In-Cabin Occupant Detection for Dooring Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dooring accidents occur when vehicle occupants fail to check for approaching cyclists before opening the door, as they may be distracted or forget to perform the Dutch Reach maneuver, posing a risk to cyclists.
Innovation Solution
A safety device using in-cabin sensors, such as cameras and processors, to monitor the occupant's behavior and ensure they perform the Dutch Reach by turning their body and head to check for oncoming cyclists, triggering warnings or delaying door opening if the maneuver is not completed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the occupant opens the door quickly without checking, then the ease of operation is improved, but the safety is worsened due to risk of dooring accidents
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of cyclists in the door zone before allowing door opening. The camera captures images and the processor analyzes them to detect cyclists approaching the vehicle, ensuring the path is clear before the door can be opened, thus preventing dooring accidents while maintaining quick exit capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary safety system consisting of camera and processor between the occupant and the door mechanism. This intermediary detects cyclists and controls door opening based on detected conditions, acting as a mediator that ensures safety while allowing normal door operation when safe
2Reliability
If the Dutch Reach maneuver is performed, then the safety is improved by detecting cyclists, but the ease of operation is worsened due to additional manual steps required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical Dutch Reach maneuver with an automated optical detection system. Instead of requiring the occupant to physically reach across with their far hand to detect cyclists, a camera and processor automatically detect cyclists in the door zone, eliminating the need for the manual Dutch Reach while maintaining safety
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs the safety check automatically without requiring occupant action. The camera and processor self-service by continuously monitoring the door zone and automatically controlling door opening based on detected conditions, freeing the occupant from performing manual safety checks
3Reliability
If in-cabin sensors are installed to monitor occupant behavior, then the safety is improved, but the device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the camera and processor serve multiple functions: they detect cyclists in the door zone, monitor occupant behavior, and control door opening operations. By making the safety system multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby managing complexity while maintaining comprehensive safety monitoring
Data Source
AI summary
A safety device includes a processor configured to detect from sensor data representing a vehicle occupant, whether the vehicle occupant looks for an oncoming road participant or obstacle; operate according to a first operational mode when the processor detects that the vehicle occupant looks for an oncoming road participant or obstacle; and operate according to a second operational mode when the processor detects that the vehicle occupant does not look for an oncoming road participant or obstacle.