Vehicle Control System Emergency Stop Area Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle control systems fail to select an appropriate stop area for emergency situations, neglecting the possibility of the driver resuming driving, which can result in the vehicle being stopped at an unsuitable location.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control system that includes a control unit, an occupant monitoring device, and an external environment recognition device, which determines a stop area based on the driver's ability to resume driving by calculating a driving resuming ratio and comparing it to a threshold, selecting a stop area that is closer or involves lower risk depending on the driver's condition and the presence of capable occupants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the vehicle is stopped at the nearest stop area to minimize rescue time, then the rescue operation can be performed quickly, but the driver may be unable to resume driving if stopped at an unsuitable location
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the selection parameter for stop areas from purely distance-based to a composite parameter that includes both distance and driver resume capability. The control unit calculates a 'driving resuming ratio' based on occupant monitoring device data and uses this to dynamically adjust which stop area is selected, balancing speed of rescue with likelihood of driver recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop area selection is made dynamic rather than static. The system continuously monitors driver state and adjusts the stop area selection in real-time. If the driver's condition improves or worsens during the process, the system can recalculate and select a different stop area, making the evacuation process adaptive to changing conditions.
2Reliability
If the vehicle stops at a stop area suitable for driver resumption, then the driver can resume driving, but it may take longer to reach the stop area compared to the nearest one
Solution Approach 1:
The system modifies the selection criteria by introducing a weighted evaluation that considers both travel time and driver resume probability. Instead of minimizing only distance/time, the control unit evaluates multiple stop areas using a composite metric that balances these two factors, allowing the system to select the optimal compromise based on current driver condition.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit pre-calculates and stores multiple candidate stop areas with their respective distances and suitability ratings before an emergency occurs. When driver incapability is detected, the system quickly retrieves and evaluates these pre-identified options rather than searching for stop areas in real-time, reducing the decision-making time while still considering driver resume capability.
3Productivity
If the vehicle stops at the nearest stop area, then the evacuation process is completed quickly, but the stop location may not be appropriate for the driver's condition
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-identifies and stores multiple candidate stop areas with their characteristics (distance, type, accessibility) before an emergency situation arises. When driver incapability is detected, the control unit immediately evaluates these pre-prepared options against the driver's current condition and selects the most appropriate one, enabling fast decision-making without compromising location suitability.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop area selection process is made dynamic and adaptive. Rather than following a fixed algorithm that always selects the nearest stop area, the system dynamically adjusts its selection based on real-time driver condition data from the occupant monitoring device, ensuring the chosen stop area is appropriate for the specific emergency situation while still maintaining efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
In a vehicle control system (1, 101), a control unit is configured to execute a stop process by which the vehicle is parked in a prescribed stop area 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 the stop process, the control unit extracts a plurality of available stop areas according to information from at least one of an external environment recognition device and a map device, and selects a stop area from the available stop areas (A, B) by taking into account a possibility of the driver resuming driving the vehicle after the stop process has been initiated according to a result of monitoring the driver by an occupant monitoring device.