Vehicle Warning Logic for Hidden Road User Collision Prediction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing collision warning systems for vehicles are limited in their ability to accurately assess collision risks in diverse road situations, leading to irrelevant alerts that users may ignore, and fail to address a wide range of potential hazards.

Innovation Solution

A warning system for vehicles that detects pairs of road users who cannot see each other, predicts their trajectories based on lane following and traffic rules, calculates collision probabilities, and triggers alerts only when certain conditions are met to ensure relevance and effectiveness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a simple risk evaluation system is used to detect potential collisions, then the system complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the measurement precision of collision risk assessment deteriorates leading to false alerts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of operationVSAvoidmeasurement precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The risk evaluation is segmented into multiple independent modules: detection device for identifying road users, trajectory prediction device for forecasting paths, collision risk assessment device for calculating probabilities, and alert control device for determining alert necessity. This segmentation allows each module to specialize in one function, improving overall measurement precision while maintaining operational simplicity through modular architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary trajectory prediction for multiple road users before collision detection. By pre-calculating predicted trajectories and potential intersection points, the system prepares collision risk assessments in advance, enabling more accurate real-time evaluation without increasing operational complexity during critical moments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If trajectory prediction taking lanes is used for moving objects following lanes, then the measurement precision of collision risk assessment is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemeasurement precisionVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different levels of trajectory prediction complexity based on local conditions: for moving objects following lanes, it uses lane-constrained trajectory prediction with higher precision; for other objects, it uses simpler motion models. This local quality approach optimizes measurement precision where needed while controlling overall device complexity through conditional processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The trajectory prediction device dynamically adjusts its modeling approach based on object characteristics and environmental context. When objects follow lanes, the system activates lane-based prediction algorithms; otherwise, it uses general motion models. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain high measurement precision for relevant cases while managing device complexity through selective algorithm activation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If the system warns in all detected risky situations, then the reliability of safety warning is improved, but the loss of information increases due to irrelevant alerts

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovereliabilityVSAvoidloss of information
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The alert control device receives feedback from multiple sources: detected risky situations, predicted trajectories, collision probabilities, and host vehicle position. By integrating this feedback loop, the system selectively generates alerts only when comprehensive analysis confirms both collision risk and potential driver benefit, improving reliability while filtering out irrelevant warnings that would cause information loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

Before issuing alerts, the system performs preliminary evaluation of alert relevance by assessing host vehicle position relative to the risky situation and predicting whether the driver can benefit from the warning. This preliminary action filters out situations where alerts would be irrelevant, maintaining high reliability for genuine risks while preventing information loss from unnecessary warnings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3886076B1Warning system for a host automotive vehicle
Publication Date: 2025.09.10 APTIV TECHNOLOGIES LTD
  • EP3886076B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3886076B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3886076B1 patent drawingFigure 5A

AI summary

When two target objects cannot see each other and at least one of them is a moving object following lanes, the warning system identifies the couples of two predicted trajectories having at least one point in common or an inter-trajectory distance less than a distance threshold (dth), among all possible couples of two predicted trajectories for the two respective target objects, then calculates a probability of collision for each identified couple of trajectories, by determining a predicted collision time and calculating probability distribution functions for the positions of the two target objects at said predicted collision time, and checks whether or not the probability of collision calculated for at least one of the identified couples of trajectories is more than a collision probability threshold in order to trigger an alert towards at least one of the two target objects.