Vehicle Assistance Routing for Obstacle-Aware Passing Decisions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle assistance systems cannot provide appropriate safety assistance to vehicles affected by obstacles on the road, as they do not consider the varying influence of obstacles based on vehicle width and other characteristics.

Innovation Solution

A server-based vehicle assistance system that includes infrastructure sensors to detect obstacles, a server for identifying affected vehicles and determining passing ability, and in-vehicle devices for autonomous route adjustments, ensuring appropriate assistance is provided to vehicles affected by obstacles.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a vehicle assistance system uses external cameras to detect obstacles and provide safety assistance, then obstacle detection capability is improved, but the system cannot provide appropriate assistance considering individual vehicle characteristics such as width

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveobstacle detection capabilityVSAvoidadaptability to individual vehicle characteristics
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The server stores vehicle information including width, length, and height for multiple vehicles in advance. When an obstacle is detected, the server retrieves the specific vehicle's stored dimensions and uses them to determine whether that vehicle can pass through the gap, enabling personalized assistance before the vehicle reaches the obstacle

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The server acts as an intermediary between the external camera system and the vehicle control system. It receives obstacle position information from the camera, stores and retrieves vehicle-specific dimensional data, processes this information to determine passing ability, and sends appropriate guidance to the vehicle, thereby enabling individualized assistance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If the system provides generic obstacle warnings to all vehicles, then implementation complexity is reduced, but appropriate safety assistance for each vehicle cannot be provided

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem implementation complexityVSAvoidsafety assistance appropriateness
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Vehicle information including width, length, and height is stored in the server in advance for multiple vehicles. When an obstacle is detected, the server retrieves the specific vehicle's stored dimensions and uses them to determine whether that vehicle can pass through the gap, enabling personalized assistance before the vehicle reaches the obstacle

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The server determines passing ability by comparing specific parameters (vehicle width, length, height) against obstacle characteristics (gap dimensions, obstacle position). By changing and utilizing multiple vehicle parameters rather than providing generic warnings, the system achieves both low complexity and high reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3703030B1Server and vehicle assistance system
Publication Date: 2025.04.09 HITACHI LTD
  • EP3703030B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3703030B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3703030B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A server includes: an infrastructure linkage unit 106 that acquires sensing information from an infrastructure sensor 200, an affected vehicle identification unit 106that identifies a vehicle that is affected by an obstacle as an affected vehicle, a passing ability determination unit 108 that determines whether the affected vehicle is capable of passing by the obstacle, a route designing unit 109 that designs a detour route on which the affected vehicle travels to avoid the obstacle point, when the passing ability determination unit 108 determines the affected vehicle is not capable of passing, and a vehicle linkage unit 101 that has a function of communicating with a plurality of in-vehicle devices, the vehicle linkage unit 101 transmitting information about the detour route to the in-vehicle device installed in the affected vehicle among the plurality of in-vehicle devices.