Radar-optical fusion articles and systems

Abstract

A radar-optical fusion article for attachment to a substrate is described. The radar-optical fusion article includes a first retroreflective layer configured to retroreflect at least a portion of light having a wavelength in a range from about 400 nm to about 2500 nm. The radar-optical fusion article includes a second retroreflective layer disposed adjacent to the first retroreflective layer. The second retroreflective layer is configured to retroreflect at least a portion of an electromagnetic wave having a frequency in a range from about 0.5 GHz to about 100 GHz.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates in its entirety to articles used for identification. Background Technology

[0002] Driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving assistance systems typically use various sensors to detect objects around the vehicle. For example, image sensors are used to identify objects in the image sensor's field of view by generating spatial images. Some ADAS use radar sensors to provide information about the speed and distance of objects. However, these ADAS cannot distinguish objects in various scenarios. For example, in situations where a driver is operating a micro-mobile device (such as an electric scooter), the vehicle's ADAS may fail to detect the micro-mobile device because it has a smaller profile compared to the driver. In other scenarios, the ADAS may classify the micro-mobile device and the driver as the same entity (due to similar radar cross-sections), leading to false detections. ADAS may also fail to distinguish between pedestrians and micro-mobile devices. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Generally, this disclosure relates to a radar optical fusion article for identifying a substrate to which the radar optical fusion article is attached. In one aspect, a radar optical fusion article for attachment to a substrate is described. The radar optical fusion article includes a first retroreflective layer configured to reflect at least a portion of light with a wavelength in the range of about 400 nanometers (nm) to about 2500 nm. The radar optical fusion article includes a second retroreflective layer disposed adjacent to the first retroreflective layer. The second retroreflective layer is configured to reflect at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with a frequency in the range of about 0.5 GHz to about 100 GHz.

[0004] In another aspect, a micromobile device is described. The micromobile device includes a chassis having a rear wheel mount at one end and a front wheel mount at the other end, wherein a chassis support member extends between the rear wheel mount and the front wheel mount. The micromobile device includes a chassis-supported rear wheel mounted to the rear wheel mount. The micromobile device includes a chassis-supported front wheel mounted to the front wheel mount for steering movement relative to the front wheel mount and the chassis-supported rear wheel. The micromobile device also includes a chassis-supported motor physically coupled to the chassis and configured by a motor controller to drive at least one of the chassis-supported front wheel or chassis-supported rear wheel for powered movement on the ground. The micromobile device includes a radar optical fusion article attached to at least a portion of the micromobile device. The radar optical fusion article includes a first retroreflective layer configured to reflect at least a portion of light with wavelengths in the range of about 400 nm to about 2500 nm. The radar optical fusion article includes a second retroreflective layer disposed adjacent to the first retroreflective layer. The second echo layer is configured to reflect at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with echo frequencies ranging from about 0.5 GHz to about 100 GHz.

[0005] In another aspect, a system is described. The system includes a first transceiver configured to receive at least a portion of light with wavelengths ranging from about 400 nm to about 2500 nm. The light is reflected from a first retroreflection layer configured for attachment to a radar optical fusion article on a substrate. The system includes a second transceiver configured to receive at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from about 0.5 GHz to about 100 GHz. The electromagnetic waves are reflected from a second retroreflection layer disposed adjacent to the first retroreflection layer. The system includes a controller communicatively coupled to the first and second transceivers. The controller is configured to process the reflected electromagnetic waves received by the second transceiver to determine the location of the substrate. The controller is configured to control the first transceiver to receive reflected light from the first retroreflection layer based on the location of the substrate. The controller is configured to process the reflected light received by the first transceiver to generate an output signal identifying the substrate.

[0006] In another aspect, an article of manufacture configured for attachment to a substrate is described. The article of manufacture includes a first retroreflective layer configured to reflect at least a portion of light with wavelengths in the range of about 400 nm to about 2500 nm back to a first transceiver. The article of manufacture includes a second retroreflective layer disposed adjacent to the first retroreflective layer. The second retroreflective layer is configured to reflect at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with frequencies in the range of about 0.5 GHz to 100 GHz back to the second transceiver. The reflected electromagnetic waves are processed to determine the location of the substrate. The first transceiver is controlled to receive the reflected light from the first retroreflective layer based on the location of the substrate.

