Automated Vehicle Group Mode Indicator for Pedestrian Risk Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pedestrians lack a method to accurately assess the number of vehicles under automated control in their vicinity, which affects their confidence when engaging with vehicular traffic, as existing systems only provide notification of individual vehicle modes without a collective assessment.
Innovation Solution
A system that broadcasts a visual signal representing the group mode status of automated vehicles within a defined area around a pedestrian, using vehicle-to-vehicle communication and external sensors to determine the ratio or percentage of automated versus manually driven vehicles, and displays this information via an external mode indicator or infrastructure displays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If individual vehicle mode indicators are used, then each automated vehicle can notify pedestrians of its driving mode, but pedestrians cannot assess the collective density or ratio of automated vehicles in the area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines individual vehicle mode indicators with a collective density assessment system. Automated vehicles communicate their mode status through V2V communications, and a subject automated vehicle calculates the group mode status (ratio or density of automated vehicles) and broadcasts this aggregated information via infrastructure displays or external mode indicators. This merging allows pedestrians to receive both individual vehicle information and collective area assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary computing unit within the subject automated vehicle that receives mode status data from multiple other automated vehicles through V2V communications, calculates the group mode status, and then broadcasts this synthesized information. This intermediary processing enables the transformation of individual vehicle data into collective density information that pedestrians can understand.
2Reliability
If automated vehicles broadcast individual mode status, then pedestrians receive information about each vehicle, but the information is insufficient for assessing overall traffic safety and making informed crossing decisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of information presentation from individual vehicle mode status to collective group mode status (density or ratio). The computing unit calculates the proportion of automated vehicles within a defined radius of the subject vehicle and broadcasts this aggregated parameter. This parameter transformation provides pedestrians with a comprehensive view of automated vehicle density, enabling better safety assessments and decision-making confidence.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for alerting a pedestrian of the density of automated vehicles to non-automated vehicles in an area by broadcasting a visual signal representing a group mode status of automated vehicles travelling towards or within a roadway intersection. The group mode status may be broadcast as a percentage of automated vehicles to total vehicles or can be broadcast as a ratio of automated vehicles to non-automated vehicles on an external mode indicator of a subject automated vehicle. The visual signal may be broadcast as a pattern of lighting, a change in light intensity, a change in colors or a change in text. The group mode status may also be broadcast to a pedestrian equipped with a wireless device via vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. The group status may also be broadcast to and displayed on infrastructure component, such as a street light, display post, crosswalk sign, or building display configured to receive signals.