Driving Assistance Apparatus Road Passability Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle driving assistance systems face difficulties in determining whether a narrow road is passable before a vehicle approaches it, making it hard to avoid entering or approaching roads that are difficult to navigate, especially when encountering oncoming vehicles or obstacles.
Innovation Solution
A driving assistance system that includes a camera, position sensor, and processor to acquire and analyze road information, determining passability by comparing vehicle position data with road width and obstacle information, and communicating with an external information processing apparatus to aggregate data from multiple vehicles for real-time road condition updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional vehicle driving assistance apparatus determines passability based only on vehicle width and object width, then the determination process is simple, but the accuracy of passability determination deteriorates because it cannot assess narrow roads in advance
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary road condition assessment by capturing images and determining passability before the vehicle approaches the narrow road. The imaging apparatus captures road condition images in advance, and the processor determines passability based on these images, allowing the vehicle to be prepared for upcoming narrow sections before reaching them.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an external information processing apparatus as an intermediary that receives image data from the vehicle's imaging apparatus, performs passability determination calculations, and returns results to the vehicle. This mediator handles the complex image processing and determination logic, keeping the in-vehicle system relatively simple while achieving accurate passability assessment.
2Loss of time
If the vehicle approaches narrow roads without advance information, then the system structure remains simple, but the time available for safe navigation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures road condition images and determines passability in advance before the vehicle reaches the narrow road section. This preliminary assessment provides the driver with sufficient time to plan navigation through the narrow road, avoiding last-minute rushes and potential accidents.
3Reliability
If the system uses only local road width measurements, then the measurement process is simple, but the reliability of passability determination deteriorates due to lack of comprehensive road condition data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from one-dimensional local road width measurements to two-dimensional comprehensive road condition imaging. The imaging apparatus captures the entire road scene including the narrow section, obstacles, and surrounding environment, providing multi-dimensional information that enables more reliable passability determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging apparatus serves multiple functions: capturing road condition images, identifying narrow road sections, detecting obstacles, and providing data for passability determination. This multi-functional approach consolidates multiple measurement tasks into a single comprehensive imaging system, improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A driving assistance apparatus includes a communication interface and a processor. The communication interface acquires information related to the position of a vehicle and road information related to a road. The processor determines whether the road is passable based on the acquired information.