Autonomous Vehicle Load Detection and Collision Avoidance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Automatic-driving vehicles face challenges in avoiding collisions with loads that have fallen from other vehicles, as existing systems often react after the load has fallen, making it difficult to prevent collisions effectively.

Innovation Solution

A control apparatus equipped with a load state detecting unit and a collision prevention unit that identifies potential hazards in nearby vehicles and adjusts the automatic-driving vehicle's trajectory or speed to maintain a safe distance before a load can fall, using sensors and communication systems to assess load states and implement preventive measures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the automatic-driving vehicle maintains a close distance to other vehicles for efficient road usage, then productivity is improved, but the ability to detect and respond to falling loads is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveroad usage efficiencyVSAvoidcollision avoidance capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of load states on other vehicles using cameras and sensors to identify unstable loads before they fall. By detecting protruding, swinging, or improperly secured loads in advance, the automatic-driving vehicle can prepare collision avoidance maneuvers while maintaining normal following distances, thus resolving the contradiction between road usage efficiency and collision avoidance capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a virtual safety buffer by identifying vehicles with unstable loads and pre-calculating collision avoidance trajectories. This beforehand cushioning allows the vehicle to maintain productive following distances while having collision avoidance already prepared, eliminating the need to increase following distance as a safety measure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Reliability

If the vehicle increases following distance to detect potential hazards, then collision avoidance capability is improved, but road usage efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollision prevention abilityVSAvoidroad usage efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary identification of vehicles carrying unstable loads using optical cameras and sensors. By detecting load instability indicators (protrusion, swinging, improper securing) in advance, the system enables the vehicle to maintain normal following distances while having collision avoidance already prepared, thus improving collision prevention ability without sacrificing road usage efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11314257B2Autonomous vehicle collision avoidance system with unattached load detection

Publication Date: 2022.04.26 DENSO CORP

AI summary

A control apparatus for an automatic-driving vehicle includes a load state detecting unit and a collision preventing unit. The load state detecting unit detects a load state of the other vehicle that is present in a periphery of the automatic-driving vehicle. The collision preventing unit performs a collision prevention process based on the load state detected by the load state detecting unit. The collision prevention process is a process for preventing, in advance, collision of an automatic-driving vehicle with a load that may fall onto a road from the other vehicle.