Wi-Fi Doppler Collision Avoidance for Early Hazard Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies lack an effective solution to notify bicyclists, pedestrians, and motor vehicle drivers of potential collisions with sufficient warning distance and lead-time to avoid collisions.
Innovation Solution
A multi-mode collision avoidance system (MMCAS) that uses Doppler effect measurements from Wi-Fi signals to detect and track moving objects, predicting collisions and providing alerts through auditory, visual, or haptic interfaces, allowing users to take evasive action.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If no collision avoidance technology is deployed, then device complexity remains low, but collision risk and loss of life remain high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses Wi-Fi signals as an intermediary medium to detect moving objects. Instead of requiring direct sensor contact or complex radar systems, the system leverages existing Wi-Fi infrastructure signals that bounce off moving objects (vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists) to provide collision warnings, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining high reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes ambient Wi-Fi signals from the environment (transmitters of opportunity) rather than requiring dedicated active transmitters. The moving objects themselves serve as reflectors, and the system processes these passive reflections to detect motion and predict collisions, eliminating the need for additional active sensing hardware
2Loss of time
If sufficient warning distance and lead-time are provided, then collision avoidance effectiveness improves, but detection range requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts warning thresholds and detection parameters based on relative velocity and distance calculations. By continuously monitoring the Doppler effect and predicting time-to-collision, the system provides optimized warning lead-times that are sufficient for safety without requiring maximum theoretical detection range, as warnings are triggered based on predicted collision probability rather than simple distance thresholds
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 MMCAS effectively warns users of approaching vehicles or pedestrians, enabling them to take evasive actions and potentially avoid collisions by providing timely and accurate alerts based on Doppler effect analysis.
Implementation Method 1
detecting, measuring, and tracking the Doppler effect of the Wi-Fi signals at the collision detection device to track velocity vector relative to the collision detection device
Data Source
AI summary
Implementations a method using a collision detection device associated with a user to detect a moving object in an environment and provide an alert to the user are provided. In some implementations the environment comprises at least one transmitter of opportunity. In some implementations, the collision detection device comprises a receiver and a processor. In some implementations, the method comprises receiving at the collision detection device Wi-Fi signals reflected from the moving object where the Wi-Fi signals originate from a Wi-Fi source not associated with the moving object. The method further comprises detecting, measuring, and tracking the Doppler effect of the Wi-Fi signals at the collision detection device to track velocity vector relative to the collision detection device. The method further comprises calculating the time of arrival of the moving object based on the velocity vector relative to the location of the collision detection device. The method further comprises tracking the relative angle between the moving object and the collision detection device based on the velocity vector. The method further comprises predicting the occurrence of a collision between the moving object and the collision detection device based on the relative angle. The method further comprises providing a notification based on the predicting step.