Tesla Files Patent For Automatic Turn Signals (cnet.com)

Tesla has filed a patent for automatic turn signals. The filing details a system that uses Autopilot sensors to determine when drivers are going to make a turn and signal automatically. CNET reports: Tesla wants its vehicles to signal automatically without the driver needing to go through the agony that is lifting their finger and moving it up or down by several inches. The way that Tesla envisions it working is that the car detects the driver's intent to change lanes or make a turn by using the Autopilot hardware at its disposal, it then works to sense if there are other vehicles nearby and if it detects them, it puts the signal on for the driver. If it works, it will be brilliant but given the fact that Tesla has remained adamant that it doesn't need driver monitoring systems for Autopilot, it seems questionable that the vehicle would be able to detect a driver's intent to turn based solely on external observation.

Comments

The point of turn signals

[OzPeter]

The point of turn signals is not to engage when the turn is in progress, but to indicate the intent of a turn. Doing it when the drive is pulling on the wheel to make the turn will go against the road rules of many locales.

Unless of course Tesla has developed a telepathic module for their cars. In which case I take back what I said.

Re:The point of turn signals

[Nkwe]

The point of turn signals is not to engage when the turn is in progress, but to indicate the intent of a turn. Doing it when the drive is pulling on the wheel to make the turn will go against the road rules of many locales.

In the addition, turn signals are supposed to be used whether *or not* there are other cars around. Technically some jurisdictions don't require signaling if there are no other vehicles around, but good driving practices suggest always signaling because 1) you might be wrong about no other vehicles being around (and if you haven't seen the other vehicle that is actually there, your signaling might just give the other driver enough warning that you are about to encroach on their space), and 2) always signaling builds a good habit and reduces one piece of driving cognitive load. If your brain isn't thinking about "do I have to single at this time" it has more cycles to think about other driving safety related issues.

Re:Detect Intent?

[ShanghaiBill]

So Tesla is doing mind reading tech now?

If you are using the built in GPS, then the car knows the destination. If the directions say to turn at the next intersection, and the driver merges into the right lane and slows down, it is reasonable to assume the intent is to turn. They can also keep a count of how often the driver turns without signaling, and "help" those with poor habits.

Anyway, 99% of "obvious" patents posted on Slashdot are really not so obvious. You have to read the "claims" section, written in dense legalize, to understand what is actually being patented, and it is usually very different from the headline written to manufacture outrage.

Disclaimer: I have not read the patent.

Re:Detect Intent?

[Rei]

Why don't people actually read the patent?

The patent is an extension on an already-extant concept of automatic turn signals based on a person about to leave a lane. These suffer from an excessive rate of false negatives and can annoy the driver. The patent extends the concept to reduce the rate of false negatives by checking to see if a turn signal would actually even benefit anyone, and if not, not bothering to turn it on. The flow chart (as spelled out in Fig. 12-14) is "Is vehicle about to cross lane line?" -> "Is driver applying steering action?" -> "Is another vehicle in the vicinity that would benefit?" -> "Activate turn signal". Other elements of nuance include things like where the road is going and thus whether the steering input is likely simply to keep the driver within their lane; and looking at the route the user has selected in navigation to see whether they're likely to (or at least supposed to) be taking a given exit and are likely switching lanes for that.

It's basically just taking more data into account in order to reduce the false positive rate on an already-existing concept.