Vehicle-to-Vehicle Traffic Jam End Detection via Kinetic Indicators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication systems face challenges in accurately determining the end of a traffic jam, leading to potential dangerous driving situations due to limited communication range and reliance on centralized solutions, which can cause delays in transmitting critical traffic information.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that utilize kinetic information from vehicles, hazard warning lights, and steering angle data to determine if a vehicle is approaching or at the end of a traffic jam, and provide this information to other vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, using Cooperative Awareness Messages (CAM) or Decentralized Environmental Notification Messages (DENM), thereby enhancing driving safety and reducing transmission delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If centralized traffic jam detection systems are used, then traffic information can be collected and processed centrally, but transmission delays occur and driving safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the centralized traffic detection system into distributed vehicle-to-vehicle communication units. Each vehicle independently detects and transmits traffic jam end information to surrounding vehicles, eliminating the single-point bottleneck and reducing transmission delays while improving reliability through redundancy
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of traffic jam conditions using multiple indicators (hazard warning lights, kinetic information, steering angle) before the traffic jam fully develops or ends. This early detection allows vehicles to be alerted in advance, improving driving safety by enabling proactive response
2Measurement precision
If vehicle-to-vehicle communication range is limited to a few hundred meters, then communication infrastructure requirements are reduced, but accuracy of determining traffic jam end is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple detection indicators (hazard warning lights from own vehicle and surrounding vehicles, kinetic information, steering angle data) to compensate for the limited communication range. By merging these diverse data sources, the system achieves high accuracy in determining traffic jam end despite vehicles only communicating with nearby vehicles
Solution Approach 2:
Surrounding vehicles act as intermediaries that relay traffic jam end information across longer distances. Each vehicle detects local conditions and transmits this information to neighbors, creating a chain of communication that extends the effective detection range beyond the limited direct communication radius
3Measurement precision
If multiple indicators are combined to determine traffic jam end, then detection accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a universal evaluation framework that processes multiple different indicators (hazard warning lights, kinetic information, steering angle) through a common logic structure. This multi-functional approach allows the same device to handle various sensor inputs without requiring separate complex processing paths for each indicator type
Solution Approach 2:
The system evaluates more indicators than strictly necessary for basic detection, using a subset of available data when full information is unavailable. This partial action approach maintains detection accuracy by using whatever indicators are currently available, rather than requiring all indicators to be present, thus managing complexity while preserving precision
Data Source
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AI summary
Exemplary embodiments relate to devices, methods and computer programs for making available information about an end of a traffic jam via a vehicle-to-vehicle interface. The device (10) for a vehicle (100) comprises an apparatus (12) designed to receive indicators about an end of a traffic jam. The indicators comprise at least one element of the group of kinetic information of the vehicle (100) or of vehicles in an area surrounding the vehicle (100) and traffic jam warnings. The device (10) also comprises an apparatus (14) designed to determine information about an end of a traffic jam on the basis of the indicators. The information about the end of a traffic jam indicates that the vehicle (100) will reach the end of a traffic jam in the near future. The device (10) also comprises a vehicle-to-vehicle interface (16) designed to make available information about the end of a traffic jam to one or more other vehicles (200) via a vehicle-to-vehicle communication link.