Vehicle Door and Motion Detection Alert System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Parked vehicles pose risks to bicyclists and other vehicles due to unexpected door openings or movements into traffic lanes, leading to potential accidents as these movements can be difficult to anticipate and avoid.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that detect events indicative of a vehicle's door being opened or the vehicle pulling out into a lane, providing alerts or temporarily preventing these actions to reduce the risk of accidents by notifying approaching vehicles or occupants and preventing the vehicle from entering the path of travel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a vehicle is parked alongside a lane of traffic, then the vehicle can be conveniently positioned for loading/unloading or passenger access, but the door may open into the path of travel creating a hazard to bicyclists or other vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of bicyclists or other vehicles in the path of travel before the door is opened. The alert is activated in advance to warn approaching traffic of the impending door opening, allowing them to take evasive action before the hazard materializes
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the environment around the parked vehicle using sensors to detect bicyclists or other vehicles. Based on this feedback, the system dynamically activates or deactivates the alert signal, and can prevent door opening when a hazard is detected in the path
2Productivity
If the driver pulls the vehicle out from a parking space into a lane of traffic, then the vehicle can re-enter traffic flow, but the vehicle may collide with approaching bicyclists or other vehicles that are difficult to see
Solution Approach 1:
The system detects bicyclists or other vehicles in the path of travel before the vehicle begins to pull out. The alert is activated in advance to warn approaching traffic of the impending vehicle movement, allowing them to take evasive action before the collision hazard occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the environment using sensors to detect approaching bicyclists or vehicles. Based on this feedback, the system activates the alert signal when a hazard is detected and can prevent the vehicle from pulling out into traffic until the path is clear
3Device complexity
If no detection system is used, then the vehicle operation remains simple and unmodified, but accidents cannot be prevented and bicyclists are at high risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection system with sensors and alert mechanisms that mediate between the vehicle operations and the surrounding environment. This intermediary system detects hazards and communicates them to both the vehicle operator and approaching bicyclists/vehicles, enabling accident prevention while maintaining relatively simple vehicle operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides self-service safety monitoring by automatically detecting hazards, activating alerts, and preventing dangerous door openings or vehicle movements without requiring constant manual intervention from the driver, thereby maintaining simplicity while improving reliability
Data Source
AI summary
A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided, for example, to detect and to provide alerting of a part of a vehicle subsequently moving into the path of travel of a bicyclist or other vehicle. In the context of a method, one or more events indicative of a part of a vehicle subsequently moving into a path of a bicyclist are detected. The method also includes taking an action, responsive to detection of the one or more events, to reduce the risk to a person outside the vehicle or another vehicle proximate the door of the vehicle, such as by providing an alert as to the vehicle subsequently moving into the path of the bicyclist or to at least temporarily prevent the vehicle from subsequently moving into the path of the bicyclist.