Pedestrian Notification Timing for Autonomous Vehicle Deceleration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous vehicle notification systems may confuse multiple pedestrians about the vehicle's behavior, particularly when multiple pedestrians are determined to cross the trajectory, leading to incorrect recognition of the vehicle's stopping position.
Innovation Solution
A notification device with a recognition unit, determination unit, calculation unit, and notification controller that calculates a vehicle stoppage distance and controls notifications based on the positions and distances of soon-to-cross pedestrians, ensuring accurate communication of the vehicle's behavior to avoid confusion among pedestrians.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the vehicle performs notification about deceleration when multiple pedestrians are detected, then the pedestrians are informed of the vehicle's behavior, but the first pedestrian may erroneously recognize that the vehicle will stop in front of them
Solution Approach 1:
The notification control is customized for different pedestrian positions. The notification controller determines different notification contents based on whether the pedestrian is the first (closest) or second (farther) pedestrian, providing location-specific information to avoid confusion
Solution Approach 2:
The notification controller preemptively adjusts the notification content based on predicted pedestrian recognition. Before the vehicle stops, it determines that the first pedestrian would misinterpret the notification and proactively modifies what is communicated, preventing the confusion before it occurs
2Reliability
If the vehicle stops at the position of the second pedestrian after passing through the first pedestrian, then the second pedestrian is notified correctly, but the first pedestrian receives confusing information
Solution Approach 1:
Different notification strategies are applied to different pedestrians based on their positions. The notification controller provides appropriate information to the second pedestrian while withholding or modifying information for the first pedestrian to prevent misinterpretation
Solution Approach 2:
The notification system segments the pedestrian group into different categories (first pedestrian vs. second pedestrian) and applies different notification rules to each segment, ensuring that each receives appropriate information for their specific situation
Data Source
AI summary
A notification device includes a calculation unit calculating, based on a speed of a vehicle, a vehicle stoppage distance by which the vehicle travels until the vehicle enters a stopped state while performing autonomous driving, a notification unit performing notification about information with respect to an outside of the vehicle, and a notification controller causing the notification unit not to perform notification about information indicating that the vehicle is in the middle of deceleration until the vehicle passes by a first soon-to-cross pedestrian and to cause the notification unit to perform notification about the information after the vehicle passes by the first soon-to-cross pedestrian when a distance between the vehicle and the first soon-to-cross pedestrian is smaller than the vehicle stoppage distance and a distance between the vehicle and a second soon-to-cross pedestrian is equal to or greater than the vehicle stoppage distance.