Vehicle hazard warning with rotating map display
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current hazard and event warning systems, particularly for vehicle operators, are inadequate as they provide generalized weather forecasts, fail to account for vehicle-specific locations, and do not effectively predict the duration of hazards, leading to wasteful evasive actions and increased risks during severe weather conditions.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes a mobile data processing device to receive and transmit event or hazard information, including a rotating map display that maintains the direction of travel constant, allowing for vehicle-specific warnings of future hazards, and enables users to report events to a central server for further distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If generalized weather forecasts covering large geographic areas are provided to vehicle operators, then all drivers in the area receive hazard warnings, but this causes wasteful evasive actions by drivers not realistically at risk
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the geographic area into grid cells and provides hazard warnings only to vehicles located in or projected to enter cells containing predicted hazards. This localized approach ensures that warnings are relevant to specific vehicles based on their actual location and travel plans, eliminating false alarms for drivers outside hazard zones while maintaining comprehensive coverage for those at risk.
2Loss of information
If generalized weather forecasts covering large geographic areas are provided, then hazard warnings are issued for entire regions, but drivers cannot determine their specific risk or hazard duration
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of hazard duration and impact by comparing predicted hazard timing with vehicle travel schedules before issuing warnings. The event center computes how long a vehicle will be exposed to hazards based on its current location, speed, and destination, providing drivers with advance information about hazard duration and severity before they encounter the actual weather event.
3Measurement precision
If vehicle-specific hazard predictions with duration information are provided, then drivers receive accurate risk assessment, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the geographic area into discrete grid cells and processes hazard information at the cell level rather than for entire regions. Each grid cell contains hazard predictions that can be independently evaluated against vehicle locations and travel plans. This segmentation enables efficient computation of vehicle-specific hazard exposure by only comparing vehicles with cells in their projected path, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high precision.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a system and method for receiving hazard and event information in a mobile unit and using that information to warn a user of an event or future hazard with reference to the mobile unit's location and/or intended direction of travel. A hazard location algorithm compares a forecast location of each mobile unit with a forecast hazard and transmits a warning to each mobile unit that is predicted to encounter the hazard. As the mobile unit moves, its actual position is updated in an event center, and a revised warning is transmitted to the mobile unit as applicable. Warnings include audio warnings for playback and/or visual warnings for display on the mobile device. Users may also wirelessly report events or hazards to a central server in an event center by sending data to the event center via a wireless communications network. Secondary information may be included, based on the selected event type.