Roundabout Entry Assistance Using Vehicle Travel Time Estimation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional driving assistance systems fail to determine whether a vehicle can enter a roundabout early enough during the approach, as they only assess the aggressiveness of other vehicles upon reaching the roundabout.
Innovation Solution
A driving assistance system that estimates the travel times of the own vehicle and other vehicles to determine if entry into a roundabout is possible by comparing the own vehicle's travel time to the other vehicles' times, allowing for early decision-making on entry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the determination of whether other vehicles are aggressive is made when the own vehicle reaches the roundabout, then the determination can be based on real-time observations, but it is not possible to determine whether to enter the roundabout early during the approach phase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary determination of whether the own vehicle can enter the roundabout during the approach phase, before reaching the roundabout. This is achieved by estimating travel times of the own vehicle and other vehicles to the entry position, and comparing these times to determine if entry is possible. This preliminary action allows the driver to be notified early and make informed decisions about acceleration or deceleration before arriving at the roundabout.
2Reliability
If the system waits until the own vehicle reaches the roundabout to determine entry feasibility, then the determination is made with complete information, but the driver cannot make timely adjustments to enter the roundabout
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary determination of whether the own vehicle can enter the roundabout during the approach phase, before reaching the roundabout. This is achieved by estimating travel times of the own vehicle and other vehicles to the entry position, and comparing these times to determine if entry is possible. This preliminary action allows the driver to be notified early and make informed decisions about acceleration or deceleration before arriving at the roundabout.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to the driver about the determination result (whether the own vehicle can enter the roundabout) during the approach phase. This feedback enables the driver to adjust driving behavior in advance, such as accelerating to reach the entry position before other vehicles or decelerating to wait for a safe entry opportunity, thereby improving entry efficiency while maintaining reliability through continuous monitoring.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A driving assistance device (100) that includes an electronic control unit (10) that is configured to execute driving assistance control, when the own vehicle (102) enters a roundabout (110), by acquiring information on the roundabout (110) in front of the own vehicle (102) and determining whether or not the own vehicle (102) can enter the roundabout (110) based on acquired information on the roundabout (110) and information on the objects acquired by an object information acquisition device (18), and notifying a driver of a result of the determination, in which the electronic control unit (10) is configured to estimate a travel time (To) required for the own vehicle (102) to reach an entry position (Pe) of the roundabout (110), estimate another travel time (T1) required for a first other vehicle traveling in the roundabout to reach the entry position (Pe), and determine whether or not the own vehicle (102) can enter the roundabout (110) based on a relationship between the travel times.