Blind Spot Detection Across Intervening Roadway Lanes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles face challenges in safely changing lanes due to blind spots that are not visible through side mirrors, which can lead to potential collisions with objects in adjacent or intervening roadway lanes.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a computer programmed to identify a destination roadway lane separated by intervening lanes, using sensors to detect the presence of objects in blind spots, and providing alerts through side mirrors or other indicators to guide the driver on safe lane changes, including actuating lights or other alerts to indicate the presence or absence of objects in the blind spot.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If side mirrors are used to monitor adjacent roadway lanes, then objects in immediately adjacent lanes can be detected, but blind spots in destination lanes separated by intervening lanes cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from two-dimensional side mirror visualization to three-dimensional spatial awareness by incorporating sensors that detect objects in destination lanes separated by intervening lanes. The computer processing unit creates a multi-dimensional model of the roadway environment, including blind spots that extend across multiple lanes, enabling detection beyond the limitations of traditional side mirror geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
Sensors act as intermediaries between the vehicle and objects in blind spots, capturing data that would otherwise be invisible to the driver. The computer processing unit serves as a mediator that processes sensor data, identifies objects in destination lanes, and communicates this information to the driver through alerts, bridging the information gap created by blind spots.
2Reliability
If the system monitors multiple roadway lanes including destination lanes separated by intervening lanes, then comprehensive blind spot detection is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system performs multiple functions simultaneously: detecting objects in adjacent lanes, identifying objects in destination lanes separated by intervening lanes, and monitoring blind spots across multiple roadway lanes. The computer processing unit handles diverse tasks including raw sensor data processing, object identification, blind spot determination, and alert generation, consolidating multiple safety functions into a single integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides the roadway environment into distinct monitoring zones: adjacent roadway lanes and destination lanes separated by intervening lanes. The computer processing unit segments sensor data by spatial location, processing information from different roadway zones separately and determining blind spots for each segment, which simplifies the overall complexity by organizing monitoring tasks into manageable portions.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If real-time detection of objects in blind spots is implemented, then collision avoidance during lane changes is improved, but response time requirements increase system demands
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors and processes sensor data in advance, maintaining an updated model of the roadway environment including destination lanes and blind spots before lane change maneuvers are initiated. This preliminary detection and processing allows the system to provide immediate alerts when objects are detected in blind spots, reducing response time demands during critical lane change moments.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system and computer processing unit operate continuously, constantly detecting objects, processing data, and updating blind spot information rather than activating only during lane change events. This continuous operation maintains real-time awareness of the roadway environment, ensuring that detection and alert generation occur without interruption and minimizing processing delays when lane changes are attempted.
Data Source
AI summary
An identified destination roadway lane from a plurality of roadway lanes that is separated from a current roadway lane of a vehicle by at least one roadway lane is received. Upon determining that a blind spot of the vehicle extending across the destination roadway lane and a roadway lane between the destination lane and a current roadway lane is free of objects, a means for providing an alert is actuated.