Driver-Aware Longitudinal Guidance at Traffic Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle guidance systems fail to provide reliable and robust automated longitudinal guidance, especially in urban areas where signaling units such as traffic lights and stop signs are not adequately considered, affecting safety, comfort, and availability of driving functions.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle guidance system that integrates signaling unit data into its algorithms, using environmental sensors and map data to detect and respond to traffic signals, allowing for automated speed and distance control, and providing user interfaces for manual override and configuration options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If automated longitudinal guidance is implemented without considering signaling units, then the system complexity is reduced, but the safety and reliability of the driving function deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple data sources (environmental sensors detecting traffic lights and stop signs, map data from servers, and vehicle sensor data) into a unified evaluation process. The control device integrates these diverse inputs to comprehensively assess signaling units and make automated driving decisions, thereby improving safety without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection and evaluation of signaling units using environmental sensors and map data before the vehicle reaches the intersection. This advance preparation allows the automated driving function to be operated reliably by having all necessary information ready in advance, rather than reacting at the last moment.
2Reliability
If signaling units are adequately considered in automated guidance, then the safety and comfort improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control device serves multiple functions: it processes environmental sensor data, integrates map data from servers, evaluates signaling units, and controls vehicle longitudinal guidance. By making the control device multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate dedicated systems for each function, thereby improving safety and comfort without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that stores and provides map data containing signaling unit information. This intermediary approach allows the vehicle to access comprehensive traffic signal data without carrying all data locally, reducing on-vehicle storage requirements and processing complexity while still achieving reliable automated guidance.
3Measurement precision
If environmental sensors and map data are integrated, then the detection precision of signaling units improves, but the loss of time for data processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
Map data containing signaling unit information is pre-loaded from servers before the vehicle reaches the intersection. Environmental sensors continuously monitor for signaling units ahead of time. This preliminary action ensures that when the vehicle approaches an intersection, all necessary data is already available for immediate processing, maintaining high detection precision without significant time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the vehicle's existing environmental sensors and onboard processing capabilities to detect and evaluate signaling units using available map data. By leveraging self-service approaches with existing resources rather than adding dedicated external processing systems, the patent achieves precise detection while minimizing additional data processing time.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle guidance system provides a driving function for automated longitudinal control of a vehicle. The vehicle guidance system is designed to detect, on the basis of environmental data, a first signaling unit which is arranged on a roadway on which the vehicle is traveling, ahead of the vehicle in the direction of travel. The vehicle guidance system is designed to determine driver data relating to the attentiveness of the driver of the vehicle when monitoring the driving function and to operate the driving function relating to the automated longitudinal control of the vehicle according to the driver data at the first signaling unit.