Rear-View Sensor AEB Control for Trailing Vehicle-Aware Braking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems in autonomous vehicles often fail to account for trailing vehicles, leading to false negatives or unnecessary braking due to limited sensory fields and uniform braking strategies, which can result in collisions or passenger discomfort.
Innovation Solution
The integration of rear-view sensors to analyze data from multiple perspectives, allowing for dynamic adjustments to AEB activation thresholds and braking profiles based on the presence and location of objects around the vehicle, including trailing vehicles, to enhance collision avoidance and passenger comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional AEB systems use limited forward-facing sensors and uniform braking strategies, then the system complexity is reduced, but the reliability of collision avoidance deteriorates due to false negatives and inability to detect trailing vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sensing system into multiple independent sensor units positioned at different locations (front, rear, sides) of the vehicle. Each sensor provides localized environmental data, and the system processes these segmented inputs separately before integrating them for comprehensive collision assessment. This segmentation enables reliable detection of trailing vehicles and front-facing obstacles simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional single-dimension (forward-facing) sensing to multi-dimensional environmental awareness by adding rear-facing and side-facing sensors. This dimensional expansion allows the system to detect objects in previously blind zones, including trailing vehicles, and apply context-aware braking strategies based on the spatial distribution of detected objects.
2Reliability
If AEB systems activate braking at lower confidence thresholds to avoid false negatives, then collision avoidance improves, but false positive braking events increase causing passenger discomfort and potential rear collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors environmental data from multiple sensors and adjusts braking activation thresholds based on the detected context. When trailing vehicles are detected, the system feedback-adjusts the threshold to prevent false positive braking. When only front-facing obstacles are detected with high confidence, the threshold is lowered to ensure collision avoidance, creating a dynamic, context-responsive braking system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the braking activation threshold dynamic rather than fixed. The threshold adapts in real-time based on the environmental context detected by multiple sensors, including the presence and position of trailing vehicles. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to maintain high sensitivity for true collision risks while reducing false alarms in safe conditions.
3Ease of operation
If AEB systems apply uniform full-force braking regardless of environmental context, then the simplicity of control is maintained, but the loss of information about trailing vehicles leads to unnecessary aggressive braking and reduced passenger comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary detection and classification of environmental context using multiple sensors before initiating braking. The system proactively identifies trailing vehicles, assesses their distance and speed, and pre-adjusts the braking strategy accordingly. This preliminary environmental assessment enables the simple act of braking to be context-aware, automatically selecting appropriate braking force based on pre-analyzed conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
In various examples, activation criteria and/or braking profiles corresponding to automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems and/or collision mitigation warning (CMW) systems may be determined using sensor data representative of an environment to a front, side, and/or rear of a vehicle. For example, activation criteria for triggering an AEB system and/or CMW system may be adjusted by leveraging the availability of additional information with regards to the surrounding environment of a vehicle—such as the presence of a trailing vehicle. In addition, the braking profile for the AEB activation may be adjusted based on information about the presence of and/or location of vehicles to the front, rear, and/or side of the vehicle. By adjusting the activation criteria and/or braking profiles of an AEB system, the potential for collisions with dynamic objects in the environment is reduced and the overall safety of the vehicle and its passengers is increased.