Wheelchair Crossing Guideway Angle Control for Traffic Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pedestrian crossing systems do not adequately reduce the burden on wheelchair users crossing roadways, as they often require significant directional changes, leading to longer crossing times and potential traffic obstruction.
Innovation Solution
A route control device that adjusts the angle of a guideway for wheelchair users based on the waiting time of vehicles, displaying the guideway diagonally to reduce the burden on wheelchair users while balancing waiting time and traffic flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the guideway angle is adjusted to reduce directional changes for wheelchair users, then the burden on wheelchair users is reduced, but the waiting time for vehicles increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guideway angle is made dynamically adjustable based on real-time traffic conditions. The control unit determines the optimal angle by considering vehicle waiting time, allowing the system to adapt between prioritizing wheelchair user ease of operation (smaller angles) and minimizing traffic disruption (larger angles), thus resolving the contradiction between these two opposing requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameter of guideway angle based on traffic conditions. By calculating the appropriate angle that balances wheelchair user burden reduction with acceptable vehicle waiting time, the system optimizes both parameters simultaneously rather than fixing the angle at a static value
2Ease of operation
If the guideway angle is reduced to allow straighter crossing paths, then wheelchair users experience less directional change, but the crossing time increases and traffic flow is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The guideway angle is dynamically adjusted based on real-time traffic conditions. The control unit determines the optimal angle by considering vehicle waiting time, allowing the system to adapt between prioritizing wheelchair user ease of operation (smaller angles) and minimizing traffic disruption (larger angles), thus resolving the contradiction between these two opposing requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameter of guideway angle based on traffic conditions. By calculating the appropriate angle that balances wheelchair user burden reduction with acceptable vehicle waiting time, the system optimizes both parameters simultaneously rather than fixing the angle at a static value
Data Source
AI summary
A route control device includes a control unit that sets an angle of a guideway for guiding a wheelchair user with respect to a roadway in accordance with a length of a waiting time for which a vehicle traveling on the roadway is kept waiting, when the wheelchair user who is about to cross the roadway is detected, and performs a control of displaying a pedestrian crossing including the guideway on the roadway.