Overlapping Sensor Braking Logic for Graded Emergency Deceleration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle systems face challenges in accurately recognizing critical braking situations due to variations in sensor evaluations, leading to potential false detections and unnecessary or excessive braking, which can cause harm to passengers and other vehicles.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle system utilizing two independent sensor systems with overlapping images for detecting critical braking situations, employing staged braking responses based on the detection from each sensor, with varying braking forces to ensure safe and controlled deceleration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a single sensor system is used to detect critical braking situations, then the device complexity is low, but false detections occur leading to unnecessary braking

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidsensor system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple independent sensor systems (first sensor system and second sensor system) into a unified detection framework. Both sensor systems evaluate the same critical braking situation, and their results are merged to make a final braking decision. This merging approach increases detection reliability by cross-validating findings across multiple sensors while managing complexity through a structured evaluation architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If multiple sensor systems are used to verify critical braking situations, then false detections are reduced, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebraking decision reliabilityVSAvoidevaluation system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The evaluation system is segmented into distinct functional units: a first evaluation unit processing data from the first sensor system, and a second evaluation unit processing data from the second sensor system. Each evaluation unit independently assesses critical braking situations from its respective sensor data. This segmentation allows complex multi-sensor verification to be broken down into manageable, parallel evaluation tasks, reducing the perceived complexity while maintaining high reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Speed

If critical braking is initiated upon single sensor detection, then response time is fast, but unnecessary braking causing harm occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebraking response speedVSAvoidpassenger injury risk
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies a staged braking approach where the degree of braking action depends on the number of sensor systems confirming a critical situation. When only one sensor system detects a critical braking situation, braking is initiated but with controlled force. When both sensor systems confirm the situation, full emergency braking is applied. This partial action approach ensures rapid response when needed while preventing excessive braking that could harm passengers, by modulating the braking intensity based on detection confidence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP4347330B1Vehicle system for carrying out a braking
Publication Date: 2025.07.16 ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
  • EP4347330B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4347330B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4347330B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a vehicle system (1, 1a) for carrying out braking of a vehicle, the vehicle system (1, 1a) having a first sensor system (2) for sensing a first image of the surroundings of a vehicle and a first evaluation unit for evaluating the first image of the surroundings with respect to a critical braking situation and also having a second sensor system (3), independent of the first sensor system (2), for sensing a second image of the surroundings of the vehicle and a second evaluation unit, wherein the first image of the surroundings and the second image of the surroundings have at least one large area of overlap, and wherein the first evaluation unit is designed for detecting a critical braking situation from the first image of the surroundings and the second evaluation unit is designed for detecting the critical braking situation from the second image of the surroundings, wherein the vehicle system (1, 1a) is designed to bring about braking with a first braking force (6) when a critical braking situation is detected from the first image of the surroundings and to bring about braking with a second braking force (6) when the critical braking situation is detected from the second image of the surroundings and to bring about braking with a third braking force (7) when the critical braking situation is detected from the first image of the surroundings and at the same time from the second image of the surroundings, wherein the third braking force (7) is greater than the second braking force (6) and the first braking force (6). The invention also relates to a train and a vehicle.