Vehicle Road Condition Image Sharing via Central Server
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional car navigation systems cannot provide real-time information about changing road conditions, such as traffic jams or accidents, to drivers, limiting their ability to navigate safely and efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A terminal apparatus and image information server system that uses a camera to capture and upload images of road conditions, along with position information, to a database, allowing other vehicles to download and display this information in real-time, enabling drivers to anticipate upcoming road conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If car navigation systems use pre-registered road information, then the system structure is simple, but the information cannot be updated in real-time to reflect changing road conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an image information server as an intermediary between vehicles and road condition data. The server collects, stores, and distributes real-time road condition images uploaded by vehicles, acting as a central hub that enables real-time information sharing without requiring direct peer-to-peer communication between vehicles, thus maintaining system simplicity while achieving real-time updates
Solution Approach 2:
Vehicles use their own cameras and communication equipment to capture and upload road condition images themselves, rather than relying on external infrastructure. This self-service approach allows each vehicle to contribute to the collective knowledge base of road conditions, enabling real-time information gathering without requiring cameras at every crossing
2Loss of information
If cameras are installed at every crossing to capture road conditions, then real-time information availability is improved, but the cost and complexity of the system increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes vehicles serve multiple functions: they use their cameras not only for navigation but also for capturing and transmitting road condition information to other vehicles. This multi-functionality allows the same vehicle equipment to serve dual purposes, eliminating the need for dedicated infrastructure at every crossing while maintaining comprehensive road condition monitoring
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of installing physical cameras at every crossing, the system creates and distributes digital copies of road condition images captured by vehicles. These image copies are uploaded to the server and downloaded by other vehicles, providing visual information about road conditions without requiring physical presence of cameras at all locations
3Productivity
If each vehicle is equipped with camera and communication equipment to capture road conditions, then real-time information can be obtained, but the cost for individual vehicles increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple vehicles into a coordinated system where one vehicle captures road condition images and other vehicles receive this information through the server. This merging allows vehicles to share the burden of information gathering, so not every vehicle needs to invest in camera and communication equipment, reducing individual cost while maintaining system-wide information gathering efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
On a vehicle, such as a car, etc., a camera, a navigation, communication function are mounted, and an image picked up from the car is uploaded to a server. Road information uploaded from each the car is collected up to the server. Each the car downloads the information existing in the server at the time when it is running. With provision of such the system, the car itself can confirm the condition of a spot through which it will pass from now, by using the information which is picked up by other car passing through that spot just before.