In-Vehicle AR Emergency Warnings for Low-Visibility Hazard Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drivers face challenges in low visibility conditions and when encountering emergency vehicles, as they struggle to perceive hazards and accurately locate emergency vehicles, leading to increased accident risks and distractions.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of Augmented Reality (AR) technology in vehicles, using processors, sensors, and transceivers to detect emergency vehicles and hazards, and provide alerts through AR viewers, ensuring drivers have a clear view of obscured information and precise location of emergency vehicles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If drivers rely on auditory signals (sirens) to detect emergency vehicles, then they can detect the presence of emergency vehicles, but they cannot accurately determine the relative location of the emergency vehicle, leading to driver distraction and increased accident risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (AR display system with sensors and processors) that mediates between the emergency vehicle's siren and the driver. The system captures auditory and visual signals, processes them to determine emergency vehicle location, and presents this information through an AR interface, thereby eliminating the need for drivers to directly interpret sirens while maintaining accurate location determination
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/acoustic method of location determination (drivers using ears to locate sirens) with an electronic/optical system. Sensors detect emergency vehicle signals, processors calculate location coordinates, and AR displays visually indicate position, substituting human auditory processing with automated electronic detection and visualization
2Loss of information
If drivers focus on the road in low visibility conditions, then they can maintain vehicle control, but they cannot perceive hazards and road signage, leading to increased accident risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new dimension to information presentation by overlaying digital hazard indicators and road signage information onto the driver's existing visual field through AR technology. Instead of adding another layer of complexity in the form of separate displays or controls, the system integrates information in the same spatial dimension where drivers naturally look (the road ahead), making hazard perception enhancement seamless
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates visual copies or representations of hazards and road signage that are projected into the driver's field of view. The AR system generates digital replicas of obscured elements (such as virtual road signs or hazard markers) that mirror the physical elements' positions and characteristics, allowing drivers to perceive information without shifting attention from the road
3Ease of operation
If drivers use conventional warning systems (audio/visual alerts), then they can be notified of emergency vehicles, but the alerts do not provide spatial context, requiring driver distraction to locate the emergency vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-calculating and continuously updating the emergency vehicle's relative location coordinates before the driver needs to respond. The system maintains a ready-state spatial map of emergency vehicle positions, so when an alert is needed, the location information is already processed and immediately available for AR display, eliminating any delay in spatial context provision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the warning alert function with the spatial location indication function into a single integrated AR presentation. Instead of separate audio alerts and separate visual location displays, the system combines these functions so that the warning indicator itself contains embedded spatial information, showing both that an emergency vehicle is present and exactly where it is located relative to the driver's vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
The following generally relates to using Augmented Reality (AR) to enhance the in-vehicle experience. In some examples, AR techniques are applied to provide AR indications of vehicle safety indicia to alert vehicle occupants to information that may not otherwise be perceptible. In other example, AR techniques are applied to provide emergency vehicle warnings to improve the likelihood of safe responses thereto. In yet other examples, AR techniques are applied to generated personalized outdoor displays, for example, to ameliorate conditions that may impair safe operation of a vehicle.