[0007] In another aspect, a computing device is described. The computing device includes one or more computer processors and a memory, the memory including instructions executable by the one or more computer processors. The memory includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to process at least a portion of light with wavelengths in the range of about 400 nm to about 2500 nm, wherein the light is reflected from a first echo layer of a radar optical fusion article configured for attachment to a substrate. The memory includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to process at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with frequencies in the range of about 0.5 GHz to about 100 GHz, wherein the electromagnetic waves are reflected from a second echo layer disposed adjacent to the first echo layer. The memory includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to determine the location of a substrate based on the processing of the reflected electromagnetic waves. The memory includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to control a first transceiver to receive reflected light from the first echo layer based on the location of the substrate, wherein reflected electromagnetic waves from the second echo layer are received by a second transceiver. Attached Figure Description

[0008] This disclosure can be more fully understood in conjunction with the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Similar numbers used in the drawings refer to similar parts. However, it should be understood that the use of numbers to refer to parts in a given drawing is not intended to limit parts labeled with the same numbers in another drawing.

[0009] Figure 1 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an exemplary physical environment having a transportation system including one or more micro-mobile devices according to the technology of this disclosure.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary micromobile device according to the technology of this disclosure.

[0011] Figure 3A This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a radar-optical fusion article according to the technology of this disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3B and Figure 3C This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the second retroreflection layer of a radar optical fusion article according to the technology of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the filter layer of a radar optical fusion article according to the technology of this disclosure.

[0014] Figures 5A to 5F This is a schematic diagram illustrating various examples of filtering layers according to the technology of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of a system for identifying radar-optical fusion articles according to the technology disclosed herein.

[0016] Figure 7 This is a block diagram of a computing device for identifying radar-optical fusion articles according to the technology disclosed herein.

[0017] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating exemplary operation of a computing device for identifying radar-optical fusion articles according to the technology of this disclosure.

[0018] Figures 9 to 11 A system for implementing the techniques and articles of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0019] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof, and various embodiments are illustrated therein. It should be understood that other embodiments can be conceived and made without departing from the scope or spirit of this disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be considered limiting.

[0020] As used herein, the term "reflection" may include using a retroreflector (e.g., a triangular cone or Van Atta array) to reflect a signal back in the direction it came from.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an exemplary physical environment of a transportation system 100 including one or more micro-mobile devices according to the technology of this disclosure. Figure 1 In the example, transportation system 100 includes a variety of different infrastructure elements (generally referred to as "infrastructure"). For example... Figure 1 As shown in the example, the infrastructure may include dedicated transport routes 102A-102D (collectively referred to as transport routes 102) that are located and oriented within the environment, and infrastructure artifacts 104A-104E (collectively referred to as infrastructure artifacts 104).

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the transportation system 100 includes one or more micromobile devices 106A-106C (collectively referred to as micromobile devices 106). Examples of micromobile devices 106 include electric food delivery devices, electric hoverboards or skateboards, electric scooters, or other small surface devices that can be used on or travel on roads or sidewalks. Micromobile devices 106 can operate on transportation path 102. (See reference...) Figure 2In more detail, in this example, the micromobile device 106 includes a chassis, front wheels, rear wheels, an electric motor, a steering assembly, and a radar-optical fusion article 108 (also referred to as article 108). In this example, the chassis includes a rear wheel mount at one end of the chassis, a front wheel mount at the opposite end of the chassis, and a chassis support extending horizontally between the rear wheel mount and the front wheel mount. The front and rear wheels are respectively mounted to the front wheel mount and the rear wheel mount of the chassis. The front wheel mount is coupled to the steering assembly. In some examples, the steering assembly includes a lever such that turning the lever causes the front wheels to rotate. In some examples, the electric motor is physically coupled to the chassis and configured by a motor controller to drive at least one of the chassis-supported front wheels or chassis-supported rear wheels for powered movement on the ground.

