Autonomous Vehicle Path Control via User Device Acknowledgment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in interacting with people nearby, particularly in ensuring that users are aware of their intended path to prevent accidents, as existing systems lack effective communication and adaptation mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that utilize processing circuitry and memory circuitry with computer program code to identify user devices, provide information about the vehicle's intended path, determine user acknowledgment, and modify the vehicle's path if necessary, including establishing local wireless communication links and using three-dimensional model information to assess visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If autonomous vehicles communicate their intended path to nearby users, then user awareness and safety are improved, but system complexity and communication requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses user devices (smartphones, wearables) as intermediaries to receive and display vehicle path information. The vehicle's apparatus communicates intended path data to these intermediary devices, which then present the information to users in an accessible format. This mediator approach improves safety by ensuring users receive critical information while avoiding the complexity of direct vehicle-to-user interface implementation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the vehicle apparatus receives acknowledgment notifications from user devices confirming that users have viewed the intended path information. This feedback loop ensures that safety-critical information has been successfully communicated to users before the vehicle proceeds, improving reliability while maintaining manageable system complexity through structured communication protocols.
2Reliability
If the vehicle modifies its path based on user acknowledgment, then accident prevention is improved, but vehicle productivity and route efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary communication of the intended path to users before the vehicle executes its maneuver. By notifying users in advance and allowing them to acknowledge the path information, the system proactively prevents potential accidents before they occur. This preliminary action approach balances safety improvements with route efficiency, as the communication happens during the vehicle's approach phase rather than causing last-minute route changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle's path modification capability is implemented as a dynamic response mechanism rather than a static constraint. The vehicle maintains its planned efficient route but possesses the dynamic ability to modify the path if user acknowledgment is not received. This dynamic approach allows the system to optimize for route efficiency under normal conditions while maintaining accident prevention capabilities when needed.
3Loss of information
If the system identifies and communicates with all nearby user devices, then user awareness is improved, but information loss and communication reliability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by prioritizing communication with user devices based on their proximity to the vehicle's intended path and potential impact. Rather than uniformly communicating with all detected devices, the apparatus identifies and prioritizes users whose paths are most likely to be affected by the vehicle's maneuver. This selective approach ensures critical information reaches the most relevant users, improving both awareness and communication reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary identification and prioritization of target user devices before communication occurs. By pre-processing the list of nearby devices and ranking them based on relevance to the vehicle's intended path, the system ensures that communication resources are directed to the most critical users first. This preliminary action approach maximizes the effectiveness of communication while maintaining reliability even when not all users can be reached.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, method and computer program wherein the method comprises: processing circuitry; and memory circuitry including computer program code; the memory circuitry and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, cause the apparatus at least to perform: identifying at least one user device associated with a user;enabling information indicative of an intended path of a vehicle to be provided to the at least one identified user device; determining whether or not the apparatus has received a notification that the user has acknowledged the information indicative of the intended path of the vehicle; and if the apparatus has not received the notification, enabling modification of the intended path of the vehicle.