Autonomous Driving Speed Control via Visible Distance Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
During autonomous driving at night, vehicles often have reduced maximum speeds due to lower visibility, leading to unnecessary degradation in traveling efficiency, as existing systems do not effectively account for varying lighting conditions and visibility ranges.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control system that uses a camera to estimate the maximum visible distance and adjusts the maximum speed accordingly, switching between modes based on lighting states to optimize speed settings, with the high beam irradiation distance used as a reliable value in good weather conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the maximum speed at nighttime is reduced uniformly, then the safety of autonomous driving is improved, but the traveling efficiency of the vehicle is degraded more than needed
Solution Approach 1:
The maximum speed is dynamically adjusted based on the estimated maximum visible distance rather than being fixed at a reduced nighttime value. The autonomous driving control device estimates the maximum visible distance using camera imaging information and variably sets the maximum speed accordingly, allowing the speed to change flexibly with visibility conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of maximum speed based on the parameter of maximum visible distance. By estimating the maximum visible distance from camera imaging information and using it to determine the maximum speed, the system adapts speed settings to actual visibility conditions rather than applying a uniform reduction.
2Productivity
If the maximum speed is set higher in high visibility conditions, then the traveling efficiency is improved, but the risk in low visibility situations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses camera imaging information to continuously estimate the maximum visible distance and provides feedback to adjust the maximum speed. This closed-loop control ensures that speed settings continuously adapt to current visibility conditions, maintaining safety while optimizing efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle control system that is mounted in a vehicle includes a camera and an autonomous driving control device. The camera images a situation in front of the vehicle to acquire camera imaging information indicating an imaging result. The autonomous driving control device controls autonomous driving of the vehicle based on the camera imaging information and decides a maximum speed of the vehicle in the middle of the autonomous driving. In more detail, the autonomous driving control device estimates a maximum visible distance of the camera based on the camera imaging information. Then, the autonomous driving control device variably sets the maximum speed according to the maximum visible distance such that the maximum speed in a case where the maximum visible distance is long becomes higher than the maximum speed in a case where the maximum visible distance is short.