Vehicle Green Zone Control for Pedestrian Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Eco-friendly vehicles, such as electric and hybrid vehicles, pose a safety risk due to their low driving noise, making it difficult for pedestrians to perceive their presence, leading to potential accidents, especially in designated Green Zones where speed restrictions apply.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control system that includes a position receiver, communicator, and controller to detect entry into a Green Zone, decelerate the vehicle, activate a virtual engine sound system, and use emergency lighting to alert pedestrians, while allowing drivers to select the Green Zone mode and adjust regenerative braking for maximum efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If eco-friendly vehicles operate with minimal driving noise to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, then environmental friendliness is improved, but pedestrian safety deteriorates due to reduced perceptibility
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of Green Zones using map information and position data before the vehicle enters them. When a Green Zone is detected, the controller proactively activates warning systems (emergency lights, virtual engine sound) and prepares speed restriction control, allowing the vehicle to alert pedestrians and adjust speed before actually entering the pedestrian-sensitive area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtual engine sound system that generates artificial acoustic signals to mediate between the silent electric motor operation and pedestrian awareness needs. This intermediary sound source compensates for the lack of natural engine noise without requiring actual combustion, bridging the gap between eco-friendly operation and pedestrian safety.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the vehicle activates emergency lighting and virtual engine sound to warn pedestrians, then pedestrian safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller integrates multiple functions into a single control unit: it manages position reception, map information processing, Green Zone detection, emergency light control, virtual engine sound system control, and speed restriction management. This multi-functional approach consolidates what could be separate complex systems into one coordinated controller, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive safety functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the vehicle's existing infrastructure (controller, position receiver, communication system) to perform safety functions. Rather than requiring entirely new dedicated systems, the patent leverages components already present in modern vehicles, having them serve dual purposes (normal operation and safety warning) to minimize additional complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the vehicle automatically restricts speed in Green Zones, then pedestrian safety is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to reduced driver control
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the vehicle's position using position receivers and compares it with stored map information about Green Zones. This feedback loop allows the controller to automatically detect when the vehicle is approaching, entering, or leaving Green Zones, enabling dynamic speed restriction control that activates only when needed rather than imposing constant limitations on the driver.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle is provided to improve driving and pedestrian safety. The vehicle includes a position receiver that receives a position of the vehicle and a communicator that receives map information including Green Zone position information. A controller operates the vehicle to travel in a Green Zone mode from a section start point of a Green Zone to a section end point of the Green Zone when it is predicted that the vehicle enters the Green Zone from the position of the vehicle received from the position receiver.