Vehicle Turning Collision Control Using Lateral Collision Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle collision prediction systems activate safety devices unnecessarily when a host vehicle turns into an oncoming lane due to high relative velocity, despite sufficient distance, leading to false alarms.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control device that activates safety devices based on the time to lateral collision, calculated by dividing the lateral distance by the lateral velocity of the host vehicle, rather than relative velocity, when turning into an oncoming lane.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the safety device is activated based on relative time to collision using relative velocity between host vehicle and oncoming vehicle, then the safety device can detect potential collisions, but it causes unnecessary activation when the host vehicle turns into the oncoming lane due to high relative velocity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the collision risk assessment based on the specific motion state of the host vehicle. When the host vehicle is turning into the oncoming lane, the system switches from using relative velocity to using only the oncoming vehicle's velocity, recognizing that the turning motion creates a different collision dynamics than straight-line travel. This localized adjustment to the calculation method reduces false alarms while maintaining collision detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters used in the collision time calculation based on the host vehicle's motion state. For turning maneuvers into the oncoming lane, the system changes from using relative velocity (which includes the host vehicle's high lateral velocity) to using only the oncoming vehicle's velocity. This parameter change fundamentally alters the collision time calculation to better reflect the actual collision risk, preventing unnecessary safety device activation.
2Speed
If the safety device uses relative velocity to calculate collision time, then it responds quickly to potential collisions, but it overestimates collision risk when the host vehicle is turning due to high lateral velocity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the velocity parameter dynamic rather than static. The system automatically adjusts which velocity to use based on the host vehicle's motion state: using relative velocity when traveling straight, and switching to oncoming vehicle velocity only when turning into the oncoming lane. This dynamic adjustment ensures both rapid response to real collisions and accurate risk assessment during turning maneuvers, resolving the contradiction between response speed and measurement precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle control device activates a safety device for suppressing a collision between a host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle that is traveling straight along an oncoming traffic lane, when the host vehicle changes from traveling straight along its own traffic lane to making a right or left turn to cross the oncoming traffic lane. The vehicle control device includes a judgement unit and a control unit, where the judgement unit judges when the host vehicle is in a right or left turning condition prior to crossing the oncoming traffic lane, and if is determined that the host vehicle is in the right or left turning condition, the control unit activates the safety device based on a time to lateral collision. The time to lateral collision is obtained by dividing a lateral distance by a lateral velocity, where the lateral velocity is the velocity of the host vehicle in a lateral direction orthogonal to the straight travel direction of the oncoming vehicle, and the lateral distance is the distance, in the lateral direction, from the host vehicle to a predetermined vehicle traffic area defined along the straight travel path of the oncoming vehicle.