Active Vehicle Water Level Monitoring System

This paper describes the results of a senior project completed in December 2007 and shows details of the subsystems along with future enhancements of the Active Vehicle Water Level Monitoring System or “Puddle Jumper.” The project is currently being reviewed by the office of Intellectual Property Management at the University of Houston for a potential patent. The need for an automatic monitoring and control system that can help prevent personal and financial loss, and loss of life is enormous. Flood-related damages and casualties have considerably increased in the last decade. Statistically, more than 67% of all flood-related deaths occur in vehicles and flooding accounts for billions of dollars worth of damage every year in the USA. Annual rain fall in many parts of the US are projected to significantly increase from 20% to 30%. This paper presents the design and implementation of an avoidance safety system to prevent vehicles from becoming stranded in water and thus prevent personal injury and damage to the vehicle. The Puddle Jumper solution provides an active vehicle water level monitoring and control system to alert drivers of the current outside water level and enables a mechanism to raise the car if levels are dangerously high. The lifting system provides drivers a level of security and enables them to escape from dangerous flood conditions. The system actively senses current conditions and adjusts height accordingly. The system employs arrays of optical water sensors installed in the front and back of the vehicle and continuously monitors the water level. The optical water sensors connect to a microcontroller that displays current water depths on a LCD panel. The microcontroller manages the suspension system that includes a pneumatic lifting system, which is actuated by a set of solenoid valves.