Lead Vehicle Convoy Detection With Driver Feedback for Traffic Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles traveling at the head of a convoy at a speed that interferes with following vehicles can cause traffic congestion due to inability to overtake, leading to a disruption in smooth traffic flow.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that determines if a vehicle is traveling at the head of a convoy with a predetermined number or length and below a certain speed, outputting notification to induce the driver to stop or change course, thereby reducing congestion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a vehicle travels at the head of a convoy at low speed, then the driver can maintain safety and control, but traffic congestion occurs due to inability of following vehicles to overtake
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors convoy formation by detecting vehicles in front and behind the subject vehicle. When a convoy of predetermined number or length is detected, the system provides feedback to the driver through notification output, informing them that their low-speed head-positioning is causing congestion and suggesting they change lanes or increase speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification output acts as an intermediary between the driver's driving behavior and the traffic flow consequences. By providing intermediate information about the convoy formation and its impact on following vehicles, the system enables the driver to adjust their behavior to resolve the contradiction between safety/control and traffic flow.
2Loss of energy
If the lead vehicle maintains low speed, then fuel consumption is reduced, but traffic congestion increases due to following vehicles being unable to pass
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides feedback to the driver about the negative impact of their low-speed head-positioning on overall traffic flow. The notification informs the driver that maintaining low speed at the head of a convoy prevents following vehicles from overtaking, thereby causing congestion that ultimately affects all vehicles including the driver's own travel time.
Solution Approach 2:
The driver receives information about the consequences of their driving behavior and is empowered to make their own decision about whether to change lanes or increase speed. The system serves the driver by providing them with the knowledge needed to optimize both their fuel consumption and overall traffic flow contribution.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing apparatus determines whether speed of a first vehicle traveling at a head of a convoy of more than a predetermined number of vehicles or more than a predetermined length is less than a predetermined speed. The information processing apparatus outputs notification information to induce a user of the first vehicle to stop traveling at the head of the convoy when the speed of the first vehicle is less than the predetermined speed.