Autonomous Driving Alerts for Destination-Based Start Readiness

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Solution Overview

Problem

Passengers sometimes fail to notice the initiation of autonomous travel control in vehicles due to reliance on display notifications alone.

Innovation Solution

A driving assistance system that combines visual and auditory alerts, intensifying notifications when a destination is set, to inform passengers about the readiness for autonomous travel control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If only a display device is used to notify passengers of autonomous travel control readiness, then device complexity is reduced, but notification effectiveness deteriorates because passengers may not notice the notification

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenotification effectivenessVSAvoidnotification system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple notification modalities (visual display and auditory output) into a unified notification system. The controller integrates signals from both the display device and sound output device to deliver comprehensive notifications, ensuring passengers notice the autonomous travel control readiness through multiple sensory channels simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The notification system is segmented into distinct functional components: a display device for visual notification and a sound output device for auditory notification. Each component operates independently but is coordinated by the controller, allowing the system to provide redundant notification pathways that improve reliability without requiring complete system redesign.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If notification intensity is increased for all situations, then passenger awareness is improved, but passenger annoyance increases due to unnecessary alerts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepassenger awarenessVSAvoidpassenger annoyance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The notification system dynamically adjusts its intensity and modality based on real-time driving conditions and passenger state. The controller evaluates contextual factors such as whether the vehicle is moving, current notification state, and detected passenger attention level to determine the appropriate notification intensity, switching between subtle and intense notifications as needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Different notification intensities and modalities are applied to different situations and passenger zones. The system provides tailored notifications based on specific driving contexts (e.g., stationary vs. moving, destination set vs. not set) and individual passenger characteristics detected by the imaging device, ensuring each passenger receives appropriate notification levels for their specific situation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Loss of information

If the system provides detailed notifications about autonomous travel readiness, then information completeness is improved, but loss of time increases due to processing and displaying multiple conditions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidnotification processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The controller pre-evaluates multiple notification conditions and prepares appropriate notification strategies in advance. By continuously monitoring system state and pre-determining notification approaches based on anticipated scenarios (destination set, vehicle moving, passenger attention), the system reduces real-time processing delays while maintaining comprehensive information delivery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback loops where the controller continuously monitors notification effectiveness and passenger response. Based on this feedback, the controller adjusts subsequent notification strategies, providing comprehensive information only when necessary and using condensed notifications when passenger awareness is already established, thereby optimizing the balance between information completeness and time efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4350662B1Driving assistance method and driving assistance device
Publication Date: 2025.10.22 NISSAN MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP4350662B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4350662B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4350662B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A driving assistance method including: determining (S1) whether or not an autonomous travel control start condition for autonomous travel control, the autonomous travel control controlling steering, acceleration, and deceleration of a vehicle (1) in an automated manner, to be performable is established; determining (S2) whether or not a destination to which the vehicle is caused to travel is set; notifying (S4,S5) information prompting a start operation of the autonomous travel control in a more intense notification form when determining that the autonomous travel control start condition is established and determining that the destination is set than when determining that the autonomous travel control start condition is established and determining that the destination is not set; determining (S6) whether or not the start operation is received; and starting (S7) the autonomous travel control when determining that the start operation is received.