Safety Device Activation Timing Control for Driver Intent
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pre-crash safety systems may activate safety devices even when a driver is intentionally avoiding a collision, leading to unnecessary activation and potential frustration.
Innovation Solution
A safety-device activation timing controlling apparatus and method that determines the driver's collision avoidance operations in both longitudinal and lateral directions, adjusting the activation timing of safety devices based on these operations to align with the driver's intentions, thereby delaying the activation if a collision avoidance maneuver is underway.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the safety device is activated based on collision probability alone, then the safety coverage is improved, but the unnecessary activation increases when driver avoidance actions are ongoing
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors driver operations (accelerator pedal, brake pedal, steering wheel) and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust safety device activation timing. When driver avoidance actions are detected, the system delays activation; when no avoidance actions are detected, the system activates at the reference timing, ensuring both safety coverage and reduced unnecessary activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The activation timing is made dynamic rather than fixed. The system adjusts the activation timing based on real-time detection of driver operations, transitioning between reference timing (when no avoidance actions detected) and delayed timing (when avoidance actions detected), allowing the system to adapt to changing driving conditions and driver intentions.
2Ease of operation
If the activation timing is delayed to avoid unnecessary activation, then driver frustration is reduced, but the response time to actual collisions may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts activation timing based on detected driver operations. When avoidance actions are detected, timing is delayed to improve driver acceptance. When no avoidance actions are detected, timing remains at the reference level to ensure rapid response to actual collisions, thus balancing driver acceptance with response speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the activation timing parameter based on detected driver operations. By monitoring accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and steering wheel operations, the system adjusts the timing parameter between reference timing and delayed timing, optimizing both driver acceptance and collision response effectiveness.
3Device complexity
If the system monitors only longitudinal driver operations, then the system complexity is reduced, but the detection accuracy of collision avoidance intention is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple detection inputs (accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, steering wheel operation) into a unified collision avoidance detection mechanism. By combining these different types of driver operations, the system achieves comprehensive detection of avoidance intentions while maintaining reasonable system complexity through integrated processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection system is designed to handle multiple types of driver operations (longitudinal acceleration/braking and lateral steering) through a unified monitoring framework. This multi-functional approach enables the system to detect various forms of collision avoidance actions without requiring separate specialized systems for each operation type.
Data Source
AI summary
A setting unit of a safety-device activation timing controlling apparatus sets a first timing upon it being determined that a driver's collision avoidance operation in a longitudinal direction has been carried out. The first timing is later than a reference timing for activating the safety device. The setting unit sets a second timing upon it being determined that a driver's collision avoidance operation in the lateral direction has been carried out. The second timing is later than the reference timing. Upon it being determined that at least one of the driver's collision avoidance operation in the longitudinal direction of the own vehicle and the driver's collision avoidance operation in the lateral direction of the own vehicle has been carried out, an activation determining unit determines whether to activate the safety device in accordance with a corresponding at least one of the first timing and the second timing.