Vehicle Acceleration Limiting for Safe Following Distance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous and passive driver assistance systems fail to effectively prevent tailgating, a major cause of traffic accidents, by unintentionally allowing vehicles to get too close to preceding vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A method and control system that limits vehicle acceleration when a driver's request is below a threshold, using sensor data to maintain a safe distance from the preceding vehicle, and allows acceleration when intentional requests are detected, such as lane changes or turns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If acceleration limiting is applied to all acceleration requests, then safety is improved, but driver responsiveness and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of acceleration threshold to differentiate between intentional and unintentional acceleration requests. By setting a threshold value, the system allows high acceleration requests (intentional) to pass through while limiting only low acceleration requests (unintentional), thus resolving the contradiction between safety and driver responsiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from sensors detecting preceding vehicles and monitors acceleration request patterns to determine whether to apply limiting. The feedback mechanism allows the system to adaptively respond to driving conditions, applying limits only when safety concerns are present while maintaining full responsiveness when safe
2Reliability
If acceleration limiting is applied continuously, then safe following distance is maintained, but productivity and speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies acceleration limiting periodically or conditionally rather than continuously. It activates the limiting protocol only when specific conditions are met (low acceleration request + preceding vehicle detected + distance below threshold), allowing full speed performance during normal driving while ensuring safety when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the acceleration parameter based on driving context. When safe following distance is maintained or lane changes are detected, the acceleration parameter is not limited, preserving productivity. When unsafe conditions are detected, the parameter is adjusted to maintain safety
3Reliability
If acceleration limiting is applied during lane changes, then safety is improved, but the ability to execute lane change maneuvers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts or removes the acceleration limiting constraint during lane change maneuvers. By detecting lane change intent through steering angle or indicator signals, the system temporarily suspends the limiting protocol, allowing the vehicle to accelerate normally for the maneuver while maintaining safety during straight-line following
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a method and control system for limiting a driver acceleration request of a vehicle. The vehicle comprises a controller arrangement that receives a driver acceleration request and determines whether the driver acceleration request is below an acceleration threshold. If so, it initiates a limiting protocol and dependent on the distance between a preceding vehicle and the host vehicle limits the acceleration of the vehicle in comparison to the driver acceleration request. The invention further relates to a vehicle comprising such as control system.