Vehicle-Integrated Drone Deployment for Stranded Vehicle Alerting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stranded vehicles can be difficult for service truck drivers and emergency personnel to locate, especially at night or in low visibility conditions, due to their unattended and unmarked status on the side of the road.
Innovation Solution
A drone deployment system integrated into a host vehicle that deploys an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with lights and a siren, which can hover above the vehicle and follow it, providing visual and auditory alerts to draw attention and facilitate location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a drone is deployed from a stranded vehicle to provide visual and auditory alerts, then the visibility and accessibility of the vehicle is improved, but the device complexity and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The drone is nested within the vehicle's trunk or storage compartment, allowing it to be stored compactly and deployed when needed. The drone housing integrates with the vehicle structure, and the deployment mechanism uses the vehicle's existing spatial architecture to minimize added complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The drone serves multiple functions: it provides visual alerts through lights, auditory alerts through sirens, and can act as a communication device. This multi-functionality justifies the added device complexity by delivering comprehensive alert capabilities from a single integrated system.
2Reliability
If a drone is deployed to hover above and follow the host vehicle, then the alert effectiveness is improved, but the energy consumption and operational reliability concerns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The drone operates in periodic cycles, alternating between hovering above the vehicle and returning to the storage compartment. This periodic operation reduces continuous energy consumption while maintaining effective alert delivery, as the drone can serve multiple vehicles or extend its operational pattern over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The drone's operational mode is dynamic, adjusting between hovering, following, and returning based on mission requirements and energy status. This dynamic operation optimizes energy usage by adapting the drone's behavior to current conditions rather than maintaining a fixed operational state.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the drone is equipped with lights and siren to draw attention, then the detection capability is improved, but the object-generated harmful factors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lights and siren are directed locally toward the stranded vehicle and surrounding area, concentrating the alert effect where needed rather than creating widespread noise and light pollution. The directional nature of the alerts minimizes harmful effects on unrelated areas while maintaining high detectability of the target vehicle.
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
The system effectively enhances visibility and accessibility of stranded vehicles by deploying a UAV that shines a light and sounds a siren, making it easier for service personnel to find and assist the vehicle.
Implementation Method 1
The drone may include a first set of propellers configured to propel the drone
Implementation Method 2
The drone may include a light configured to illuminate a region below the drone
Implementation Method 3
The drone may include a siren configured to emit an audible alert
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A vehicle system includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions including receiving an alert signal, deploying a drone from a host vehicle in response to receiving the alert signal, and commanding the drone to follow the host vehicle and to present a perceptible alert.