Active Steering Assistance for Low-Speed Curb Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle safety systems are ineffective in preventing collisions with curbs and other objects close to the ground, as they often rely on emergency braking and lack steering assistance, leading to uncomfortable driving experiences, damage, and potential injuries, especially in low-speed maneuvers.
Innovation Solution
An active steering assistance system that detects road barriers of shorter height than the vehicle wheel and calculates a steering correction to adjust the vehicle's direction, activating a steering assistance function to prevent collisions by modifying the steering controls without applying brakes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If emergency braking is used to prevent collisions with road barriers, then collision prevention is achieved, but driving comfort deteriorates and driver confidence is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of road barriers using sensors before a collision occurs. When a barrier is detected and a collision is predicted, the system proactively applies steering correction to alter the vehicle's path, preventing the need for emergency braking and maintaining driving comfort while ensuring collision prevention.
2Reliability
If steering correction is applied to avoid road barriers, then collision prevention is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the steering correction function with the existing driver-assistance technologies already present in the vehicle. By integrating the curb detection and steering correction capabilities into the existing sensor network and control systems, the patent reduces overall system complexity while improving collision prevention for low-profile barriers.
3Reliability
If sensors focused ahead of vehicle path are used for safety features, then emergency collision prevention is improved, but detection of low-profile barriers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds a new detection dimension by incorporating sensors capable of detecting low-profile barriers at the vehicle's lateral edges and front corners, complementing the existing forward-focused sensors. This multi-dimensional sensing approach enables detection of curbs and low barriers that are invisible to traditional forward-facing sensors, while maintaining emergency collision prevention capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
This document describes techniques for implementing active steering assistance for vehicle turns and parking maneuvers. A host vehicle may move on a vehicle path and detect a road barrier (e.g., a curb) with a shorter height relative a driving surface than the height of a vehicle wheel. When a collision is predicted between the road barrier and the host vehicle, a steering correction is determined for changing a vehicle direction on the vehicle path to prevent the collision. When the steering correction is within a safety threshold (e.g., safe for driving at slow speed), a steering assistance function is activated. The steering assistance function causes an adjustment to steering controls, which change the vehicle direction based on the steering correction determined to avoid the road barrier in the driving surface in time to prevent the predicted collision.