated vehicle, especially in crowded areas like stations or airports, due to the similarity in appearance of allocated vehicles and the presence of other vehicles nearby.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system equipped with a communication unit, outside-vehicle notification unit, and controller that displays identification information to the surrounding environment when within a predetermined range of the user's predicted boarding position, allowing users to easily identify their allocated vehicle through external displays and potentially changing the notification aspect upon user request.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple vehicles with similar appearance are deployed for mobility service, then the service coverage and availability are improved, but the user's ability to identify the allocated vehicle deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies visual differentiation through color changes by displaying unique identification information (such as vehicle ID, license plate number, or random strings) on the external display device of each vehicle. This allows users to easily distinguish their allocated vehicle from other similar-looking vehicles in the fleet, resolving the identification difficulty while maintaining high service coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary identification display system that mediates between the vehicle and the user. The external display device acts as an intermediary carrier that presents unique identification information to the user's terminal, enabling reliable vehicle identification without requiring physical modifications to the vehicle appearance.
2Ease of operation
If identification information is displayed continuously to help users find their vehicle, then the ease of operation is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by controlling the external display device to show identification information only when the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from the user's terminal. The controller calculates the distance based on positioning information and activates the display only when needed, reducing energy consumption while maintaining ease of vehicle identification during the critical pickup phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the display state adaptive rather than static. The external display device dynamically adjusts its operation based on real-time distance calculations between the vehicle and user terminal, switching between active display and standby states to optimize the balance between usability and energy efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If the notification is activated early to allow users to locate the vehicle, then the ease of operation is improved, but the duration of unnecessary notification increases energy waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the distance between the vehicle and user terminal, and using this feedback to control the notification activation. The system receives positioning information, calculates real-time distance, and activates the external display only when the vehicle enters the predetermined distance range, ensuring notification occurs at the optimal moment rather than too early or too late.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating the activation condition based on the predetermined distance threshold. The controller is configured to activate the external display device as soon as the vehicle enters the notification range, ensuring the identification information is displayed at the precise moment when it becomes useful to the user, avoiding both premature and delayed notification.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes a communication unit configured to receive identification information for notification set for a user, an outside-vehicle notification unit configured to perform notification to the surrounding of the vehicle, and a controller configured to make the outside-vehicle notification unit perform notification of the identification information for notification to the surrounding of the vehicle. The vehicle further includes a positioning unit configured to measure a position of the vehicle. The communication unit is configured to further receive a predicted boarding position of the user to the vehicle. The controller is configured to, in a case where the measured position of the vehicle is included within a predetermined range from the predicted boarding position of the user, makes the outside-vehicle notification unit perform the notification of the identification information for notification to the surrounding of the vehicle.