Vehicle Exit Warning for Following Traffic Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing exit warning systems for vehicles often issue unnecessary acute warnings in heavy traffic, disturbing occupants with continuous alerts due to moving objects or road users, as they fail to adapt reliably to the current traffic situation.

Innovation Solution

A method using a computing device in a driver assistance system that receives door opening and environmental data to determine collision time, issues warnings or acute warnings based on predetermined thresholds, and classifies subsequent objects to prevent continuous acute warnings in columns of traffic, ensuring alerts are only triggered for imminent risks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If acute warning is issued continuously for every moving object in heavy traffic, then collision risk is covered, but occupant disturbance increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecollision risk coverageVSAvoidoccupant disturbance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the warning level (from acute warning to standard warning) based on real-time traffic situation analysis. When a column of traffic is detected, the system transitions from issuing continuous acute warnings to issuing only standard warnings, thereby adapting the warning behavior to the dynamic traffic context while maintaining collision risk coverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the warning parameter (warning intensity) based on the detected traffic pattern. By identifying whether objects form a continuous column or are scattered, the system modifies the warning behavior accordingly - using acute warnings for isolated objects and standard warnings for columns, thus optimizing the balance between safety and occupant comfort.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Device complexity

If standard warning system is used for all objects, then system complexity is low, but safety response is insufficient for imminent collision risks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem complexityVSAvoidsafety response
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different warning qualities to different situations: standard warnings for general objects and columns of traffic, but acute warnings for isolated objects posing imminent collision risk. This local differentiation of warning intensity based on object characteristics and spatial arrangement enhances safety response without requiring complete system redesign.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4107716B1Method for assisting an occupant in exiting a vehicle, taking into account following objects, computing device, and driver assistance system
Publication Date: 2024.01.31 BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AG
  • EP4107716B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4107716B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4107716B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for assisting an occupant in exiting a vehicle, comprising the steps of: receiving opening data, which describe imminent opening of a door of the vehicle by the occupant; receiving object data, which describe positions and velocities of objects in an environment of the vehicle; determining a collision time between the opening of the door and a possible collision of a first object with the door on the basis of the opening data and the object data; outputting an acute warning signal if the collision time is less than a predefined minimum duration; checking whether the first object is followed by an additional object on the basis of the object data; classifying the additional object as a following object if a time gap between the first object and the additional object is less than a predefined limit value; and outputting a warning signal after the output of the acute warning signal if the additional object is classified as a following object.