Remote Vehicle Control After Driver-Abnormality Emergency Stop

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle control systems face challenges in safely managing vehicles with unconscious drivers, particularly in harsh environments, as they may lead to secondary hazards like hypothermia or accidents, and there is a risk of misuse in remote vehicle control.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle control apparatus with a driving-assist control unit that automatically stops the vehicle upon detecting an abnormal driver state and a remote control unit that permits remote control only after the vehicle is stopped, allowing for controlled operation based on environmental conditions to ensure occupant safety and prevent misuse.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the vehicle is stopped automatically upon detecting an abnormal driver state, then the safety of occupants is improved, but the risk of secondary hazards like hypothermia increases in harsh environments

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoccupant safetyVSAvoidsecondary hazards like hypothermia

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by automatically stopping the vehicle before the driver can cause harm due to abnormal state, and simultaneously prepares remote control permission notification to enable subsequent remote operations to mitigate secondary hazards

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The remote control permission notification acts as an intermediary mechanism that bridges the stopped vehicle state and the need for remote environmental control, allowing external systems to adjust conditions and prevent hypothermia or other secondary hazards

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If remote control permission is granted after the vehicle is stopped, then the ability to prevent secondary hazards is improved, but the risk of misuse of remote control increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecondary hazards preventionVSAvoidremote control security

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies preliminary anti-action by establishing specific conditions that must be met before remote control permission is granted, preventing potential misuse while still allowing necessary remote operations to prevent secondary hazards

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback by monitoring the vehicle state and only granting remote control permission after confirming the vehicle has been stopped due to driver abnormality, ensuring that remote control is activated only when genuinely needed and reducing misuse risk

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If remote control is limited to necessary functions based on environmental conditions, then the prevention of misuse is improved, but the adaptability to different environmental conditions decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveremote control misuse preventionVSAvoidenvironmental condition adaptability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by granting remote control permission for specific functions based on the particular environmental conditions detected, allowing targeted adaptability while maintaining security through function-specific permission rather than blanket access

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11801872B2Vehicle control apparatus

Publication Date: 2023.10.31 SUBARU CORP

AI summary

A vehicle control apparatus includes a driving-assist control unit and a remote control unit. The driving-assist control unit is configured to perform an automatic driving control of stopping a vehicle in accordance with detection of an abnormal state of a driver of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling. The remote control unit is configured to perform a control of transmitting remote control permission notification after the vehicle is stopped by the automatic driving control. The remote control permission notification permits a remote control of the vehicle.