Autonomous Vehicle Distance Rules With Context-Aware Exceptions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous vehicle traffic management systems lack the ability to dynamically adjust distance rules and exceptions based on contextual factors, passenger health conditions, and vehicle conditions, which can compromise safety and security.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method using a smart contract on a blockchain ledger to manage and communicate dynamic distance rules and exceptions to autonomous vehicles, considering contextual information, vehicle conditions, and passenger health, ensuring safe and secure vehicle interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fixed distance rules are applied to all autonomous vehicles, then traffic management is simple and efficient, but safety and security are compromised when contextual factors or passenger health conditions require dynamic adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic distance rules that automatically adjust based on contextual factors (weather, traffic conditions, location) and vehicle-specific conditions (passenger health status, vehicle type). The system transitions from static, fixed distance rules to dynamic, context-aware rules that adapt in real-time, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and safety by automating the complexity management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors contextual factors, vehicle conditions, and passenger health status, then feeds this information back to automatically adjust distance rules. This feedback loop enables the system to maintain high safety standards while managing complexity through automated decision-making rather than manual intervention, allowing dynamic adaptation without proportionally increasing system complexity.
2Reliability
If dynamic distance rules are implemented based on contextual and health factors, then safety and security are improved, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a blockchain-based smart contract system as an intermediary layer between traffic management authorities and autonomous vehicles. This intermediary automatically processes contextual data and health information, applies predefined safety protocols, and generates adjusted distance rules without requiring complex centralized processing. The smart contract handles the computational complexity, allowing the overall system to achieve high safety standards while distributing complexity management across the blockchain network.
Solution Approach 2:
The smart contract system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it stores contextual factors, processes vehicle-specific conditions, monitors passenger health status, applies safety rules, and generates dynamic distance adjustments. This multi-functional approach consolidates complexity into a single universal platform rather than requiring separate systems for each function, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive safety monitoring.
3Reliability
If real-time monitoring of passenger health and vehicle conditions is performed, then safety is enhanced, but data processing requirements and system resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring smart contracts with safety rules, contextual factor weights, and decision-making protocols before runtime. Health monitoring devices and sensors are pre-integrated with the blockchain network, and data processing algorithms are pre-compiled into smart contract functions. This preliminary setup reduces real-time computational energy consumption by eliminating the need for complex processing during critical moments, allowing the system to enhance safety through real-time monitoring while minimizing energy usage during actual decision-making.
Data Source
AI summary
In an approach to autonomous vehicle traffic management, one or more computer processors retrieve an identification associated with a first autonomous vehicle. One or more computer processors retrieve a distance rule corresponding to the first autonomous vehicle from a smart contract, wherein the distance rule is a rule for a minimum distance that other autonomous vehicles must maintain with respect to the first autonomous vehicle. One or more computer processors determine a context of the first autonomous vehicle. Based on the context of the first autonomous vehicle, one or more computer processors determine whether a first exception to the distance rule is required. One or more computer processors generate the first exception to the distance rule. One or more computer processors communicate the distance rule and the first exception to the distance rule to one or more additional autonomous vehicles traveling in proximity to the first autonomous vehicle.