Autonomous Vehicle External Indication System for Intent Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles lack effective methods to communicate their future actions to the surrounding environment, leading to potential misunderstandings and increased risk of interference or collisions, as existing indicators provide limited and ambiguous information about vehicle intentions and timing.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous vehicle computing system that processes sensor and map data to determine future vehicle actions and outputs an external vehicle indication, such as lighting patterns or display messages, to inform nearby objects about the type and timing of upcoming actions, tailored to the audience and environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional vehicle indicators are used, then the vehicle can show basic status, but the information provided is limited and ambiguous, failing to communicate future actions effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The communication system segments information about future vehicle actions into distinct components: action type identification and timing information. This segmentation allows the system to communicate specific details about what the vehicle will do and when, rather than providing ambiguous general status indicators, thereby reducing information loss without requiring a complete system overhaul
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary communication of future vehicle actions before the actions occur. By announcing intended maneuvers in advance with specific timing information, the system reduces uncertainty and information loss for surrounding road users, allowing them to anticipate and respond to the autonomous vehicle's movements
2Reliability
If detailed information about future actions is provided, then communication effectiveness improves, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication system applies local quality by tailoring the level of detail in future action information to the specific context and audience. Different surrounding objects (vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists) receive appropriately customized information about vehicle intentions and timing, improving communication reliability for each group without requiring a uniformly complex system for all scenarios
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters of the communication output based on the identified surrounding objects and environment. By adjusting the level of detail, timing, and type of future action information communicated, the system achieves reliable communication without maintaining fixed high complexity across all operating conditions
3Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional indicators are used, then the system is simple, but misunderstandings and collisions may occur due to ambiguous information
Solution Approach 1:
The communication system creates a feedback loop by continuously monitoring the surrounding environment, identifying objects of interest, and adjusting the communication of future actions accordingly. This feedback mechanism ensures that relevant information about vehicle intentions is provided to appropriate surrounding objects, reducing harmful effects like collisions while managing information loss through targeted communication rather than universal detailed broadcasting
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for communicating future autonomous vehicle actions are provided. In one example embodiment, a computer implemented method includes obtaining, by a computing system including one or more computing devices onboard an autonomous vehicle, data associated with a planned motion of the autonomous vehicle. The method includes identifying, by the computing system, a future vehicle action to be performed by the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the data associated with the planned motion. The method includes determining, by the computing system, an external vehicle indication that is indicative of the future vehicle action to be performed by the autonomous vehicle. The method includes outputting, by the computing system via an output device onboard the autonomous vehicle, the external vehicle indication. The external vehicle indication is outputted to at least a portion of a surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle.