Vehicle Collision Avoidance via Driver Position Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drivers face challenges in vehicle collision avoidance due to blind spots, particularly when entering intersections or performing parking maneuvers, as the driver's position behind the front bumper limits visibility, increasing the risk of collisions with oncoming traffic or obstacles.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle collision avoidance system incorporating cameras and sensors that adjust the field of view and side mirrors based on the driver's head position, providing enhanced visibility by activating front-view, rear-view, and side-view cameras, and adjusting mirrors to display a wide or normal field of view depending on the driver's movements and gear selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the driver is positioned behind the front bumper to accommodate the engine compartment, then the driver can have a comfortable seating position, but the driver's visibility of oncoming traffic is reduced creating blind spots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces cameras as intermediary devices positioned at the front of the vehicle to capture visual information that the driver cannot directly observe. These cameras act as mediators between the driver and the blind spot areas, transmitting images to displays within the driver's field of view, thereby compensating for the visibility loss caused by the driver's rearward position.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a new dimensional aspect to driver visibility by incorporating electronic displays that present camera feeds from angles and positions the driver cannot physically observe. This creates an augmented visual dimension that extends the driver's effective field of view beyond the physical limitations of the seating position.
2Loss of information
If the driver moves the vehicle into the intersection to observe oncoming traffic, then the driver can see past parked vehicles, but the front end of the vehicle is exposed to oncoming traffic increasing collision risk
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables the driver to observe oncoming traffic through camera feeds displayed on screens before the vehicle physically enters the intersection. This preliminary observation allows the driver to assess traffic conditions and determine safety without committing the vehicle to a position where it would be exposed to potential collisions.
Solution Approach 2:
Cameras positioned at the front of the vehicle serve as intermediaries, capturing images of oncoming traffic and transmitting them to the driver. This eliminates the need for the driver to move the vehicle into the intersection to gain visibility, as the camera-mediated information provides the same visual data without the associated collision risk.
3Measurement precision
If a wide field of view camera is used to image the area near the rear bumper, then the driver can see obstacles close to the vehicle during reverse maneuvers, but the field of view may not capture distant objects
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the rear viewing area into multiple zones by deploying multiple cameras at different positions and angles. One camera provides a wide-angle view for distant objects, while another provides a close-up view of the rear bumper area. This segmentation allows each camera to optimize for its specific zone, and the system combines these views to provide comprehensive coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves multi-functionality by using multiple cameras that can independently serve different viewing needs. The same camera system can switch between wide-field and close-up views depending on the driving situation, providing both distant and close obstacle detection capabilities within a single integrated system.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for vehicle collision avoidance are disclosed. Driver position data identifying a position of a driver with respect to a reference point is received from position sensor. The driver position data is compared by a processor against a predefined position threshold. A rear-view display mounted in a rear-view mirror housing is activated to display signals received from a wide-view rear facing camera when a result of comparing the driver position data against a predefined position threshold indicates that the driver position is at least equal to the predefined position threshold.