Vehicle Location Tracking via Traffic Message Center
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Passengers waiting for buses or taxis face inefficiencies due to lack of real-time location and arrival time information, leading to wasted time and resources, as current wireless communication systems fail to effectively provide accurate and dynamic updates considering changing traffic conditions.
Innovation Solution
A wireless communication system equipped with a GPS device on vehicles that sends location and estimated arrival time information to passengers' mobile devices via short messages, emails, or voice messages, using a traffic message center that processes real-time traffic data to provide accurate updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If real-time location and arrival time information is transmitted to passengers, then waiting time and resource wastage are reduced, but system complexity and communication overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
A message center is introduced as an intermediary component that receives location information from vehicles and sends notifications to passenger devices. This mediator architecture distributes the system complexity across multiple components rather than requiring direct peer-to-peer communication between all vehicles and all passenger devices, thereby reducing overall system complexity while enabling real-time information transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where vehicle location data is continuously transmitted to the message center, which then provides real-time arrival time estimates to passengers. This closed-loop feedback system enables dynamic updates that reduce passenger waiting time by providing accurate, real-time information about vehicle arrival based on actual location data.
2Measurement precision
If GPS tracking and continuous communication are implemented, then arrival time accuracy is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous transmission, the system uses periodic action by transmitting location information at scheduled intervals or at key events such as when the vehicle approaches a bus stop or when significant location changes occur. This periodic transmission maintains arrival time accuracy while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous real-time streaming of location data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and transmitting arrival time estimates based on current location and route information before the vehicle actually arrives. This allows passengers to receive advance notice of arrival times without requiring continuous communication, thereby improving accuracy while minimizing energy usage during the actual vehicle operation.
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
This system enables passengers to manage their time effectively by providing accurate and dynamic location and arrival time information, reducing waiting times and resource wastage by considering real-time traffic conditions.
Implementation Method 1
A passenger waiting for a bus or a taxi may use a wireless communication device, e.g., a cellular phone, to request a geographic location of the bus or the taxi
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless communication device disposed on a moving vehicle. The wireless communication device further includes a geographic location determination processor for determining a geographic location on a city map. The wireless communication device further receives a vehicle location and arrival schedule request for sending a message to a passenger waiting for the vehicle for providing the geographic location on the city map and an estimated arrival time of the vehicle to a passenger waiting for the vehicle.