Vehicle Safety System Controller Logic for Sensor Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle safety systems are unnecessarily deactivated due to the absence of detectable objects, leading to potential safety risks, especially in situations where sensors fail to detect objects due to environmental conditions or camera malfunctions.
Innovation Solution
A controller with control logic that integrates sensor and camera inputs to maintain the active vehicle safety system by receiving signals indicating the absence of detected objects and identifying non-vehicle objects through a camera, preventing unnecessary deactivation and deactivating the system only when environmental conditions are adverse and camera faults are present.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the vehicle safety system deactivates when no objects are detected by the sensor, then the system reliability is improved by avoiding false safety activations, but the system availability deteriorates by unnecessary shutdowns in situations like country highways
Solution Approach 1:
The camera serves as an intermediary sensor to verify when the primary sensor's lack of detection is due to environmental conditions rather than sensor failure. The camera captures visual data of the road environment, and when non-vehicle objects (debris, animals, etc.) are detected, it confirms that the sensor's absence of detection is legitimate, allowing the safety system to remain active without false shutdowns.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera performs multiple functions: it monitors for non-vehicle objects in the sensor's field of view, verifies environmental conditions, and provides backup detection capability. This multi-functionality allows the system to distinguish between sensor failures and legitimate absence of detectable objects, resolving the contradiction between reliability and availability.
2Device complexity
If the system uses only sensor detection to determine safety system status, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision deteriorates by inability to distinguish sensor failure from environmental conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges data from two different sensor types (primary sensor and camera) to achieve more accurate determination of safety system status. By combining sensor detection data with camera visual verification, the system can precisely distinguish between sensor failures and environmental conditions causing absence of detectable objects, improving measurement precision without excessive complexity.
3Productivity
If the system maintains active status when camera detects non-vehicle objects, then the safety system availability is improved, but the reliability deteriorates by potentially maintaining active status during actual sensor failures
Solution Approach 1:
The camera provides continuous feedback about the environmental conditions in the sensor's field of view. When non-vehicle objects are detected, this feedback confirms that the sensor's lack of detection is due to environmental factors, not sensor failure. This feedback mechanism allows the system to confidently maintain active status, improving availability while preserving reliability through verified environmental context.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of an apparatus and method for determining the operation of a vehicle safety system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the controller for a safety system comprises a sensor input for receiving a signal from a safety system sensor; a camera input for receiving a signal from a camera; and a processor having control logic. The control logic is capable of receiving the sensor signal indicating an absence of detected objects in a field of view of the safety system sensor; receiving the camera signal indicating at least one non-vehicle object identified in the field of view of the camera; and maintaining the active vehicle safety system as active in response to the sensor signal indicating the absence of detected objects and the camera signal indicating the identification of at least one visual non-vehicle object.