Vehicle Safety Actuation via Driver Behavior Limiting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing motor vehicle safety systems often activate safety measures in a manner that is perceived as annoying or disproportionate to the driver's assessment of the collision risk, as they prioritize electronic evaluations over driver behavior, leading to interventions that may contradict the driver's assessment of the situation.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that control safety devices in predetermined intervention stages, limiting the intervention level to the lower of the electronically determined risk of collision and the driver's behavior assessment, using variables such as accelerator pedal position and braking force to align safety measures with the driver's perception of the situation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the safety system activates safety means based on electronic evaluation of collision risk, then the reliability of collision avoidance is improved, but the driver perceives the intervention as annoying or disproportionate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecollision avoidance reliabilityVSAvoiddriver acceptance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates feedback from multiple sensors to continuously monitor driver behavior (accelerator pedal position, brake pedal position, steering angle) and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the intervention stage. When driver behavior indicates low risk (e.g., gradual accelerator release), the system limits the intervention stage to a lower level, preventing overly severe safety activations and improving driver acceptance while maintaining collision avoidance reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The intervention stage is made dynamic rather than static. The system transitions between different intervention stages (first, second, third stages with increasing severity) based on real-time evaluation of both collision risk and driver behavior. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt the level of safety intervention to the actual situation, preventing disproportionate interventions that would annoy the driver.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the safety system uses predetermined intervention stages with increasing severity, then the reliability of safety activation is improved, but the complexity of the control system increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety activation reliabilityVSAvoidcontrol system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The safety activation process is segmented into three distinct intervention stages with increasing severity. Each stage has specific activation criteria based on sensor evaluations. This segmentation allows the system to reliably activate appropriate safety measures while maintaining clear, manageable control logic for each stage, preventing the system from becoming overly complex.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes key parameters (accelerator pedal position, brake pedal position, steering angle) to determine the appropriate intervention stage. By monitoring these specific parameters and their rates of change, the system can reliably distinguish between different risk levels and select the appropriate intervention stage without requiring complex control algorithms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If the safety system limits intervention stage based on driver behavior assessment, then the driver acceptance is improved, but the measurement precision required for driver behavior detection increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriver acceptanceVSAvoiddriver behavior detection precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses existing sensors that serve multiple functions: the accelerator and brake pedal position sensors are used both for normal vehicle control and for assessing driver behavior in the safety system. The steering angle sensor serves both steering control and driver intent detection. This multi-functionality allows the system to improve driver acceptance through behavior-based intervention limiting without requiring additional specialized sensors or excessive measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2054281B1Actuation of safety means of a motor vehicle
Publication Date: 2013.12.25 CONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO OHG
  • EP2054281B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2054281B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2054281B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for actuating of safety means (116) in a motor vehicle (100) during a driving situation, wherein a collision between a motor vehicle (100) and an object in the surroundings (112) in the surroundings of the motor vehicle (100) can occur, wherein the safety means (116) can be controlled in predetermined intervention steps. The method is performed in such a way, that, depending on the determined movement data of the object in the surroundings (112), a risk for a collision between the motor vehicle (100) and the object in the surroundings (112) is determined, a first intervention stage is determined according to the collision risk, at least one value is determined, characterizing the behavior of a driver of the motor vehicle (100), wherein, depending on the determined value, a second intervention step is determined and the intervention step, wherein the safety means (116) are actuated, is limited to the lower first and second intervention stage. The invention further relates to a system suitable for the implementation of the method.