Autonomous Vehicle Brake Light Signaling for Following Distance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous driving vehicles face safety challenges due to following vehicles not maintaining a sufficient distance, which can endanger passengers in both vehicles.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous driving vehicle uses its brake lights to signal a following vehicle to maintain a safe distance by turning them on or flashing them without applying the brakes, based on sensors detecting a predetermined threshold distance, simulating a potential slowdown to prompt the following vehicle to slow down.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autonomous driving vehicle activates brake lights to signal the following vehicle to maintain distance, then the safety distance between vehicles is improved, but the brake lights may cause misunderstanding that the autonomous vehicle is actually braking
Solution Approach 1:
The brake lights are activated in a periodic flashing pattern rather than remaining continuously on. This periodic action creates a distinct visual signal that differs from normal braking behavior, allowing the following vehicle to recognize it as a distance-maintenance warning rather than an actual braking event, thus resolving the information loss while maintaining safety effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The autonomous vehicle activates the brake lights as a preliminary warning before actually applying brakes. This preliminary action gives the following vehicle advance notice to increase following distance, preventing the need for emergency braking and ensuring safety is maintained before the contradiction arises
2Measurement precision
If the autonomous driving vehicle uses sensors to detect following distance and control brake lights, then the distance maintenance precision is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The existing sensor system and brake light infrastructure of the autonomous vehicle are repurposed for distance-maintenance signaling. The sensors that normally detect obstacles and the brake lights that normally indicate braking are made multi-functional, also serving as a communication system with following vehicles, thereby achieving precise distance control without adding dedicated new components
Solution Approach 2:
The autonomous vehicle uses its own existing sensors and brake light system to solve the following distance problem, rather than requiring separate dedicated systems. The vehicle's current infrastructure serves the additional function of communicating distance requirements to following vehicles, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining measurement precision
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a driving behavior of a following vehicle that follows an autonomous driving vehicle is perceived by the ADV. A distance between the ADV and the following vehicle is determined based on the perceived driving behavior of the following vehicle. The ADV determines whether the distance is shorter than a predetermined threshold. In response to determining that the distance between the ADV and the following vehicle is shorter than the predetermined threshold, one or more brake lights of the ADV are turned on without issuing a brake command to slow down the ADV. The brake lights may flash according to a predetermined pattern. The turned-on or flashed brake lights may signal the driver of the following vehicle to slow down, as it provides an impression to the driver of the following vehicle that the ADV is about to slow down.