Autonomous Vehicle Intersection Decision Logic for Stop Sign Obstructions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional autonomous vehicle systems face challenges in efficiently navigating through intersections, particularly when right of way is governed by stop signs, as they fail to account for extrinsic factors like pedestrian obstructions, leading to inefficiencies and prolonged drive times.
Innovation Solution
An in-vehicle intersection decision system that detects arrival at stop sign intersections, identifies previously arrived vehicles and pedestrians, and determines when to proceed based on obstruction times, deviating from the 'first-in, first-out' principle if pedestrians obstruct the path of other vehicles, allowing the autonomous vehicle to proceed without waiting if obstruction times exceed traversal times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle waits for previously-arrived vehicles to clear the intersection (first-in first-out), then right of way rules are followed, but drive time increases when pedestrians obstruct other vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the right of way decision-making process by continuously monitoring pedestrian obstructions and vehicle positions. When a pedestrian is detected obstructing a previously-arrived vehicle, the system dynamically changes the autonomous vehicle's behavior from waiting (first-in first-out) to proceeding, thereby adapting to the changing environmental conditions and resolving the contradiction between rule compliance and time efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by detecting pedestrian obstructions and using this information to modify the intersection passage decision. The feedback loop monitors whether previously-arrived vehicles can proceed normally, and if not (due to pedestrian obstruction), the system receives feedback to override the standard first-in first-out protocol, allowing the autonomous vehicle to proceed and thus reducing drive time while maintaining safety
2Loss of time
If the autonomous vehicle proceeds without waiting when pedestrians obstruct other vehicles, then drive time is reduced, but complexity of decision-making increases
Solution Approach 1:
The decision-making process is segmented into distinct detection and decision stages. The system first detects pedestrian obstructions using sensors, then separately evaluates whether to proceed based on this detection. This segmentation simplifies the overall complexity by breaking down the complex decision problem into manageable sub-tasks: obstruction detection, time estimation, and go/no-go decision
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of pedestrian obstructions and estimation of obstruction duration before making the final decision to proceed. By conducting these preliminary actions (detection and estimation) in advance, the system prepares the necessary information for the decision-making process, thereby reducing the complexity of the actual decision moment while enabling timely passage through the intersection
Data Source
AI summary
An intersection decision system for autonomously navigating an autonomous vehicle through a stop sign intersection. The intersection decision system includes an intersection arrival detector configured to automatically detect that the vehicle has arrived at the stop sign intersection, a vehicle detector for automatically detecting previously-arrived vehicles at the stop sign intersection, and a pedestrian detector for automatically detecting pedestrians crossing at the stop sign intersection. The intersection decision system determines whether the detected pedestrians are obstructing the previously-arrived vehicles from proceeding through the stop sign intersection. If so, the intersection decision system determines that the autonomous vehicle should proceed through the stop sign intersection without waiting for the previously-arrived vehicles to proceed through the stop sign intersection.