Autonomous Vehicle Emergency Light Control for Rapid Deceleration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Autonomous driving vehicles face challenges in effectively signaling a following vehicle during emergency deceleration or stop, as existing systems cannot distinguish between regular and rapid deceleration, potentially leading to collisions.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a system that uses both brake lights and emergency lights to signal rapid deceleration, determined by analyzing the deceleration rate and distance between vehicles, to alert the following vehicle of an impending emergency stop.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If only brake light is used to signal deceleration, then the signaling system is simple, but the following vehicle cannot distinguish between regular and emergency deceleration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeceleration severity informationVSAvoidlight control system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the light signaling function into two distinct components: brake light for regular deceleration and emergency light for rapid deceleration. This segmentation allows the following vehicle to distinguish between different deceleration severities by detecting which specific light is activated, thereby resolving the information loss problem without requiring a completely complex new signaling mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically selects which light to activate based on real-time deceleration rate monitoring. When deceleration exceeds a threshold indicating emergency conditions, the system switches from activating only the brake light to activating both brake and emergency lights. This dynamic adaptation allows the signaling system to convey different information states without permanent structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If emergency light is activated during regular deceleration, then the following vehicle is alerted, but false emergency signaling causes unnecessary panic and distraction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveemergency signal reliabilityVSAvoidfollowing vehicle driver panic

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously monitors deceleration rate as feedback and uses this information to determine whether to activate the emergency light. This feedback mechanism ensures that the emergency light is activated only when actual emergency conditions exist (deceleration rate exceeds threshold), preventing false signaling and the associated harmful effects of driver panic while maintaining high reliability of the emergency signal.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the signaling parameter (emergency light activation) based on the deceleration rate parameter. By setting a threshold for deceleration rate, the system ensures that emergency light activation occurs only when the physical parameter (deceleration) reaches a level that truly warrants emergency signaling, thereby maintaining signal reliability and avoiding unnecessary driver reaction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Use of energy by moving object

If brake light activation timing is delayed, then energy consumption is reduced, but collision avoidance capability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebrake light energy consumptionVSAvoidcollision avoidance capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system activates the emergency light in advance when rapid deceleration is detected, before the actual emergency stop is completed. This preliminary action gives the following vehicle driver advance warning and sufficient time to react, thereby maintaining collision avoidance capability while managing energy consumption by activating lights only when truly necessary and for the minimum required duration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10507813B2Method and system for automated vehicle emergency light control of an autonomous driving vehicle

Publication Date: 2019.12.17 BAIDU USA LLC

AI summary

In one embodiment, it is determined that an ADV is about to decelerate based on perception of a driving environment surrounding the ADV. In addition, if there is another vehicle that is following the ADV, a distance between the ADV and the following vehicle, as well as the speed of the following vehicle, is determined. A deceleration rate that is required for the following vehicle to avoid a collision with the ADV is determined based on the distance between the ADV and the following vehicle and the speed of the following vehicle. If the deceleration rate is greater than a predetermined threshold, a brake light and an emergency light of the ADV are turned on to warn the following vehicle that the ADV is about to rapidly decelerate as it is treated as an emergency situation.