Vehicle Contextual Risk Profiling for Unroadworthy Traffic Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current driver assistance and autonomous vehicle systems assume surrounding vehicles are in good working order, lacking the ability to assess the roadworthiness of nearby vehicles, which can lead to increased risk of collisions and legal challenges.

Innovation Solution

A computing device in a vehicle evaluates contextual risk profiles by using publicly available data, such as vehicle inspection records and license plate information, to identify the roadworthiness of surrounding vehicles, allowing for risk mitigation actions like adjusting distance or providing alerts without relying on vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If driver assistance and autonomous vehicle systems assume surrounding vehicles are in good working order, then the system complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the reliability and safety are worsened due to inability to assess roadworthiness of nearby vehicles

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of operationVSAvoidreliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary assessment of surrounding vehicles by retrieving and analyzing inspection records, registration status, and ownership information before the host vehicle approaches or interacts with these vehicles. This advance evaluation allows the system to identify potential risks associated with unroadworthy vehicles, enabling proactive safety measures such as increased following distance or alternative routing decisions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the system retrieves and analyzes public data about surrounding vehicles to assess roadworthiness, then the reliability and safety are improved, but the device complexity and data processing requirements are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovereliabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs an intermediary data processing layer that acts as a mediator between raw public data sources (inspection records, registration databases) and the autonomous vehicle's decision-making algorithms. This intermediary layer pre-processes, validates, and structures the retrieved data into standardized formats, reducing the computational burden on the vehicle's primary processing systems while maintaining comprehensive safety assessment capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary assessment of surrounding vehicles by retrieving and analyzing inspection records, registration status, and ownership information before the host vehicle approaches or interacts with these vehicles. This advance evaluation allows the system to identify potential risks associated with unroadworthy vehicles, enabling proactive safety measures such as increased following distance or alternative routing decisions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If the system takes proactive measures around at-risk vehicles such as adjusting distance or providing alerts, then the safety is improved, but the loss of time and operational efficiency are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidloss of time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies partial safety measures based on the assessed risk level of surrounding vehicles. For low-risk vehicles, the system maintains normal operating parameters and minimal monitoring. For high-risk vehicles identified through data analysis, the system implements enhanced monitoring and selective safety measures such as increased following distance or speed reductions only in the vicinity of at-risk vehicles, rather than applying conservative measures universally. This differentiated approach maintains safety while minimizing unnecessary time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3697658B1Method and system for evaluating contextual risk profiles in a vehicle
Publication Date: 2024.03.13 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP3697658B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3697658B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3697658B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method for evaluating contextual risk profiles at a computing device (110, 212, 312) in a vehicle (310), the method including obtaining information about a proximate vehicle (320, 330); utilizing the information to create a risk profile for the proximate vehicle (320, 330); and based on the risk profile, initiating an action at computing device (110, 212, 312).