Lane-Aware Vehicle Warning Control to Reduce False Alarms

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vehicle warning systems emit warnings indiscriminately, reducing driver awareness of potential dangers and compromising hazard prediction accuracy due to narrow detection areas and limitations in detection logic.

Innovation Solution

A control device that utilizes a camera to detect lane boundary lines and the position of other vehicles, determining the relationship between them to selectively output warnings based on the risk of collision or contact.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the detection area is narrowed to reduce false warnings, then the number of false warnings is reduced, but the hazard prediction accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewarning accuracyVSAvoidhazard prediction accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces lane boundary line detection as an intermediary element to mediate between the radar detection area and the warning decision. By detecting the lane boundary line position and comparing it with the other vehicle position, the system determines whether the other vehicle is in the same lane as the own vehicle. This intermediary step allows the radar to maintain a wide detection area while only issuing warnings when the other vehicle is both detected and confirmed to be in the same lane, thus reducing false warnings without compromising hazard prediction accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If complex detection logic is established to improve hazard prediction accuracy, then the warning accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewarning accuracyVSAvoiddetection logic complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the detection and warning process into distinct functional modules: (1) lane boundary line detection module that detects the position of lane boundary lines, (2) other vehicle detection module that detects the position of other vehicles using radar, and (3) warning control module that compares the positions and determines whether to issue a warning. This segmentation transforms complex detection logic into a series of simple, independent processing steps, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high warning accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent makes the camera system multi-functional by using it for both lane boundary line detection and other vehicle detection. The same imaging device and processing system are utilized to detect multiple types of objects (lane markings and vehicles), eliminating the need for separate detection systems and reducing device complexity while enabling sophisticated warning logic.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Measurement precision

If the detection area is maintained wide to improve hazard prediction accuracy, then the hazard prediction accuracy is improved, but the number of false warnings increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehazard prediction accuracyVSAvoidwarning accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces lane boundary line detection as an intermediary element to mediate between the radar detection area and the warning decision. By detecting the lane boundary line position and comparing it with the other vehicle position, the system determines whether the other vehicle is in the same lane as the own vehicle. This intermediary step allows the radar to maintain a wide detection area while only issuing warnings when the other vehicle is both detected and confirmed to be in the same lane, thus reducing false warnings without compromising hazard prediction accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the detected lane boundary line position is continuously compared with the other vehicle position to dynamically determine warning necessity. This feedback loop ensures that warnings are issued only when the other vehicle is confirmed to be in the same lane, filtering out false warnings from vehicles in adjacent lanes while maintaining comprehensive hazard detection coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12412475B2Control device, warning control method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

Publication Date: 2025.09.09 PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYST CO LTD

AI summary

A control device according to the present disclosure is a control device for emitting a warning about other vehicle approaching an own vehicle, and includes a memory configured to store a program and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the program to perform processing. The processing includes: detecting a position of a lane boundary line indicating a boundary in a width direction of a road on which the own vehicle travels based on a captured image captured by a camera configured to capture an image around the own vehicle; detecting a position of the other vehicle based on the captured image; and performing control to output a warning to a driver of the own vehicle based on a relationship between the position of the lane boundary line and the position of the other vehicle.