Driver-State Vehicle Deceleration for Safer Emergency Stops

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle control systems face challenges in safely assisting an emergency stop of a running vehicle on ordinary roads, as introducing an emergency stop button can cause significant secondary damage to neighboring vehicles and pedestrians.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for decelerating a vehicle by monitoring the driver's state and outputting notifications based on their condition, with circuitry determining whether to initiate deceleration and controlling the vehicle accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If an emergency stop button is introduced to allow prompt accident avoidance operation, then the response time for emergency situations is reduced, but significant secondary damage to neighboring vehicles and pedestrians may occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresponse time for emergency stopVSAvoidsecondary damage to neighboring vehicles and pedestrians

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary monitoring of driver state (awakening level, consciousness) and prepares for potential emergency stops before they occur. When driver incapacity is detected, the system proactively initiates deceleration control rather than waiting for manual intervention, thus reducing response time while maintaining safety through controlled deceleration algorithms that consider surrounding environment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts deceleration parameters (deceleration rate, stopping distance) based on real-time conditions such as vehicle speed, distance to obstacles, and traffic environment. This allows the emergency stop to be as rapid as possible while minimizing secondary damage through optimized parameter selection that balances quick stopping with safety constraints.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If advanced sensing systems and automatic stop control are equipped to realize safe emergency stop, then the safety and security of vehicle stop is improved, but a large price barrier exists for commercial use

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety and security of vehicle stopVSAvoidcost barrier for commercial use

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system integrates multiple functions into a unified control apparatus that combines driver state monitoring, emergency stop detection, and deceleration control. This multi-functional integration reduces the need for separate specialized systems, thereby lowering overall system cost while maintaining high safety standards through coordinated operation of diverse functions within a single platform.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables the vehicle to autonomously detect driver incapacity and execute emergency stop procedures without requiring manual intervention from passengers or alternate drivers. This self-service capability eliminates the need for complex emergency stop buttons and associated manual operation systems, reducing hardware costs while maintaining reliability through automated sensor-based detection and control execution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If an emergency stop button is introduced on ordinary roads, then accident avoidance operation can be performed promptly, but large impact is given to neighboring vehicles and pedestrians unlike track vehicles

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespeed of accident avoidance operationVSAvoidimpact to neighboring vehicles and pedestrians

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adapts the emergency stop execution based on real-time environmental conditions. Rather than applying fixed aggressive deceleration, the control apparatus continuously adjusts deceleration profiles according to detected obstacles, traffic density, and road conditions, enabling rapid response when safe and more gradual deceleration when surrounding conditions require it, thus minimizing harmful impact while maintaining operational effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS20250083688A1Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and program

Publication Date: 2025.03.13 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.