Vehicle Control System Using Map-Object Agreement for Position Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional autonomous driving systems rely on GPS signals, which can be obstructed by buildings or objects, leading to unreliable vehicle control when driving a vehicle to a safe position.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control system comprising a control unit, an occupant monitoring device, a map device, and an external environment recognition device, which estimates the vehicle's position and adjusts the permitted distance or time to stop based on the agreement between map information and real-time environmental data, ensuring safe evacuation even when GPS accuracy is low.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS-based position estimation is used for autonomous driving, then the system can determine vehicle position using satellite signals, but the position accuracy deteriorates when satellite signals are obstructed by buildings or objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces map information as an intermediary to bridge the gap between GPS coordinates and actual vehicle position. By comparing detected road objects (lane markings, signs, curbs) with pre-stored map information, the system computes agreement levels to determine vehicle position accuracy. This intermediary mechanism allows the system to compensate for GPS signal obstruction by using environmental features as reference points for position verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously computes agreement between detected road objects and map information, using this agreement level as feedback to adjust the permitted distance for stop processes. When agreement is high, the system allows longer permitted distance; when agreement is low (indicating potential position errors), the system reduces permitted distance. This feedback loop enables dynamic adaptation to varying position accuracy conditions without requiring direct GPS signal strength measurements.
2Productivity
If the vehicle is driven to a safe position using GPS coordinates, then the vehicle can be evacuated automatically, but the stopping distance increases when position accuracy is low due to signal obstruction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the permitted distance dynamic by adjusting it based on the computed agreement level between detected road objects and map information. Instead of using a fixed permitted distance, the system continuously adapts this parameter according to real-time position accuracy assessment. When agreement is high, the vehicle can travel farther to reach a safe position; when agreement is low, the permitted distance is reduced to minimize the risk of position errors. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between evacuation speed and safety by allowing optimal performance under varying conditions.
3Device complexity
If a fixed permitted distance is used for the stop process, then the control logic is simple, but the system cannot adapt to varying position accuracy conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the permitted distance parameter based on the computed agreement level. Instead of maintaining a fixed permitted distance, the system adjusts this parameter dynamically according to the agreement between detected road objects and map information. This parameter change approach allows the system to adapt to varying position accuracy conditions while maintaining relatively simple control logic - the agreement computation provides the basis for automatic parameter adjustment without requiring complex decision-making algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
In a vehicle control system (1, 101), a control unit (15) is configured to execute a stop process by which the vehicle is parked in a prescribed stop position located within a permitted distance when it is detected that the control unit or the driver has become incapable of properly maintaining a traveling state of the vehicle, and, in executing the stop process, the control unit computes an agreement between an object (X) contained in the map information based on an estimated position of the vehicle and an object (Y) on the road detected by an external environment recognition device (6), the permitted distance being smaller when the agreement is below a prescribed agreement threshold than when the agreement is equal to or above the agreement threshold.