Variable Brake Lamp Threshold for Vehicle Deceleration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing travel control devices for vehicles that control acceleration and deceleration with a single operating element often result in unnecessary illumination of brake lamps, causing inconvenience to following vehicles, even when there is sufficient inter-vehicular distance, and fail to promptly notify following vehicles of significant deceleration, increasing the risk of rear-end collisions.
Innovation Solution
A travel control device that includes a following vehicle inter-vehicular distance detection unit, a notifying unit, and a notification controller, which adjusts the inter-vehicular distance threshold and deceleration rate threshold based on the operation amount and deceleration rate, ensuring timely notification to following vehicles only when necessary, thereby reducing the risk of collisions and minimizing unnecessary occupant inconvenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the brake lamp is illuminated when the inter-vehicular distance becomes shorter than a fixed danger distance during regenerative braking, then the safety margin is improved, but unnecessary illumination occurs causing inconvenience to following vehicle occupants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the danger distance threshold variable rather than fixed. The threshold is dynamically adjusted based on the actual deceleration rate of the vehicle. When deceleration is small (e.g., during gentle regenerative braking on uphill), the threshold is set larger to avoid unnecessary brake lamp illumination. When deceleration is large (e.g., during emergency braking), the threshold is set smaller to ensure timely notification. This resolves the contradiction by adapting the safety criterion to the actual driving conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of the danger distance threshold from a fixed value to a variable value that depends on the deceleration rate. By linking the threshold to the deceleration parameter, the system can differentiate between gentle deceleration (where notification is unnecessary) and strong deceleration (where notification is critical). This parameter change allows the system to maintain safety while reducing false alarms that cause occupant inconvenience.
2Loss of information
If the brake lamp is illuminated during regenerative braking with sufficient inter-vehicular distance, then the notification to following vehicles is improved, but excessive notification occurs causing inconvenience to following vehicle occupants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the notification trigger parameter from a fixed distance threshold to a dynamic threshold based on deceleration rate. By doing so, the system only triggers notifications when the deceleration exceeds a certain level, even if the inter-vehicular distance is short. This ensures that notifications are meaningful and necessary, preventing excessive notifications that would cause inconvenience to following vehicle occupants while maintaining effective communication of actual braking events.
3Ease of operation
If the brake lamp is not illuminated during significant deceleration, then the reduction of occupant inconvenience is improved, but the risk of rear-end collision increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the safety threshold parameter to be dependent on the deceleration rate. When deceleration is significant, the threshold is automatically reduced, making it easier to trigger the brake lamp notification. This ensures that during strong deceleration events, the system will notify following vehicles even at larger distances, thereby reducing collision risk. The parameter change creates a responsive system that prioritizes safety during critical braking events while maintaining comfort during normal operation.
Data Source
AI summary
As a rate of deceleration that is generated by an accelerator pedal of a user's own vehicle increases, a following vehicle inter-vehicular distance threshold, which is compared with a following vehicle inter-vehicular distance and serves as a reference for issuing a notification (illumination of a brake lamp) to a following vehicle, is made greater. Consequently, a notification controller notifies the following vehicle more quickly as the rate of deceleration of the user's own vehicle becomes larger.