EPAS Wheel Alignment for Rear-Collision Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Left turns and right turns across oncoming traffic lanes pose significant risks of accidents due to the vulnerability of vehicles when struck from behind, as they may be pushed into adjacent lanes, leading to secondary collisions.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle safety arrangement utilizing forward-looking and rearward-looking detection systems, combined with turning intention and standstill determination, generates a control signal to align steerable wheels using Electrical Power Assisted Steering to prevent turning into oncoming traffic in case of a high risk of being hit from behind.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the vehicle is allowed to turn across lanes with oncoming traffic, then the vehicle can change direction to reach its destination, but the vehicle may be pushed into oncoming traffic if hit from behind, causing secondary collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by detecting the risk of being hit from behind and preemptively aligning the steerable wheels to a straight-ahead position. This counteracts the potential harmful effect (being pushed into oncoming traffic) before it occurs, neutralizing the danger while the vehicle remains stationary and waiting to turn.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by proactively aligning the wheels to prevent turning into oncoming traffic before a collision actually occurs. The control unit determines standstill conditions and turning intention, then preemptively adjusts the wheel position to ensure that if the vehicle is hit from behind, it will move straight forward rather than turning across lanes.
2Reliability
If the vehicle aligns steerable wheels during standstill to prevent turning into oncoming traffic, then the risk of secondary collision is reduced, but the vehicle requires additional detection systems and control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves universality by integrating multiple functions into a single control unit that processes data from forward-looking detection systems, rearward-looking detection systems, and turning intention detection systems. The control unit determines standstill conditions, assesses turning intention, evaluates collision risk, and controls wheel alignment - combining multiple safety functions into one centralized system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring vehicle status through detection systems, comparing current conditions against safety criteria (standstill determination, turning intention assessment), and automatically adjusting wheel position based on the evaluated risk. The control unit receives feedback from sensors and adjusts the steerable wheels accordingly, creating a closed-loop safety system.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
Embodiments herein relate to a vehicle safety arrangement and method for preventing or mitigating accidents when turning across lanes (2) with oncoming traffic (3) in a vehicle (1) comprising an Electrical Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) (4). Oncoming traffic (3) in one or more adjacent lanes (2) and other vehicles (9) approaching from behind are detected by forward- and rearward-looking detection systems (6, 8) respectively. An intention to turn across an adjacent lane (2) is determined. Standstill of the host vehicle (1) is determined. A control unit (12) is arranged to, during determined standstill and a determined intention to turn across a lane (2) containing oncoming traffic (3), determine if a risk of the host vehicle (1) being hit from behind is high, and if so determined, generate and send a control signal to an EPAS control unit (13), which, in response to receiving such a control signal, is arranged to cause the EPAS (4) to align the steerable wheels (5) of the host vehicle (1).