Vehicle Odor Sensing for Allergy-Aware Ride Selection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users of ride-share services like taxis and transportation-as-a-service systems often lack information about the interior environment of vehicles, which can be crucial for passengers with allergies or preferences, leading to potential discomfort or harm.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes environmental sensors in vehicles to detect odors and communicate this information through a network, allowing users to input odor preferences and thresholds, enabling the system to select a suitable vehicle or alert the user to potential allergens, thereby ensuring a safer and more comfortable ride.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional ride-share information systems are used, then the system complexity remains low, but users cannot obtain sufficient information about vehicle interior environment
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary odor detection and evaluation before the user boards the vehicle. Environmental sensors detect odor levels in advance, and the ride-share platform provides this information to users during vehicle selection, allowing users to make informed decisions before committing to a ride.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of environmental sensors, a processing unit, and a communication interface that mediates between the vehicle interior environment and the user. This intermediary translates physical odor conditions into actionable information that users can understand and use for decision-making.
2Reliability
If environmental sensors are installed in vehicles to detect odors, then users can obtain reliable information about vehicle environments, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The environmental sensors in the vehicle serve multiple functions: detecting various types of odors, monitoring air quality, and providing data for both user information and potential automatic vehicle ventilation control. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by delivering comprehensive environmental monitoring capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes automatic odor detection and evaluation without requiring manual user assessment. The environmental sensors and processing unit autonomously monitor and evaluate vehicle interior conditions, eliminating the need for users to physically inspect vehicles before boarding.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the system provides detailed odor information to users, then users can avoid allergens and preferences, but the loss of time for processing and communicating data increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs odor detection and evaluation in advance before the user needs to make a decision. Environmental sensors continuously monitor vehicle interiors, and odor levels are evaluated and communicated to users before vehicle selection or boarding, allowing users to avoid allergens without time pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual odor assessment by users with automated electronic sensing and processing systems. Environmental sensors, microprocessors, and communication networks substitute for human sensory evaluation, dramatically reducing the time required to obtain reliable odor information.
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 provides users with reliable information about vehicle environments, reducing the risk of allergic reactions and ensuring a pleasant ride by selecting vehicles with acceptable odor levels or offering alternative options when thresholds are exceeded.
Implementation Method 1
Environmental sensors in the vehicle may include any suitable sensor or combination of sensors for detecting the interior environment of the vehicle, such as temperature, humidity, and/or odor
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a computer remote from a vehicle. The computer is programmed to store a label of an odor associated with a user, instruct the vehicle to pick up the user, receive data from an environmental sensor in the vehicle, and output a message upon determining that the data indicate that a level of the odor exceeds a threshold.