Intersection Turn Alerts for Blind-Spot Collision Avoidance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In-vehicle sensors struggle to detect traffic participants at blind angles, such as behind obstacles, especially 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 includes a direction-change-intention detection unit, notification issuance timing setting unit, and notification issuing units to provide timely and mode-specific alerts to drivers, promoting attention to both oncoming vehicles and potential collision points, as well as subjects of surveillance like pedestrians.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If in-vehicle sensors are used to detect traffic participants, then detection capability is provided, but detection reliability deteriorates when obstacles block the sensor view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection system consisting of external sensors mounted on poles or buildings surrounding the intersection. These external sensors act as mediators to detect oncoming vehicles and pedestrians from locations not blocked by obstacles, transmitting the detection information to the driver through the notification system. This resolves the contradiction by providing detection capability through an alternative path when the primary in-vehicle sensor view is blocked.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-point detection approach (in-vehicle sensor) to a multi-dimensional detection network by placing sensors at multiple locations around the intersection (on poles, buildings, and vehicles). This spatial distribution creates multiple detection dimensions, ensuring that at least one sensor can detect traffic participants regardless of obstacles blocking any single view path.
2Reliability
If notification is issued earlier to warn of oncoming vehicles, then collision avoidance is improved, but false alarms increase when no collision risk exists
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the controller continuously monitors the relative positions, speeds, and trajectories of detected vehicles. The system adjusts notification issuance based on real-time feedback about whether the oncoming vehicle actually poses a collision risk with the turning vehicle. This dynamic feedback prevents false alarms by suppressing notifications when geometric analysis shows safe clearance, while maintaining early warning when risk is present.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts notification timing and intensity based on the evolving situation. Rather than using fixed thresholds, the controller continuously updates its assessment of collision risk based on real-time position and velocity data. This dynamic approach allows the system to issue early warnings when risk is developing while suppressing notifications when the situation changes to be safe, preventing false alarms.
3Device complexity
If the system monitors only vehicles, then detection simplicity is maintained, but safety is reduced due to missed pedestrian hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system is designed with multi-functionality to handle multiple types of traffic participants including vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. The external sensors and processing system are configured to detect and process information about all these participant types, issuing appropriate notifications for each. This universal approach maintains relative simplicity in the detection architecture while significantly improving safety by not excluding any vulnerable road users from monitoring.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The vehicle notification system 1, in a situation where the right turning vehicle VA and the straight traveling vehicle VB are facing each other across the intersection CS, detects the right turn intention of the right turning vehicle VA and sets a notification issuance timing based on the relative positional relationship between the right turning vehicle VA and the intersection CS. A notification issuance in a first mode is performed at the notification issuance timing, on a condition that a notification issuance condition defined in relation to the position of the straight traveling vehicle VB is satisfied. After detecting the right turn intention, when a subject of surveillance who is allowed to move on the sidewalk is detected within the intersection CS or a predetermined area AAC around the intersection CS, a notification issuance in a second mode to promote attention of the right turning vehicle VA to the subject of surveillance is performed at a timing other than that of the notification issuance in the first mode.