Autonomous Vehicle Accident Notification System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles lack an efficient mechanism to determine if they have been involved in an accident and to autonomously send appropriate notifications or requests for assistance, especially when unoccupied, which can lead to delayed response times and safety risks.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus that receives sensor information to determine if a vehicle has been involved in an accident, and based on this information, sends informative notifications or remedial requests to relevant parties, including emergency services, while also considering the vehicle's occupancy status and location, to ensure timely and appropriate responses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If autonomous vehicles autonomously send notifications and requests for assistance, then response time is reduced and safety is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for sensor integration and automated decision-making systems
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures multiple notification channels and recipient lists before accidents occur. Sensor thresholds and decision-making rules are pre-programmed, allowing the vehicle to immediately send notifications upon detecting accident conditions without requiring complex real-time analysis, thus reducing response time while managing complexity through advance preparation
Solution Approach 2:
The autonomous vehicle independently detects accidents through its sensors, determines the appropriate notification recipients based on pre-set criteria, and sends notifications automatically without human intervention. This self-service capability reduces response time by eliminating manual steps, while the use of pre-configured rules keeps the decision-making system relatively simple
2Loss of time
If the vehicle sends notifications automatically without human intervention, then response time is reduced, but reliability may worsen due to potential false positives or inappropriate notifications
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multiple sensor parameters (acceleration thresholds, impact duration, multiple simultaneous sensor triggers) to define what constitutes a valid accident detection. By carefully selecting and tuning these parameters, the system achieves rapid automatic detection while minimizing false positives, thus maintaining both fast response time and high reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where notification sending decisions are based on confirmed sensor patterns rather than single isolated events. The automated system cross-validates sensor data against pre-set criteria before triggering notifications, ensuring reliable operation while maintaining rapid response through efficient decision logic
3Measurement precision
If the vehicle monitors multiple sensor inputs and decision criteria, then measurement precision improves for accident detection, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The accident detection system is segmented into multiple independent sensor modules (accelerometers, impact sensors, occupancy sensors) each handling specific detection tasks. This segmentation allows high measurement precision through specialized sensors for different parameters, while the modular structure manages complexity by distributing functionality across separate, well-defined components
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system and processing unit are designed to serve multiple functions: detecting various types of accidents (collisions, rollovers, drops), determining vehicle occupancy status, and triggering different notification types. This multi-functionality achieves high detection precision across diverse scenarios while reducing overall system complexity by consolidating sensors and processing logic into a unified platform
Data Source
AI summary
A method comprising receiving sensor information from at least one sensor, determining that a vehicle was involved in an accident based, at least in part, on the sensor information, determining that an informative notification criteria is satisfied based, at least in part, on the accident, sending an informative notification in response to the determination that the informative notification criteria is satisfied, determining whether a remedial request criteria is satisfied based, at least in part, on the accident and the sensor information, in circumstances where the remedial request criteria is satisfied, sending a remedial request based, at least in part, on the satisfaction of the remedial request criteria, and in circumstances where the remedial request criteria fails to be satisfied, precluding sending of the remedial request based, at least in part, on the failure of satisfaction of the remedial request criteria is disclosed.