External Vehicle Signaling for Path-Intersection Intent Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
In autonomous vehicles, there is a lack of effective communication of driving intentions to other vehicles and pedestrians, leading to potential disruptions in traffic flow and increased risk of collisions due to unclear intentions.
Innovation Solution
A controller apparatus that uses sensors and communication networks to generate external communications, such as audible and visual signals, to indicate the vehicle's intentions to other road users, including messages about path intersections, velocities, and actions like turning or slowing down, thereby enhancing awareness and reducing conflicts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If autonomous vehicles operate without external communication signals, then device complexity is reduced, but information loss occurs as other road users cannot perceive the vehicle's intentions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs visual display devices as intermediary elements that translate the autonomous vehicle's internal driving intentions into externally perceivable signals. These displays act as mediators between the vehicle's control system and other road users, conveying information about intended maneuvers without requiring complex inter-vehicle communication protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces traditional mechanical communication methods (such as horn signals or physical gestures) with electronic visual display systems. This substitution allows for more sophisticated and nuanced communication of driving intentions while maintaining system simplicity through software-based control of display elements.
2Reliability
If external communication signals are implemented, then reliability of traffic interaction improves, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and communication networks
Solution Approach 1:
The visual display devices serve multiple functions: they communicate driving intentions to other road users, provide feedback to the vehicle's control system about environmental conditions, and can display various types of information depending on the situation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent integrates the external communication function with the vehicle's existing visual interface systems (such as head-up displays or instrument cluster displays). By merging the communication function with existing display infrastructure, the system achieves improved reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
3Loss of information
If the vehicle communicates all intentions continuously, then information completeness improves, but energy consumption increases due to constant signal transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The system updates visual communication signals periodically or event-driven rather than continuously. Displays are activated or updated when there is a change in driving intention or when relevant to the current traffic situation, reducing energy consumption while maintaining information completeness when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication system dynamically adjusts its information output based on contextual factors such as traffic density, proximity to other vehicles, and current maneuver complexity. This dynamic adaptation ensures information completeness is maintained in critical situations while conserving energy during routine operations.
4Ease of operation
If visual and audible signals are used for communication, then ease of operation improves for other road users, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to potential distraction or confusion
Solution Approach 1:
The visual display devices are positioned and oriented to target specific directions or locations based on the vehicle's surrounding environment. Signals are directed toward relevant road users (e.g., pedestrians in crosswalks, vehicles in adjacent lanes) rather than omnidirectional broadcasting, improving ease of operation for intended recipients while minimizing distraction to others.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses color variations in visual displays to encode different types of information or urgency levels. This allows road users to quickly grasp the nature of the communication without complex symbols or text, improving ease of operation while reducing the risk of misinterpretation through intuitive color coding.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer readable storage media for external vehicle communication are described. A method for external vehicle communication may include determining a vehicular path for a vehicle and an extra-vehicular path for an extra-vehicular object external to the vehicle, the vehicular path based on vehicle state data including a vehicle velocity and a vehicle orientation, the extra-vehicular path based on extra-vehicular state data including an object velocity and an object orientation of the extra-vehicular object; determining when the vehicular path will intercept the extra-vehicular path based on the vehicle state data and the extra-vehicular state data; determining an object identity for the extra-vehicular object and a distance between the vehicle and the extra-vehicular object; and generating at least one external communication based on the object identity when the distance between the vehicle and the extra-vehicular object is less than a predetermined threshold distance.