Autonomous Vehicle Mode Regulator Infrastructure Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current autonomous vehicles face limitations in operating safely and efficiently in adverse conditions, such as inclement weather, and lack an objective means to enable or disable autonomous modes, leading to potential misuse and safety risks, especially during the transition phase where both autonomous and manually-driven vehicles share roadways.
Innovation Solution
An Autonomous Vehicle Mode Regulator (AVMR) system that wirelessly receives signals from infrastructure to control the operational mode of autonomous vehicles, ensuring they operate within permitted levels of automation, preventing unsupervised autonomous modes unless authorized, and dynamically adjusting capabilities based on road conditions and infrastructure support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If autonomous vehicles are allowed to operate in fully autonomous mode without external regulation, then the productivity and convenience of autonomous driving is improved, but the safety and reliability deteriorate due to inability to handle adverse conditions and potential misuse
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an external infrastructure system as an intermediary between the autonomous vehicle and the environment. This infrastructure wirelessly transmits regulatory signals that enable or disable autonomous modes based on road conditions, weather, and safety parameters. The mediator resolves the contradiction by allowing autonomous operation only when external conditions permit, thereby maintaining both productivity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback through two-way communication between the vehicle and infrastructure. The infrastructure monitors conditions and sends regulatory signals to the vehicle, while the vehicle reports its operational status and sensor data. This closed-loop feedback ensures autonomous modes are activated only when safe, resolving the safety-productivity contradiction.
2Ease of operation
If autonomous vehicles operate without external infrastructure support, then the ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability to different road conditions and weather deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The external infrastructure acts as a mediator that provides environmental context and regulatory information to the vehicle. Through wireless communication, the infrastructure transmits signals about road conditions, weather, and safety parameters, enabling the vehicle to adapt its autonomous operation to diverse conditions without requiring complex onboard sensing and decision-making for every scenario.
3Ease of operation
If the autonomous driving system is fully accessible to manual control, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to potential misuse and unsafe activation
Solution Approach 1:
The external infrastructure serves as a mediator that validates and authorizes autonomous mode activation. Even when the driver attempts to manually activate autonomous mode, the infrastructure's regulatory signals must permit it first. This intermediary control layer prevents misuse while maintaining ease of operation through simple driver inputs, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and safety.
4Device complexity
If autonomous vehicles use traditional sensors and cameras alone, then the device complexity is minimized, but the measurement precision deteriorates in adverse weather and lighting conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The external infrastructure acts as a mediator that supplements onboard sensor limitations. By wirelessly transmitting information about road conditions, weather, and environmental factors, the infrastructure compensates for the reduced measurement precision of traditional sensors in adverse conditions, maintaining detection accuracy without significantly increasing onboard device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous vehicle mode regulator system and method comprise transmitting authorization signals from autonomous driving infrastructure on a roadway to a controller module to authorize or inhibit operation of a vehicle in different levels of automation. The controller module controls the level of automation under which the autonomous driving system of the vehicle operates based on the signals received from the autonomous driving infrastructure. In this regard, the controller module can prevent the autonomous driving system of the vehicle from operating in certain levels of automation unless appropriate authorizations signals are received. Similarly, the controller module can permit or even require operation of the vehicle in certain levels of automation upon receipt of certain authorization signals. Still further, the controller module can inhibit or disengage operation of a vehicle in certain levels of automation upon receipt of signals from autonomous driving infrastructure associated with certain driving hazards on the roadway.