Vehicle Overtaking Support via Preceding Route Probability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Overtaking scenarios in vehicles can be hazardous, especially in conditions with reduced visibility or when catching up slower vehicles like trucks, due to the lack of information about the preceding vehicle's route, leading to potentially unnecessary and risky overtakes.

Innovation Solution

An arrangement in a vehicle that includes a detector to measure closing velocity and distance, a communication unit to receive historical and navigation information from preceding vehicles, and a processing unit to determine the probability of the preceding vehicle's route, displayed to the driver to support informed decision-making, thereby reducing unnecessary overtakes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a driver performs an overtake maneuver to gain time by passing a slower vehicle, then the productivity (time savings) is improved, but the safety deteriorates when visibility is reduced or road conditions are hazardous

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime savings from overtakingVSAvoidsafety during overtaking maneuver
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary analysis of the preceding vehicle's probable route using historical route information and navigation data before the driver initiates an overtake maneuver. This advance information provision allows the driver to make informed decisions about whether to overtake, preventing hazardous maneuvers while still enabling time-saving overtakes when safe

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides feedback to the driver about the preceding vehicle's likely future position and route probability. This feedback loop enables the driver to adjust overtaking decisions based on real-time analysis of whether the preceding vehicle will remain in the current lane or change route, balancing safety with productivity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If a driver attempts to overtake a large vehicle (truck, bus, tractor) to maintain speed, then the productivity is improved, but the measurement precision of distance and speed estimation deteriorates due to obstructed view

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemaintaining speed by overtakingVSAvoiddistance and speed estimation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses communication units and detectors as intermediaries to obtain precise measurements of the preceding large vehicle's position, speed, and route information. These intermediary devices provide accurate data that compensates for the driver's obstructed view, enabling safe overtaking decisions while maintaining productivity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If a driver stays behind a slower vehicle to avoid hazardous overtaking, then the safety is improved, but the loss of time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety by avoiding risky overtakesVSAvoidtime lost by not overtaking
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary assessment of overtaking safety by analyzing the preceding vehicle's probable route and current road conditions before the driver decides to overtake or stay behind. This advance analysis prevents unnecessary time loss by identifying safe overtaking opportunities that would otherwise be missed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system autonomously monitors and analyzes the situation between the host vehicle and preceding vehicle, automatically providing route probability information without requiring continuous driver intervention. This self-service approach minimizes time loss by keeping the driver informed passively while maintaining safety

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP2851886B1Arrangement in a vehicle for providing vehicle driver support, a vehicle, and a method for providing vehicle driver support
Publication Date: 2018.04.11 VOLVO CAR CORP
  • EP2851886B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2851886B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2851886B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An arrangement (1), a vehicle (2) and a method (100) for providing vehicle driver support during manual or semi-autonomous driving in a potential overtake scenario are provided. The arrangement (1) comprises; a detector (4), a communication unit (5) arranged to receive from a preceding vehicle (3) information of a probable route of the preceding vehicle (3) based on at least one of preceding vehicle historical route information and preceding vehicle navigation system information, a processing unit (6), arranged to determine, for one or more routes ahead of the host vehicle (2), the probability that the preceding vehicle (3) will drive along the one or more route, to process the received information into a format suitable for display, and to display the processed information, thereby providing support to the vehicle driver.