Car Finding Keychain
posted by wmcleod on 19 September 2007 7:16 Go to the market place Go to forum
Problem context :
When you park you're focused on finding a space. When you leave your car you're focused on what you went shopping for. But when you leave a mall, the average drive spends a decent amount of time trying to remember where he parked. Come on, admit it you've done it too. People rarely have the awareness of mind to make a note of where it was at the time.
Proposed Solution :
Imagine a key ring atachment like the key FOB used to unlock doors wirelessly (could even be the same FOB) that had a ring of lights around it like a digital compas. These LED's point at the relative location of your car, making it alot easier to find. Get close enough and the panic button can always take you the rest of the way.
It could work on the same RF as the keyless entry using triangulation. The broadcasting origin from the car can either be powered by the car battery or charged by the car's motion for an aftermarket version.
Submissions (14)
similar product are existing
Establishing that there is a market
answered by wmcleod on 31 January 2008 2:24
I've been checking periodically to see if there is something existing for the car finding market. The closest I can find is this: http://asia.cnet.com/crave/2005/01/05/c-car-car-finding-keychain/ It needs to be set manually. However, every place i find it people are extremely excited about the idea despite the fact that you need to set it manually to use it.
Establishing that there is a market
answered by wmcleod on 31 January 2008 2:24
I've been checking periodically to see if there is something existing for the car finding market. The closest I can find is this: http://asia.cnet.com/crave/2005/01/05/c-car-car-finding-keychain/ It needs to be set manually. However, every place i find it people are extremely excited about the idea despite the fact that you need to set it manually to use it.
Passcoded though
answered by tagline on 19 September 2007 7:29
Don't want those thieves stealing your keys and finding your car too easily. That said by repeatedly pressing the immobiliser button as they walk around they may find your car anyway.
Find me my keys, watch
answered by K00K1E on 1 October 2007 22:35
I have never lost my car, plus there is that annoying alarm button which is nothing more than an "I lost my car" panic button, I suggest a watch with a GPS like function that tracks and finds your keys (and other items that are small and get lost often). This gadget would be a simple software that is programed into the watch and sends a locater signal to the lost item which would have a microwave or RF indicator as a beacon.
it should be more visual
answered by Coleman on 6 October 2007 16:53
it would be cool to see a map showing where you are and where your car is. i think this could be software on a phone/umpc. or it could be on a watch with a screen.
Implementation
answered by ClockworkAvian on 20 September 2007 21:46
As opposed to triangulation, it may be more effective to simply use 2 or 3 small directional antennas, compare the signal strengths of the antennas, and use that as your pointer. Implementing single point triangulation would likely require a bit more size and complexity than most people wish to fit in a keychain. Additonally, single point triangulation requires movement to gauge accurately. This is not good for cars in lots, because they tend to imply lots of rotation (dodging between cars), as well as stopping intermittently.
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Suggestion on how to proceed
answered by wmcleod on 13 August 2008 19:29
I think this could be a simple and quick success for CrowdSpirit. Here is how i propose we proceed. We contact a product design firm, and submit an RFD to an electrical engineering firm
cost: $40,000 (27,000 Euros)
This will provide us with suppliers and tooling.
Next we make a small run lot of around 2,000 units for sale through amazon.com
this will cost around $80,000 (54,000 Euros)
We can ramp up production and refine the design through the users on the site after we make a first production run. This will help get things moving
It is a risk, and an investment, but I really think we need to get a product out.