Occluded Area Detection for Vehicle Hazard Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems struggle to effectively detect and communicate about potentially hazardous occluded objects in traffic environments, leading to inefficiencies in communication resources and delayed accident prevention.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines occluded areas based on sensor and gaze data, transmitting information signals only when a potential hazard is detected within these areas, using refined occluding object data and target vehicle field of view information to trigger warnings or control maneuvers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If V2X systems continuously broadcast position and motion information about all objects, then hazard detection coverage is improved, but communication resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different communication strategies to different spatial regions. Occluded areas identified through sensor fusion and occlusion analysis receive targeted information transmission, while visible areas do not require continuous broadcasting. This localized approach maintains hazard detection coverage in critical areas while reducing overall communication resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary occlusion analysis using sensor fusion (cameras, radar, lidar) to identify potential hazard areas before transmission is needed. By pre-identifying occluded regions and potential hazards through environmental sensing, the system triggers transmission only when necessary, avoiding continuous broadcasting while maintaining reliable hazard detection coverage.
2Reliability
If V2X systems transmit warning signals for all detected hazards, then accident prevention capability is improved, but the number of unnecessary transmissions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of transmission triggering from hazard detection alone to a composite parameter that includes occlusion status. Transmission is triggered only when both a hazard is detected AND it is determined to be occluded from the target vehicle's perspective. This parameter change filters out unnecessary transmissions while maintaining accident prevention capability for truly hazardous occluded objects.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary occlusion analysis module that sits between hazard detection and transmission triggering. This intermediary evaluates whether detected hazards are actually occluded and require warning transmission, filtering out hazards that are visible and do not require V2X warning. This intermediary layer reduces unnecessary transmissions while preserving accident prevention for genuine occluded hazards.
3Measurement precision
If occlusion analysis uses detailed object geometry and orientation data, then occluded area estimation accuracy is improved, but data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the occlusion analysis into distinct functional modules: object detection, geometry extraction, occlusion modeling, and area calculation. Each module handles a specific aspect of the analysis, processing data in manageable stages. This segmentation reduces overall processing complexity while maintaining high occluded area estimation accuracy through cumulative refinement at each stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms the occlusion analysis from 2D image processing to 3D spatial reasoning by incorporating object orientation, spatial extension, and depth information. By adding the third dimension and using ray-tracing techniques in 3D space, the system achieves more accurate occluded area estimation while distributing computational complexity across multiple dimensional transformations rather than requiring exhaustive 2D analysis.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method in a vehicle signal processing system, for triggering transmission of an information signal to a target vehicle, the method comprising; obtaining target vehicle data comprising a location of the target vehicle; obtaining occluding object data comprising a location of an occluding object; determining an occluded area based on the target vehicle data and on the occluded object data, wherein the occluded area represents an area that is hidden from the target vehicle due to the occluding object; and, if a potential hazard is detected in the occluded area, triggering transmission of the information signal to the target vehicle, wherein the information signal comprises information related to the potential hazard.