Traffic Light Deceleration Control for Yellow-Light Dilemma Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing driving assistance systems fail to distinguish between red and yellow traffic light conditions, leading to excessive deceleration control in dilemma zones, which can disrupt the driver's intended operation.
Innovation Solution
A driving assistance system that adjusts the deceleration threshold based on traffic light color, with a lower threshold for yellow lights and an increasing threshold over time, and considers turn indicators and lane position to minimize unnecessary deceleration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the driving assistance device executes deceleration control when the traffic light is yellow, then the vehicle may stop before the intersection, but the driver's intended acceleration to pass the intersection is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different deceleration threshold values based on the specific condition of the traffic light color. When the traffic light is yellow, a higher threshold value is used compared to when it is red, allowing the system to adapt its deceleration behavior to the specific local condition (light color) rather than applying a uniform threshold
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the deceleration threshold value based on real-time conditions including traffic light color, predicted speed, and time elapsed since the light turned yellow. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to transition from a static threshold approach to one that adapts to changing conditions, preventing excessive deceleration when the driver intends to pass
2Speed
If the deceleration threshold value is high, then the vehicle maintains higher speed, but the vehicle may not stop in time when the light turns red
Solution Approach 1:
The patent calculates the predicted speed at the intersection in advance and uses this prediction to determine whether deceleration control should be executed. By performing this prediction calculation before reaching the intersection, the system can proactively adjust the threshold value to ensure the vehicle will stop in time if needed, rather than reacting after the vehicle has already committed to a speed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the deceleration threshold value is adjusted based on the predicted speed and the actual driving conditions. The system continuously monitors whether the predicted speed exceeds the threshold and adjusts the threshold value accordingly, creating a closed-loop control system that balances maintaining speed with the ability to stop
3Ease of operation
If the driving assistance device distinguishes between red and yellow light conditions, then excessive deceleration control is suppressed, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter being monitored from simple light color detection to a combination of light color, predicted speed, and elapsed time since light change. By introducing these additional parameters into the decision-making process, the system can distinguish between different driving situations (dilemma zone vs. clear stop) without requiring complex image recognition or driver intent detection algorithms
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a driving assistance device (1) including: a traffic light recognition device configured to recognize a lighting mode of a traffic light existing in front of an own vehicle; and a control device configured to determine a predetermined position in a periphery of the traffic light as a target position, execute deceleration control of decelerating the own vehicle until the own vehicle reaches the target position, calculate a predicted speed being a speed of the own vehicle at a time point at which the own vehicle reaches the target position in a case in which the own vehicle is decelerated from a current time point in a predetermined deceleration mode, execute the deceleration control in a first situation in which the predicted speed is equal to or lower than a threshold value determined based on the lighting mode of the traffic light, and to avoid executing the deceleration control in a second situation in which the predicted speed is higher than the threshold value. The threshold value at a time when a light color of the traffic light is yellow is smaller than the threshold value at a time when the light color of the traffic light is red.