Vehicle Air Pollution Sensing and Traffic Rerouting Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods struggle to effectively measure and remediate air pollution in complex urban environments with multiple traffic sources and varying traffic conditions, making it difficult to identify and address pollution issues at specific locations.

Innovation Solution

A system utilizing autonomous or driver-operated vehicles equipped with sensors and communication technology to measure air pollution levels and transmit data to a server, which evaluates the data and directs vehicles to move or reroute to reduce pollution, or alerts other vehicles to avoid certain areas, employing vehicle-to-everything communication to implement remediation strategies.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If traditional fixed-location air quality monitoring stations are used, then air pollution levels can be measured at specific points, but the system cannot effectively capture spatial variations and transient pollution sources across complex urban environments with multiple traffic sources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveair pollution measurement capabilityVSAvoidsystem adaptability to varying urban environments

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the air quality monitoring function across multiple mobile vehicles distributed throughout the urban environment. Instead of a single fixed station, numerous vehicles each equipped with sensors collectively cover diverse locations, capturing spatial variations and transient pollution sources that a fixed system would miss

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system transitions from static fixed-location monitoring to dynamic mobile monitoring. Vehicles move through different urban areas, adapting their measurement locations in real-time to capture transient pollution events and spatial variations, making the monitoring system as adaptable as the traffic patterns it monitors

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Area of stationary object

If vehicles are used as mobile measurement platforms to cover multiple locations, then spatial coverage and detection of transient pollution sources improve, but the system complexity and data management requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemonitoring coverage areaVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses existing multi-functional vehicles that serve both their primary transportation purpose and air quality monitoring function. This avoids the complexity of building dedicated monitoring infrastructure while achieving broad spatial coverage through the vehicles' existing mobility and communication capabilities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements real-time feedback loops where sensor data from vehicles is continuously transmitted to the server, which processes the information and sends back routing directives. This feedback mechanism manages system complexity by automating coordination and enabling adaptive response to detected pollution events

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of information

If real-time air pollution data collection and analysis is implemented across multiple vehicles, then transient and persistent pollution sources can be identified, but the computational resources and communication requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepollution data accuracyVSAvoidvehicle energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements selective data transmission rather than continuous full-data communication. Vehicles transmit pollution data at strategic moments or when thresholds are exceeded, reducing communication overhead and energy consumption while maintaining sufficient data accuracy for identifying pollution sources and patterns

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS11847914B2Air pollution detection and remediation systems and methods

Publication Date: 2023.12.19 FORD GLOBAL TECH LLC

AI summary

The disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for using vehicles to detect and remediate air pollution. In an example implementation, a server computer transmits a directive to a vehicle controller of a vehicle, to measure an air pollution level around the vehicle at a first location. The vehicle controller executes an air pollution measurement and transmits measurement data to the server computer. The server computer evaluates the measurement data and directs the vehicle controller to perform a remedial action for reducing the air pollution level at the first location. The remedial action can involve, for example, the vehicle controller moving the vehicle from the first location to a second location. The server computer may also determine whether the first location is a transient pollution location or a persistent pollution by directing the vehicle controller to carry out measurements at two different times and/or by employing two different sampling rates.