Driving Support Device Velocity Threshold Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional driving support devices often perform unnecessary pre-collision controls when a driver intentionally operates the accelerator pedal to overtake a preceding vehicle, and may fail to initiate pre-collision control when the driver makes a wrong operation at high velocities, due to uniform velocity thresholds across different regions with varying driving characteristics.

Innovation Solution

A driving support device that adjusts the velocity threshold for pre-collision control based on regional driving characteristics by using a memory unit to store velocity threshold information specific to each region, allowing for accurate determination of whether the allowance condition for pre-collision control is met, thereby reducing unnecessary controls and ensuring correct intervention during wrong operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a uniform velocity threshold is used for pre-collision control across all regions, then the device structure is simple, but the accuracy of determining whether pre-collision control should be activated is reduced in regions with different driving characteristics

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevelocity threshold settingVSAvoidallowance condition determination accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by setting different velocity thresholds for different regions based on their specific driving characteristics. Instead of using a uniform threshold nationwide, the system divides the service area into multiple regions (e.g., urban, suburban, rural) and assigns appropriate velocity thresholds to each region, making the threshold value locally optimized for each area's driving patterns

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamics by making the velocity threshold adjustable and adaptable. The system can dynamically select or modify velocity thresholds based on regional characteristics, allowing the threshold to change according to the specific operating context rather than remaining static and uniform across all situations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If a low velocity threshold is used, then pre-collision control is activated more frequently to ensure safety, but unnecessary pre-collision control is performed when the driver intentionally presses the accelerator to overtake

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepre-collision control activationVSAvoidunnecessary pre-collision control
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by checking whether the accelerator operation amount is below the operation amount threshold before activating pre-collision control. This preliminary check prevents unnecessary activation when the driver intentionally presses the accelerator for overtaking, as the system only activates pre-collision control when both the velocity threshold condition is met AND the accelerator operation amount condition is satisfied

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses parameter changes by introducing the accelerator operation amount as an additional parameter to distinguish between intentional and unintentional accelerator presses. By monitoring this parameter alongside velocity, the system can adjust its decision-making to avoid false positives while maintaining safety for genuine wrong operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Object-generated harmful factors

If a high velocity threshold is used, then unnecessary pre-collision control is reduced, but pre-collision control is not activated in time when the driver makes a wrong operation at high velocity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveunnecessary pre-collision controlVSAvoidpre-collision control activation timing
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary verification by checking the accelerator operation amount threshold before activating pre-collision control. This ensures that when high velocity conditions are met, the system only activates pre-collision control if there is genuine evidence of wrong operation (accelerator operation amount exceeding the threshold), preventing both false positives and false negatives

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3470285B1Driving support device
Publication Date: 2023.02.22 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • EP3470285B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3470285B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3470285B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A pre-collision control ECU 10 performs a pre-collision control in order to preventing a collision between the own vehicle and the object when a control start condition is satisfied. The ECU acquires a velocity threshold Vsth corresponding to a region in which the own vehicle travels based on information to specify the region. When an allowance condition has been satisfied before a timing at which the control start condition is satisfied, the ECU performs the pre-collision control. When the allowance condition has not been satisfied before the timing, the ECU does not perform the pre-collision control. The allowance condition is a condition that an accelerator operation amount is equal to or greater than an operation amount threshold and a vehicle velocity is equal to or lower than the acquired velocity threshold.