Automotive Camera-Based Passing Maneuver Recommendation System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drivers face difficulty in evaluating the risk of passing maneuvers, especially when large vehicles obstruct visibility of oncoming traffic, leading to unsafe passing attempts, and existing systems require additional radar sensors that occupy space.
Innovation Solution
A driver assist system using a camera on an outside mirror oriented in the driving direction evaluates data to determine the length of vehicles and convoys, providing recommendations for passing maneuvers by considering these parameters, eliminating the need for additional sensors and enhancing safety with optical, acoustic, and haptic warnings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a radar system is used for obstacle detection, then detection reliability is improved, but device complexity and space requirements increase due to additional radar sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system is designed to perform multiple functions: it detects oncoming traffic, determines vehicle lengths, identifies convoys, and provides passing maneuver recommendations. By making the camera multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for separate radar sensors while maintaining detection reliability through comprehensive data collection from a single device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple detection functions (oncoming traffic detection, vehicle length measurement, convoy identification) into a single camera system. This merging of functions reduces device complexity and space requirements compared to using separate radar sensors for each function, while still achieving reliable obstacle detection.
2Reliability
If vehicle length determination is added to the camera evaluation, then passing recommendation reliability is improved, but data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously capturing and analyzing camera data to determine vehicle lengths and identify convoys before a passing maneuver is initiated. This advance processing of data allows the system to have reliable length information ready when needed for passing recommendations, reducing the complexity of real-time decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer that extracts vehicle length information from camera images and uses this data to inform passing recommendations. This intermediary step transforms raw visual data into meaningful parameters (vehicle lengths, convoy compositions) that directly improve recommendation reliability without requiring complex real-time calculations during the passing decision.
Data Source
AI summary
Method for operating a driver assist system of an automobile providing information regarding a passing maneuver, in particular a recommendation discouraging a passing maneuver, with a camera arranged on or in at least one outside mirror and oriented in the driving direction of the automobile, wherein the camera data are evaluated by the driver assist system and a length of an automobile in front and/or of an automobile convoy in front is determined in particular from the camera data and taken into consideration when determining the recommendation.