Autonomous Vehicle Control Strategy for Aggressive Driver Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Autonomous vehicles face challenges in detecting aggressive driving behaviors of nearby vehicles and adjusting their control strategies accordingly to ensure safe navigation.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that utilize sensors like cameras, RADAR, and LIDAR to identify aggressive driving behaviors, determine the type of vehicle, and estimate distances, allowing for the modification of control strategies to adapt the autonomous vehicle's behavior and maintain safety.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the autonomous vehicle uses standard control strategies, then the system operation is simple, but the safety is compromised when encountering aggressive drivers

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidcontrol strategy complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control strategy dynamically adapts based on detected driving behaviors. The system transitions from standard control to modified control strategies (defensive, evasive, or confrontational) depending on the presence and behavior of nearby vehicles, making the safety response dynamic rather than static

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes control parameters (spacing, speed, lane position) based on the detected aggressive behavior. By modifying these operational parameters in response to external threats, the system achieves enhanced safety without requiring a completely new control architecture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the autonomous vehicle maintains large spacing from other vehicles, then the safety is improved, but the productivity decreases due to slower navigation

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidnavigation speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The spacing between vehicles is dynamically adjusted based on the behavior of nearby vehicles. The system maintains normal spacing when safe, but increases spacing only when aggressive driving behaviors are detected, allowing productivity to be maintained during normal operation while ensuring safety when needed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the spacing parameter conditionally based on external factors (detected driving behaviors). This allows the vehicle to optimize the trade-off between safety and productivity by adjusting spacing only when necessary rather than maintaining conservative spacing at all times

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the autonomous vehicle uses modified control strategies to respond to aggressive drivers, then the safety is enhanced, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidcontrol system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control system is segmented into multiple independent modules: detection module (sensors), analysis module (behavior classification), and control module (strategy selection). This segmentation allows the complex safety functionality to be implemented as modular additions to the existing system rather than a complete redesign

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary layer (the behavior detection and analysis system) between the standard control strategy and the actual vehicle control. This intermediary processes sensor data and determines when modified control strategies are needed, managing the complexity through a dedicated intermediate processing layer

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2958783B1A method to detect nearby aggressive drivers and adjust driving modes
Publication Date: 2018.10.24 WAYMO LLC
  • EP2958783B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2958783B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2958783B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A computing device may be configured to receive sensor information indicative of respective characteristics of vehicles on a road of travel of a first vehicle. The computing device may be configured to identify, based on the respective characteristics, a second vehicle that exhibits an aggressive driving behavior manifested as an unsafe or unlawful driving action. Also, based on the respective characteristics, the computing device may be configured to determine a type of the second vehicle. The computing device may be configured to estimate a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle. The computing device may be configured to modify a control strategy of tire first vehicle, based on the aggressive driving behavior of the second vehicle, the type of the second vehicle, and the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and control the first vehicle based on the modified control strategy.