Adaptive Travel Control for Rear-Vehicle Distance During Lane Changes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing travel controllers fail to appropriately manage the distance between a host vehicle and a vehicle behind, leading to safety issues when lane changes or speed adjustments are necessary, as they do not adapt thresholds dynamically based on situational conditions, resulting in suboptimal autonomous driving decisions.
Innovation Solution
A travel controller that dynamically sets distance thresholds based on situational conditions, using sensor data and map information to determine when to perform actions such as lane changes or continue on the current lane, and adjusts notifications to the driver accordingly, ensuring safe travel by distinguishing between first and second actions based on distance thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the host vehicle decelerates before a lane change to a diverging lane, then the lane change can be executed safely, but the distance to a vehicle behind traveling at constant speed decreases below the safety distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the distance threshold adaptive rather than fixed. The travel control unit dynamically adjusts the distance threshold based on whether a short-distance condition is met (e.g., lane change to diverging lane). When the short-distance condition is satisfied, the threshold is set to a smaller second value, allowing deceleration for lane change. When not satisfied, a larger first value is used to maintain safety distance. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between executing lane changes and maintaining safety distance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of distance threshold based on situational conditions. By detecting whether a short-distance condition exists (such as needing to change to a diverging lane), the system adjusts the distance threshold parameter between two values. This parameter change allows the system to permit deceleration when appropriate while maintaining conservative safety margins otherwise, resolving the contradiction between operational flexibility and safety.
2Reliability
If the travel controller maintains a fixed safety distance threshold, then safety is ensured in normal conditions, but appropriate lane changes to diverging lanes are prevented when deceleration is necessary
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static safety distance threshold to a dynamic one that adapts to situational conditions. The travel control unit detects short-distance conditions (such as upcoming diverging lanes) and adjusts the threshold accordingly. This dynamic behavior enables the system to maintain safety in normal conditions while adapting to permit necessary lane changes when the short-distance condition is met, thus resolving the contradiction between safety and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by adjusting the distance threshold based on detected conditions. When a short-distance condition is satisfied (e.g., lane change to diverging lane is needed), the threshold changes from a larger first value to a smaller second value, enabling lane change execution. This parameter adaptation resolves the contradiction between maintaining fixed safety margins and enabling flexible lane change operations.
3Reliability
If the distance threshold is set to a larger value to ensure safety, then safety distance is maintained, but the host vehicle cannot execute necessary lane changes to diverging lanes
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamics to adjust the distance threshold based on real-time conditions. Rather than using a consistently large threshold that would prevent lane changes, the threshold is dynamically set to a smaller second value when short-distance conditions are detected (such as needing to change to a diverging lane). This dynamic adjustment maintains safety in normal conditions while enabling efficient lane changes when necessary, resolving the contradiction between safety and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by adjusting the distance threshold between two values based on situational detection. When a short-distance condition is met (indicating a lane change to diverging lane is necessary), the threshold parameter is changed from a larger first value to a smaller second value, enabling lane change execution. This parameter adaptation resolves the contradiction between maintaining large safety margins and achieving efficient lane change operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A travel controller detects a vehicle traveling behind a host vehicle from situation data depending on the situation around the host vehicle; controls travel of the host vehicle to maintain a predetermined distance or more between the host vehicle and the detected vehicle behind; causes the host vehicle to perform a first action when the distance between the host vehicle and the vehicle behind is greater than a distance threshold; causes the host vehicle to perform a second action when the distance is less than the distance threshold, the second action contributing to safe travel of the host vehicle more than the first action; sets the distance threshold at a first value when a travel situation around the host vehicle does not satisfy a predetermined short-distance condition; and sets the distance threshold at a second value smaller than the first value when the travel situation satisfies the short-distance condition.