Driving Assistance System Offloading Processing to Host Computer

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing driving assistance systems face low development efficiency due to hardware limitations in vehicles, which restrict the performance and efficiency of image processing units for detecting objects around the vehicle.

Innovation Solution

A driving assistance system that offloads complex arithmetic processing to a host computer, allowing high-performance hardware to be used, and enables software updates without changing vehicle hardware, with a portable terminal serving as a secondary processing unit for continued assistance during communication failures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If image processing is performed by a vehicle-mounted processing unit, then the system can operate independently, but the detection speed and accuracy are limited by hardware constraints

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveobject detection accuracyVSAvoidhardware configuration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a host computer as an intermediary processing unit that handles complex image processing tasks. The vehicle-mounted camera captures images, which are then transmitted to the host computer for advanced processing. This mediator approach allows the system to achieve high detection accuracy without requiring complex hardware to be installed directly in the vehicle.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If high-performance hardware is used for image processing, then detection speed and accuracy improve, but the hardware must be installed in the vehicle which limits performance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveobject detection speedVSAvoidhardware performance adaptability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the image processing functionality into two parts: a simple vehicle-mounted unit for capturing images and basic operations, and a powerful host computer for performing complex arithmetic processing. This segmentation allows high-performance processing without the need to install such hardware in the vehicle, thereby improving detection speed while maintaining system adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Measurement precision

If the image processing unit specification is changed to improve detection performance, then detection accuracy improves, but development efficiency decreases due to hardware reconfiguration requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveobject detection accuracyVSAvoiddevelopment efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses software-based image processing on the host computer that can be updated and modified without changing physical hardware. The processing algorithms are copied as software programs that can be easily updated to improve detection accuracy, avoiding the need for hardware reconfiguration and thus maintaining high development efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

4Power

If all arithmetic processing is performed by the host computer, then processing capability improves, but the system fails when communication with the host computer is unavailable

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvearithmetic processing capabilityVSAvoidsystem reliability during communication failure
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system prepares backup processing capabilities by equipping the vehicle-mounted unit with basic image processing functions that can operate independently. This beforehand cushioning ensures that when communication with the host computer fails, the vehicle-mounted unit can continue to perform essential detection functions, maintaining system reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentEP2747056B1Driving assistance system
Publication Date: 2017.12.06 HONDA MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP2747056B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2747056B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2747056B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A vehicle (1) having a vehicle information acquisition unit (11) which acquires image captured by a vehicle mounted sensor (20) and a camera (21) a vehicle information transmission unit (13) which transmits vehicle information data indicating information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit (11) to a host computer (50), a first arithmetic processing result reception unit (14) which receives first arithmetic processing result data replied from the host computer (50), and a driving assistance unit (17) which executes driving assistance processing based on the first arithmetic processing result data, the host computer (50) has a vehicle information reception unit (52) which receives vehicle information data, a first arithmetic processing unit (53) which executes first arithmetic processing on vehicle information data, and a first arithmetic processing result transmission unit (54) which transmits first arithmetic processing result data indicating the first arithmetic processing result to the vehicle (1).