Driver-State Vehicle Deceleration Control for Emergency Stops

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle control systems face challenges in implementing a safe emergency stop on ordinary roads without causing secondary damage to neighboring vehicles and pedestrians, unlike systems used on trains and monorails.

Innovation Solution

A method and device for monitoring a driver's state and outputting notifications based on that state, with circuitry determining whether to initiate vehicle deceleration, allowing for safe emergency stops by passengers or alternate drivers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If an emergency stop button is introduced to allow passengers to initiate emergency stops, then the ability to perform emergency stops is improved, but the risk of causing secondary damage to neighboring vehicles and pedestrians increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveemergency stop capabilityVSAvoidsecondary damage to neighboring vehicles and pedestrians

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of the driver's state (consciousness, fatigue, distraction) before an emergency stop is initiated. By monitoring the driver's condition in advance and issuing warnings, the system prepares for potential emergency stops while avoiding unnecessary sudden braking that could cause secondary damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors the driver's state and provides feedback through warnings and notifications. This feedback loop allows the system to assess whether an emergency stop is truly necessary before executing it, reducing false emergencies that could harm other road users.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If advanced sensing systems and automatic driving technologies are equipped to detect driver state and enable automatic stops, then the safety and effectiveness of emergency stops are improved, but the cost and device complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveemergency stop safetyVSAvoidsensing system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system integrates multiple functions into a single control unit that can detect driver state, issue warnings, and control vehicle stopping. This multi-functional approach reduces the need for separate complex sensing systems while maintaining emergency stop safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the vehicle's existing sensors and control mechanisms to monitor driver state and execute emergency stops, rather than requiring entirely new dedicated sensing systems. This self-service approach leverages available resources to reduce overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12227197B2Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and program

Publication Date: 2025.02.18 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

A method for decelerating a vehicle, a non-transitory computer-readable medium for performing the method, and reception apparatuses. The method includes monitoring a state of a driver of the vehicle, and causing a notification to be output based on the monitored state of the driver. The method further includes determining, by circuitry of an information processing apparatus and when operating in a manual operation mode, whether to cause the vehicle to decelerate after the notification is output. The vehicle is caused by the circuitry to decelerate based on the determination of whether to cause the vehicle to decelerate.