Pedestrian Crossing Alert via Video Clustering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems lack efficient and adaptive methods to detect and alert drivers about various types of pedestrian crossings, especially those not initially tagged or recognized, which can lead to safety hazards near sensitive areas.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a computerized vehicle system to generate pedestrian crossing alerts by processing video frames, clustering signatures, and determining pedestrian crossing identifiers, even if they were not initially tagged, to provide timely and accurate alerts through visual, audio, or tactile means.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the system only detects tagged pedestrian crossings, then the detection process is simple and fast, but the coverage is incomplete and safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary clustering of video frames to identify potential pedestrian crossing patterns before final detection. By pre-processing frames to group similar scenes and identify characteristic features, the system prepares detection data in advance, enabling comprehensive coverage of both tagged and untagged crossings without overwhelming computational complexity during real-time operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary clustering mechanism that bridges tagged and untagged pedestrian crossings. The clustering algorithm acts as a mediator, grouping video frames by similarity and transferring detection capabilities from tagged to untagged crossings through pattern recognition, thereby expanding coverage without requiring explicit tags for every crossing.
2Reliability
If the system processes all video frames to detect untagged pedestrian crossings, then detection coverage improves, but computational time and resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments video processing into distinct phases: initial frame clustering to identify potential crossing zones, followed by targeted detection only in those segmented regions. By dividing the video stream into clustered groups and focusing computational resources on relevant segments rather than processing every frame uniformly, the system achieves comprehensive detection accuracy while minimizing overall processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by performing full clustering and detection only on video frames that exhibit characteristics of pedestrian crossings, rather than processing every frame with equal intensity. The system identifies and focuses computational effort on relevant portions of the video stream, achieving complete detection coverage for untagged crossings without the excessive time cost of uniform full-frame processing.
3Measurement precision
If the system uses multiple detection methods for different crossing types, then detection accuracy improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal clustering-based detection framework that handles multiple pedestrian crossing types through a single multi-functional algorithm. The clustering system automatically adapts to different crossing configurations (zebra crossings, roundabouts, intersections, etc.) by grouping frames based on visual similarities rather than requiring separate detection methods for each crossing type, thereby maintaining high identification accuracy while reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for pedestrian crossing alert, the method may include receiving, by a vehicle computerized system, pedestrian crossing indicators; obtaining sensed information regarding an environment of the vehicle; processing the sensed information, wherein the processing comprises searching for at least one of the pedestrian crossing indicators; autonomously determining, when finding the at least one of the pedestrian crossing identifiers, that the vehicle is approaching a pedestrian crossing; and generating an alert when determining that the vehicle is approaching the pedestrian crossing.