Autonomous Vehicle Control with In-Cabin Terminal Presence Check
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control systems fail to ensure that a portable terminal capable of receiving vehicle information is present within the vehicle cabin during autonomous travel, potentially compromising safety as the driver may not be able to check the surroundings.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control device and method that determines the presence of a portable terminal within the vehicle cabin before initiating autonomous travel, providing notifications if it is not present, and enabling autonomous travel only after confirming the terminal's presence and driver approval through facial authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If autonomous travel control is enabled that permits driver to behave in a manner not possible to check surroundings, then driver convenience is improved, but safety is worsened because the driver cannot monitor the environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a portable terminal as an intermediary device between the driver and the vehicle system. The terminal receives vehicle information from the autonomous travel control device and provides notifications to the driver, serving as a mediator that maintains safety communication channels even when the driver cannot directly observe the surroundings.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where the autonomous travel control device sends vehicle information to the portable terminal, which then notifies the driver. This feedback mechanism ensures the driver remains informed about the vehicle's status and surroundings even when not actively monitoring, partially compensating for the reduced safety oversight.
2Loss of information
If notification of vehicle information is provided via portable terminal, then information delivery is improved, but reliability is worsened if the terminal is not present inside the vehicle cabin
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous travel control device performs a preliminary check to determine whether the portable terminal is present inside the vehicle cabin before initiating autonomous travel control. This advance verification ensures that the notification system is properly configured and the terminal is in position to receive vehicle information, preventing reliability issues during operation.
3Reliability
If the system checks for portable terminal presence before autonomous travel, then notification reliability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The portable terminal itself provides information about its presence and communication status to the autonomous travel control device. The terminal uses its own sensors and communication capabilities to self-verify its readiness to receive notifications, reducing the need for complex external verification systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle control device includes at least one processor, the processor being configured to: in a vehicle configured to enable autonomous travel control that permits a driver to behave in a manner in which it is not possible to check surroundings of the vehicle, determine whether or not a portable terminal configured to receive notification of vehicle information is present inside a vehicle cabin before the autonomous travel control is executed; and in a case in which it has been determined that the portable terminal is not present inside the vehicle cabin, provide notification, via an onboard unit, that notification of the vehicle information cannot be provided from the portable terminal.