Development of Automatic Door Lock System to Help Prevent Collisions between Opened Doors and Approaching Vehicles When Exiting Vehicle

Collisions between opened doors and approaching vehicles such as bicycles are common occurrences in urban areas around the world. For example, in Chicago, 20% of all bicycle accidents involve collisions with doors, which occur over 300 times a year. In addition, there are concerns about a further rise in accidents due to the recent increase in home delivery services and bicycle commuting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that are designed to help prevent this type of accident have already been introduced. These systems detect approaching vehicles with sensors and alert the person opening the door via LED lights or a buzzer when the door is opened. The occupant must understand the meaning of the alert and stop opening the door quickly to prevent an accident. However, if the occupant is an elderly person or a child, it is difficult to stop opening the door quickly. One possible countermeasure for this issue is an ADAS that completely locks the door if there is a possibility of collision with the door. This paper presents how this function can be realized. This paper also presents voice guidance as a method of removing the fear of being trapped, which is a new issue associated with the realization of a complete door lock system, and a method of unlocking the door by special operation of the door open button when the occupant wants to open the door even if there is a possibility of collision of present.