Autonomous Vehicle Emergency Route Redirection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Self-driving vehicles (SDVs) often intersect with emergency vehicles' routes, potentially impeding their progress, and existing systems lack efficient methods to automatically redirect SDVs to avoid conflicts with emergency vehicles without human intervention.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that transmit emergency messages to SDVs, describing an emergency state and future route of emergency vehicles, allowing the SDVs to autonomously redirect to a second pathway that does not conflict with the emergency vehicle's route, while also sharing real-time traffic patterns to optimize route adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If SDVs continue on their planned route, then their normal travel efficiency is maintained, but they may conflict with and impede emergency vehicle passage
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting emergency vehicles ahead and calculating alternative routes before the SDV reaches conflict points. The autonomous control system proactively redirects the SDV to a second pathway in advance, preventing potential conflicts and allowing emergency vehicles to maintain high speed without obstruction.
2Reliability
If SDVs are redirected to avoid emergency vehicles, then emergency vehicle passage is ensured, but SDV travel routes and time are affected
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous control system performs self-service by automatically detecting emergency vehicles, calculating alternative routes, and executing redirection without human intervention. The system monitors real-time traffic patterns and dynamically adjusts routing decisions, ensuring reliable emergency vehicle passage while maintaining operational simplicity for the SDV operator.
3Productivity
If real-time traffic data is shared among multiple SDVs, then coordinated route adjustments optimize emergency vehicle clearance, but communication and processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges real-time traffic data from multiple SDVs into a centralized communication network, enabling coordinated route adjustments. By combining information about emergency vehicle locations, SDV positions, and alternative pathways, the system optimizes clearance efficiency while managing communication complexity through standardized data exchange protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product controls self-driving vehicles (SDVs). An emergency message is transmitted to a receiver within a self-driving vehicle (SDV). The emergency message describes an emergency state of an emergency vehicle and an identified future route of the emergency vehicle, where the identified future route is a planned route to an emergency destination for the emergency vehicle that includes a first pathway. In response to the SDV receiving the emergency message, the SDV is redirected, via an auto-control hardware system on the SDV, to drive to a second pathway that does not conflict with the identified future route of the emergency vehicle.