Vehicle Notification Apparatus for Passenger Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle notification systems fail to effectively warn drivers about leaving passengers or baggage behind when the vehicle is stopped temporarily during travel, as they rely solely on door open-close patterns and do not account for situations where the driver exits and re-enters the vehicle without checking for passengers or baggage at the destination.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle notification apparatus comprising an output unit, a riding detector, and a driver detector, which outputs a leaving notification when the driver stops the vehicle and exits, until the passengers or baggage are detected to have exited, using sensors to monitor door operations and ignition status to ensure timely warnings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the notification system relies solely on door open-close patterns, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of detecting passenger/baggage presence is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple detection methods (door open-close pattern detection, ignition status detection, and vehicle operation detection) into a unified notification system. The controller integrates signals from the door open/close detector, ignition switch detector, and vehicle operation detector to determine when to issue notifications, thereby improving detection reliability without requiring a completely separate complex detection system.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification system is designed to handle multiple detection scenarios using a single integrated controller that can process various input signals (door patterns, ignition status, vehicle operations) and generate appropriate notifications. This multi-functional approach improves reliability by cross-validating multiple detection parameters while avoiding the need for multiple specialized detection systems.
2Reliability
If the notification is output only at driver exit, then the loss of time is reduced, but the reliability of notification is insufficient for temporary stops
Solution Approach 1:
The system issues notifications in advance of the driver's actual exit by detecting the vehicle operation pattern (temporary stop followed by restart). When the vehicle operation detector identifies that the vehicle has stopped temporarily and then restarted without a full exit sequence, the controller proactively issues a notification to alert the driver to check for passengers or baggage, rather than waiting until the driver actually exits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors vehicle operations and provides feedback notifications to the driver based on detected patterns. The controller receives ongoing input from the vehicle operation detector and adjusts notification timing accordingly, creating a feedback loop that improves notification reliability by adapting to actual driving scenarios rather than following a fixed notification schedule.
3Measurement precision
If the system monitors multiple vehicle operations and door patterns, then the notification accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple detection functions (door open/close detection, ignition status detection, vehicle operation detection) into a single integrated control system. The controller processes inputs from all three detectors and applies logical conditions to determine notification timing, achieving high detection precision through multi-parameter monitoring while avoiding the complexity of separate independent systems for each detection function.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection system is segmented into three specialized detectors (door open/close detector, ignition switch detector, vehicle operation detector), each responsible for a specific detection function. This segmentation allows each detector to be relatively simple while the integrated controller provides the sophisticated analysis needed for accurate notification timing, distributing complexity across multiple simple components rather than one complex component.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle notification apparatus includes an output unit, a riding detector, a driver detector, and a controller. The output unit is configured to output a leaving notification that provides notification of leaving behind of a passenger, etc. The riding detector is configured to detect passenger vehicle entering, passenger vehicle exiting, etc. The driver detector is configured to detect vehicle traveling stop operation, vehicle traveling start operation, driver vehicle entering operation, and driver vehicle exiting operation. The controller is configured to cause output of the leaving notification on a condition that the passenger vehicle entering, etc. has been detected when the vehicle traveling stop operation, the driver vehicle exiting operation, or both are detected, and also to cause the output of the leaving notification each time the vehicle traveling stop operation, the driver vehicle exiting operation, or both are detected, until the passenger vehicle exiting, etc. is detected.