Intersection Collision Alerts for Blind-Angle Right Turns

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Solution Overview

Problem

In-vehicle sensors struggle to detect traffic participants at blind angles, particularly when large vehicles obstruct the view, making it difficult to avoid collisions during right turns at intersections on left-hand traffic roads.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle notification system that uses a road map storage unit, position specification units, behavior detection units, and notification issuing units to provide differentiated notifications based on the relative positions and intentions of vehicles approaching an intersection, ensuring timely alerts to drivers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If in-vehicle sensors are used to detect traffic participants, then the detection function is provided, but the detection capability deteriorates when vehicles are present at blind angles behind obstacles

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection reliabilityVSAvoiddetection difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces another vehicle equipped with sensors as an intermediary to detect traffic participants that are hidden from the host vehicle's sensors due to blind angles. The detecting vehicle captures images of obstacles and transmits them to the host vehicle, enabling indirect detection of otherwise undetectable traffic participants.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent shifts from a single-vehicle detection perspective to a multi-vehicle collaborative detection system. By utilizing sensors from another vehicle positioned at a different spatial location, the system overcomes the limitations of blind angles and obstacles that block the host vehicle's sensors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Loss of information

If differentiated notification modes are issued based on vehicle positions, then the information accuracy is improved, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different notification modes (first predetermined mode vs. second predetermined mode) based on the specific situation and relative positions of vehicles. When the other vehicle is at a first predetermined distance or closer, one notification mode is used; when at a second predetermined distance (shorter than first) or closer, a different notification mode is used, providing locally optimized information delivery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-establishes multiple notification modes and distance thresholds before operation. The controllers are programmed with predetermined distances and notification protocols in advance, allowing them to automatically select appropriate notification modes based on real-time position data without requiring complex real-time decision algorithms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4700744A1Vehicle notification system
Publication Date: 2026.02.25 SUZUKI MOTOR CORP
  • EP4700744A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4700744A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4700744A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A vehicle notification system specifies a current position of a right turning vehicle on a road map and a current position of a straight traveling vehicle on the road map. In a case where the right turning vehicle enters an intersection area after detection of a right turn intention, a notification in a first predetermined mode is issued for traffic participants under a condition that the straight traveling vehicle is located at a first predetermined distance from the intersection or is present at a position closer to the intersection than the first predetermined distance. On the other hand, in a case where the right turning vehicle is traveling toward a predicted collision point outside a predicted collision area or has entered the predicted collision area after the entrance to the intersection area, a notification in a second predetermined mode is issued to the traffic participants under a condition that the straight traveling vehicle is located at a second predetermined distance from the intersection or is present at a position closer to the intersection than the second predetermined distance.