Dynamic Pedestrian Detection Zone for Vehicle Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vehicle control apparatuses often incorrectly determine the probability of collision with pedestrians, leading to unnecessary activation of safety devices due to setting a fixed determination zone based on the maximum moving velocity of pedestrians, which does not account for varying collision probabilities.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control apparatus with a target information acquiring unit, predicted collision-position calculating unit, crossing determining unit, limit value setting unit, and presence determining unit, which adjusts the determination region's width based on the pedestrian's movement relative to the vehicle, increasing the region when a pedestrian is crossing the vehicle's path to accurately assess collision risk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a fixed determination zone based on maximum moving velocity is used, then the detection coverage is increased, but false positive collision probability increases leading to unnecessary safety device activation
Solution Approach 1:
The determination zone is made dynamic by adjusting its width based on the pedestrian's movement state. When a pedestrian is detected crossing the vehicle course, the zone width in the pedestrian movement direction is increased. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to expand detection coverage only when necessary, reducing false positives while maintaining adequate coverage for actual collision risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The determination zone applies different width adjustments in different lateral directions based on pedestrian movement. The zone is expanded specifically in the direction where the pedestrian is moving across the course, while maintaining appropriate boundaries in other directions. This localized quality adjustment optimizes detection precision without unnecessarily expanding the overall zone.
2Reliability
If the determination zone width is increased to cover all possible pedestrian movements, then collision detection coverage is improved, but the system activates safety devices unnecessarily when pedestrians move with low collision probability
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the determination zone width based on real-time pedestrian movement detection. When crossing movement is detected, the zone expands to ensure adequate coverage. When no crossing movement is detected, the zone maintains a smaller width, avoiding unnecessary safety device activation while still providing sufficient coverage for actual collision risks.
3Device complexity
If a fixed determination zone is used regardless of pedestrian movement, then the system complexity is reduced, but the accuracy of pedestrian presence determination deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The determination zone transitions from a fixed configuration to a dynamic one that adjusts its width based on detected pedestrian movement. The control unit monitors pedestrian velocity and movement direction, then automatically adjusts the zone width accordingly. This dynamic approach maintains system simplicity while significantly improving pedestrian presence determination accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle control apparatus calculates a position at which a distance between a pedestrian and the own vehicle becomes zero in a travelling direction of the own vehicle as a predicted collision position. The vehicle control apparatus determines whether the pedestrian is crossing a course of the own vehicle. The vehicle control apparatus sets a limit value indicating a width of a determination region in a lateral direction perpendicular to the travelling direction of the own vehicle, and determines whether the pedestrian is present within the course of the own vehicle based on the predicted collision position and the limit value. The vehicle control apparatus sets one of a left and right limit values of a determination region in which the predicted collision position is present in the travelling direction of the own vehicle to be greater than the limit value of the other.