Collision-Free Driving Area Visualization for Driver Assistance

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing driver assistance systems lack intuitive and effective visualization of collision-free driving areas and optimal steering angles, particularly in complex maneuvering situations, relying on limited sensor data and requiring additional hardware components.

Innovation Solution

A method utilizing environment sensors to calculate and display a collision-free driving area based on current and previous environmental data, providing optical, acoustic, and haptic outputs to guide the driver through a human-machine interface, using existing sensors and software updates, without requiring additional hardware.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If existing driver assistance systems display only actual state or target state separately, then the information presented is simple and easy to process, but the driver lacks intuitive understanding of collision-free driving areas and optimal steering angles

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the display of actual state (current driving trajectory and distance to obstacles) and target state (specific steering wheel angle and target trajectory) into a single integrated visualization. This combination provides the driver with comprehensive information about collision-free driving areas and optimal steering angles simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between information completeness and system complexity by using existing sensor data in a unified display concept.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Ease of operation

If video-based systems are used to enable drivers to drive around obstacles after training, then the system can provide route guidance, but the system does not provide real-time collision-free area visualization

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriver maneuverabilityVSAvoidreal-time spatial information
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from traditional 2D video-based route display to a 3D spatial visualization that represents collision-free driving areas in the actual vehicle environment. By projecting sensor data into a spatial model that shows drivable areas around the vehicle, the system provides real-time spatial information in an intuitive format that enhances driver maneuverability while maintaining ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Measurement precision

If multiple sensor systems and additional hardware are added to improve collision-free area calculation, then the accuracy of driving area visualization improves, but the system cost and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriving area calculation accuracyVSAvoidhardware requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes existing sensors in the driver assistance system multi-functional by using them not only for their original purposes but also for calculating collision-free driving areas. The system processes data from existing sensors to generate spatial information about drivable areas, achieving improved measurement precision without adding hardware complexity by maximizing the utility of existing sensor capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2718172B1Method for passive driver assistance in a driver assistance system
Publication Date: 2016.07.13 ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
  • EP2718172B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2718172B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The invention relates to a method in a driver assistance system of a vehicle. The method comprises the following steps: detection of surroundings data (100) which represents the surroundings of the vehicle (30), by means of the surroundings sensor system (34, 36); calculation (102) of, on the basis of the surroundings data, a driving region (48) which can be driven through without a collision; and provision of an output signal (104) for outputting the calculated driving region (48) to a man/machine interface of the vehicle (30).