Vehicle Traffic Light Display for Complex Intersection Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drivers face difficulties in identifying and navigating traffic lights, especially in complex intersections or when sunlight is distracting, and must continuously monitor traffic lights while stopped, leading to driver fatigue.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle traffic light information display apparatus and method that determines the driving direction using vehicle surrounding images, location, and turn indicator status, and generates traffic light indication information for navigation guidance routes, transmitting this information to various in-vehicle displays and audio outputs, and providing departure notifications when the traffic light changes to a progress signal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a driver manually monitors traffic lights at complex intersections, then traffic light recognition accuracy is improved, but driver fatigue increases and reaction time decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by allowing the vehicle's own sensors, processors, and communication devices to automatically detect, recognize, and monitor traffic lights without requiring continuous driver attention. The vehicle autonomously performs traffic light detection and provides feedback to the driver, eliminating the need for manual monitoring while maintaining high recognition accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical system of manual driver monitoring with an automated electronic system comprising image sensors, processors, and communication devices. This substitution transforms the traffic light monitoring function from a human-cognitive task to an automated computational process, improving both accuracy and reducing driver fatigue.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple traffic lights are present at an intersection, then navigation complexity increases, but driver ability to identify relevant traffic light decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback by continuously monitoring the driver's navigation route and comparing it with the positions of detected traffic lights. It provides selective feedback to the driver about which traffic lights are relevant to the current route, filtering out irrelevant lights and reducing identification difficulty while maintaining adaptability to complex intersection configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the relevant traffic light information from the complete set of detected traffic lights by filtering based on the navigation route. This extraction process separates critical information (traffic lights on the current route) from non-critical information (other traffic lights), making it easier for the driver to identify and respond to the correct signals.
3Reliability
If driver continuously watches traffic light while stopped, then traffic light status awareness is improved, but driver fatigue increases
Solution Approach 1:
While the vehicle is stopped, the automated system continues to monitor and track traffic light status changes independently. It provides active feedback to the driver when status changes occur, eliminating the need for continuous driver vigilance while maintaining reliable traffic light status awareness and reducing fatigue during stopped periods.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If sunlight illuminates driver's eyes, then visibility conditions worsen, but traffic light recognition capability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary electronic system that mediates between the physical traffic light signals and the driver's perception. Image sensors and processing devices act as intermediaries to detect and recognize traffic lights under various lighting conditions, compensating for the harmful effects of sunlight on direct visual recognition and maintaining reliable detection capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle traffic light information display apparatus includes a communication device that receives at least one of a vehicle surrounding image, vehicle location information, lane driving direction information, turn indicator status information, a navigation guidance route, or any combination thereof, a driving direction determiner that determines a driving direction of a vehicle based on at least one of the vehicle surrounding image, the vehicle location information, the lane driving direction information, the turn indicator status information, or any combination thereof, and a traffic light indication information generator that recognizes a traffic light around the vehicle based on the vehicle surrounding image and generates traffic light indication information based on at least one of the recognized traffic light, the driving direction, the navigation guidance route, or any combination thereof.