Vehicle Controller Blind Area Detection for Automated Driving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control systems inaccurately determine the relief of traffic congestion due to failures in detecting leading vehicles, leading to erroneous mode switching between automated and manual driving.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle controller that determines whether the situation around the vehicle is detection-enabled by using sensors and map information to assess the presence of blind areas, only allowing congestion relief determination when the situation is detection-enabled, thereby preventing erroneous mode switching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a sensor system is used to detect leading vehicles for congestion determination, then automated driving control can be implemented, but detection failures occur in blind areas causing erroneous congestion relief determination
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary determination of blind areas using map information before attempting sensor-based detection. This preliminary action prevents erroneous congestion relief determination by identifying situations where sensor detection would be unreliable, thus resolving the contradiction between implementing automated control and ensuring reliable congestion determination.
2Ease of operation
If sensor-based detection is used to determine congestion relief, then control switching can be automated, but false positive detection occurs when leading vehicles are undetectable
Solution Approach 1:
Map information serves as an intermediary that mediates between sensor detection capabilities and congestion determination. By using map data to identify blind areas, the system avoids false positive detection of congestion relief in situations where leading vehicles are undetectable, thus improving measurement precision while maintaining automated control switching.
3Device complexity
If the system determines congestion relief based on sensor detection alone, then the system remains simple, but frequent erroneous determination occurs in blind areas
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges sensor-based detection with map information processing to determine congestion relief. This combination resolves the contradiction by integrating multiple information sources, thereby improving reliability of congestion relief determination without significantly increasing system complexity, as map data is already available in navigation systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle controller for automated driving control of a vehicle in traffic congestion includes a processor configured to determine whether the situation around the vehicle is a detection-enabled situation in which another vehicle traveling on a road within a predetermined distance of the vehicle in a travel direction of the vehicle is detectable by a sensor for detecting the situation around the vehicle, the sensor being mounted on the vehicle, and determine whether congestion is relieved around the vehicle, based on motion of the other vehicle detected based on a sensor signal obtained by the sensor, when the situation around the vehicle is the detection-enabled situation.