Vehicle Surface Sanitization Using Contact Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contagions, such as viruses and bacteria, can be transmitted within vehicles through air and contact surfaces, especially in environments where multiple passengers interact, increasing the likelihood of exposure.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system with detection devices and a controller that identifies surfaces contacted by passengers and directs a sanitization device to sanitize these surfaces based on contact type, duration, and presence of passengers, using audio, visual, and bio-detection technologies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If comprehensive sanitization of all vehicle surfaces is performed, then contagion transmission is reduced, but energy consumption and time loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies sanitization selectively to specific high-contact surfaces identified by detection devices rather than treating all surfaces uniformly. The controller directs the sanitization device to target only those surfaces where passenger contact is detected, concentrating sanitization resources on critical areas while leaving low-risk surfaces untreated.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs detection of passenger contact surfaces before initiating sanitization. The detection devices monitor and identify which surfaces have been contacted by passengers, and only then does the controller activate the sanitization device for those specific surfaces, avoiding unnecessary energy expenditure on surfaces that didn't require sanitization.
2Reliability
If comprehensive sanitization of all vehicle surfaces is performed, then contagion transmission is reduced, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system focuses sanitization effort on specific high-contact surfaces rather than treating all surfaces. By using detection devices to identify which surfaces actually contacted passengers, the system reduces the total sanitization time while maintaining effective contagion prevention on critical surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection phase occurs before sanitization, allowing the system to pre-identify which surfaces need treatment. This preliminary detection enables the controller to activate the sanitization device only for necessary surfaces, significantly reducing overall processing time compared to blanket sanitization of all surfaces.
3Measurement precision
If detection devices continuously monitor all surfaces, then contact detection accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detection system is divided into multiple independent detection devices positioned at specific high-contact locations throughout the vehicle interior. Each device monitors a specific zone or surface, and the controller integrates data from these segmented detection points to achieve comprehensive contact detection without requiring a single complex omnidirectional monitoring system.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle system includes a vehicle body defining a vehicle interior and a vehicle exterior, one or more detection devices, a sanitization device, and a controller, the controller including a processor and a non-transitory computer readable and executable instruction set, which when executed, causes the processor to receive data from the one or more detection devices, determine a surface at least one of within the vehicle interior or on the vehicle exterior contacted by a user based at least in part on the data from the one or more detection devices, determine whether the user is within the vehicle based at least in part on the data from the one or more detection devices, and direct the sanitization device to sanitize the surface based at least in part on the data from the one or more detection devices.