Vehicle Safety System Dynamic Impact Sensor Sensitivity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle safety systems activate protection measures unnecessarily, leading to costly repairs and user dissatisfaction, as they lack the ability to determine if activation will effectively mitigate collision consequences.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a remote sensor to scan a selectable region in front of the vehicle, determining a free path, and temporarily lowering the sensitivity of an impact sensor to avoid activating protection systems unless a 'Fire Object' is detected, thereby preventing unnecessary activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the impact sensor uses high sensitivity to detect all potential collisions, then collision detection capability is improved, but unnecessary activation of protection systems occurs leading to costly repairs and user dissatisfaction
Solution Approach 1:
The remote sensor acts as an intermediary between the environment and the impact sensor. It scans the selectable region in front of the vehicle and provides advance warning of potential obstacles, allowing the control unit to adjust the impact sensor's sensitivity threshold before a false activation would occur. This mediator prevents the impact sensor from reacting to non-threatening objects while maintaining high sensitivity for real threats.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary scanning of the environment using the remote sensor before the impact sensor would detect a collision. By identifying potential obstacles in advance and classifying them as traversable or non-traversable, the system prepares the control unit to adjust sensitivity thresholds proactively, preventing unnecessary activations before they happen.
2Reliability
If the protection system is activated frequently to ensure safety, then safety coverage is improved, but repair costs increase and user dissatisfaction grows due to unnecessary activations
Solution Approach 1:
The remote sensor and control unit form an intermediary system that filters potential collision events before they reach the protection system. By classifying objects as traversable or non-traversable and adjusting sensitivity accordingly, the system ensures that protection measures are activated only when truly necessary, reducing unnecessary repairs while maintaining comprehensive safety coverage.
3Reliability
If the impact sensor sensitivity is lowered to avoid false activations, then false activation rate is reduced, but collision detection capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The impact sensor's sensitivity threshold is made dynamic rather than static. The control unit continuously adjusts the threshold based on real-time environmental data from the remote sensor. When the remote sensor detects traversable objects in the selectable region, the control unit lowers the sensitivity threshold to prevent false activations. When no such objects are detected, the threshold returns to normal, maintaining full collision detection capability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a method for operating a safety system (12) of a vehicle (10), which safety system (12) comprises a remote sensor (18), an impact sensor (20) and a protection system adapted to be activated by the impact sensor (20). The method comprises: - scanning a selectable region (16) in front of the vehicle (10) by means of the remote sensor (18), - determining that the selectable region (16) provides a free path for the vehicle (10) based on information from the remote sensor (18), and - lowering a sensitivity of the impact sensor (20). The disclosure further relates to the safety system (12) and a vehicle (10) comprising the safety system (12).