Driver Gaze-Aware Crossing Hazard Control for Vehicle Assistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle driving assistance systems fail to effectively prevent near-collisions when a driver is not visually aware of an approaching object, leading to excessive proximity between vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle driving assistance apparatus equipped with sensors to detect target objects, a driver monitor device to track the driver's line of vision, and a control unit that performs host vehicle traveling suppression control or attention seeking warning control when the driver is not aware of a target object approaching the vehicle's path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the conventional device displays attention seeking images and performs brake assistance control based on intersecting time length, then the system can warn drivers of approaching objects, but the driver may not visually recognize the warning when attention is focused on another object
Solution Approach 1:
The driver monitor device acts as an intermediary to detect the driver's line of vision and determine whether the driver is visually aware of the target object. This intermediary measurement enables the system to distinguish between cases where the driver is and is not aware of the target, allowing for differentiated warning strategies that account for the driver's actual attention state.
Solution Approach 2:
The warning strategy dynamically changes based on the driver's visual awareness state. When the driver is visually aware of the target, the system uses standard attention seeking images. When the driver is not visually aware, the system intensifies the warning by adding warning sounds and performing start moving suppression control, creating a dynamic adaptation to the driver's attention state.
2Reliability
If the conventional device warns the driver of multiple target objects, then the driver can be informed of all hazards, but the driver may not notice the warning for a second target when already attending to the first target
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different warning intensities to different target objects based on the driver's visual awareness state. When the driver is not visually aware of a target, that target receives intensified warnings (warning sounds + start moving suppression). When the driver is visually aware, standard warnings suffice. This local differentiation of warning quality prevents information overload while maintaining comprehensive hazard detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the driver's line of vision and uses this feedback to adjust warning strategies in real-time. The driver monitor device provides ongoing feedback about which targets the driver is aware of, allowing the control unit to dynamically adjust which targets receive standard versus intensified warnings, optimizing both comprehensiveness and driver attention management.
3Ease of operation
If the conventional device relies on driver visual recognition of target objects, then the system can maintain simple operation, but the host vehicle may come too close to objects when the driver is not watching them
Solution Approach 1:
The driver monitor device automatically detects the driver's line of vision and determines visual awareness states without requiring any driver input or effort. The system self-services by continuously monitoring the driver's attention state and using this information to adjust warning strategies, maintaining ease of operation while significantly improving near-collision prevention reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of the driver's visual awareness state before issuing warnings. By determining in advance whether the driver is visually aware of a target object, the system can proactively apply the appropriate warning intensity, preventing near-collisions before they occur rather than reacting after the driver has already missed a warning.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle driving assistance apparatus includes a control unit configured to, in a case where the control unit determines, based on radar target object information, that at least one target control object that is approaching so as to intersect with a predicted traveling path of the host vehicle is present, when a line of vision of the driver detected by a driver monitor device is not directed to the target control object that will reach the intersecting position at the earliest time, perform at least one of a host vehicle traveling suppression control (e.g., a brake hold control to prohibit the host vehicle from moving) and an attention seeking warning control to generate a warning sound so as to cause the driver to recognize that there is a warning sound source in a direction along which the target control object is approaching the host vehicle.