Vehicle Cruise Control Dynamic Threshold Logic
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle driving support systems can unintentionally start a subject vehicle when a pedestrian passes between it and the vehicle in front, causing uncomfortable situations due to incorrect inter-vehicle distance detection and sudden changes in detected distances.
Innovation Solution
A driving support apparatus that includes a front vehicle detector, an automatic follow-up controller, a starting permission determiner, and a threshold setter, which calculates and updates determination thresholds based on inter-vehicle distance changes and the speed of the vehicle in front to prevent unintended starting, ensuring the subject vehicle only starts when the driver's intent is clear and safe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the starting permission is determined based on the detected inter-vehicle distance and speed of the vehicle in front, then the follow-up cruise control can be executed automatically, but the subject vehicle may be started unintentionally when a pedestrian passes between the subject vehicle and the vehicle in front
Solution Approach 1:
The determination threshold is made dynamic rather than fixed. It is updated based on the current inter-vehicle distance and the speed of the vehicle in front, allowing the system to adapt to changing conditions. This dynamic threshold prevents unintended starting by ensuring the threshold reflects actual safety margins at different speeds and distances
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the inter-vehicle distance and speed of the vehicle in front, using this feedback to update the determination threshold in real-time. This feedback mechanism ensures that the starting permission determination remains accurate even as environmental conditions change, preventing false triggering when pedestrians pass by
2Device complexity
If the determination threshold is fixed, then the control logic is simple, but it cannot adapt to changing inter-vehicle distances and vehicle speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The determination threshold transitions from a static fixed value to a dynamic value that automatically adjusts based on operational conditions. The threshold is updated according to the current inter-vehicle distance and the speed of the vehicle in front, providing adaptability without requiring complex manual intervention or multiple predetermined threshold sets
Data Source
AI summary
A cruise control unit, configured to permit starting when an inter-vehicle distance to a front vehicle exceeds a determination threshold before a preset amount of time passes from a driver's operational input during a stopped state, calculates a first threshold that is updated to be larger according to a change in the inter-vehicle distance in the stopped state when the distance changes to be larger and a second threshold that is changed to be larger as a speed of the front vehicle is higher, and variably sets the determination threshold based on the larger of the two thresholds. It cancels the permission if a time passing from the operational input is determined longer than a cancel determination time for determining whether it is immediately after the driver's operational input and if the front vehicle is determined to stop or substantially stop at a speed lower than a preset vehicle speed.