[0023] Examples of transport routes 102 include vehicle routes (e.g., routes 102A, 102D), bicycle routes (e.g., route 102B), or pedestrian routes (e.g., route 102C). In other examples, transport route 102 may be a sidewalk, public space, or other surface not specifically designed for certain types of vehicles or traffic. Vehicles 110A-110C (collectively referred to as vehicles 110) may use vehicle routes (e.g., 102A, 102D) to transport people or goods. Examples of vehicles 110 include automobiles (e.g., 110B, 110C), such as cars, trucks, buses; scooters; recreational vehicles (RVs); or trucks (e.g., 110A), etc. Examples of vehicle routes may also include alleyways, streets, and highways (or vehicle-specific sections thereof, such as vehicle driving lanes), etc. Bicycle routes (e.g., 102B) may be used by bicycles or vehicles and bicycles. Examples of bicycle routes include streets or sections of streets designated for bicycles, bicycle trailers, etc. In some cases, pedestrian paths (e.g., 102C) are primarily used by pedestrians 112. Examples of pedestrian paths include pedestrian walkways or jogging paths. In some examples, one path in transport path 102 may include two or more different types of paths. For example, transport path 102A may include a vehicle driving lane of a vehicle path and a bicycle path adjacent to the driving lane. Transport path 102 may include portions not limited to the respective path itself. In examples of transport path 102A (e.g., a vehicle path), transport path 102A may include any other physical structure of characteristics or features of objects / structures near or adjacent to the path, such as toll booths, railway crossing equipment, traffic lights, or guardrails.

[0024] Examples of infrastructure artifacts 104 include road markings (e.g., infrastructure artifact 104A), road signs (e.g., infrastructure artifact 104B), license plates (e.g., infrastructure artifact 104C), conspicuous strips (e.g., infrastructure artifact 104D), and hazard markers (e.g., infrastructure artifact 104E, such as building cylinders, traffic cones, traffic barriers, safety barriers, etc.). To name just a few examples, road markings may include liquid markings, strips, or raised road markings. In some examples, road markings may include sensors, materials, or structures that allow detection of the markings and / or information communication between the road markings and receiving devices. Additional examples of infrastructure artifacts 104 include traffic lights, guardrails, billboards, electronic traffic signs (also known as variable message signs), etc. Infrastructure artifacts 104 may include information detectable by one or more sensors disposed in the transportation system 100.

[0025] In some examples, infrastructure artifacts (such as infrastructure artifact 104B) may include artifact messages on the physical surface of infrastructure artifact 104B. Artifact messages may include characters, images, and / or any other information that may be printed, formed, or otherwise embodied on infrastructure artifact 104B. For example, each infrastructure artifact 104B may have a physical surface on which artifact messages are contained. Artifact messages may include human-perceptible information and machine-perceptible information.

[0026] Human-perceptible information may include information indicating one or more primary characteristics of a route, such as information generally intended to be interpreted by a human driver. In other words, human-perceptible information can provide a human-perceptible representation of at least a portion of transport route 102. As described herein, human-perceptible information generally refers to information indicating general characteristics of a transport route and intended to be interpreted by a human driver. For example, human-perceptible information may include words (e.g., “stop”, etc.), symbols, graphics (e.g., an arrow indicating that the road ahead includes a sharp turn), or shapes (e.g., signs or lane markings). Human-perceptible information may include the color of artifacts, artifact messages, or other characteristics of infrastructure artifacts, such as boundary or background colors. For example, some background colors may indicate only information, such as “viewpoint,” while other colors may indicate potential hazards (e.g., a red octagon for a stop sign, or double yellow lines for a no-entry zone).

[0027] In some cases, human-perceptible information may correspond to words or symbols included in specifications. For example, in the United States, human-perceptible information may correspond to words or symbols included in the Uniform Traffic Control Equipment Manual (MUTCD), published by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), which includes specifications for many common road signs. Other countries have similar specifications for traffic control symbols and equipment.

[0028] Machine-sensible information generally refers to information configured to be monitored by a monitoring system (such as reference). Figure 6 (Described in more detail) The information to be interpreted, such as that installed on micromobile device 106 and / or vehicle 110. For example, artifact messages may be encoded via two-dimensional barcodes (such as QR codes). In some examples, machine-perceptible information may be interpretable by a human driver. In other words, machine-perceptible information may include features of a graphic symbol that is a computer-interpretable visual characteristic of a graphic symbol. In some examples, machine-perceptible information may be related to human-perceptible information, for example, providing additional context for the human-perceptible information. In the example of an arrow indicating a sharp turn, human-perceptible information may be a general representation of the arrow, while machine-perceptible information may provide an indication of the shape of the turn, including the turning radius, any slope of the road, the distance from the sign to the turn, etc. Additional information may be visible to one or more human operators of micromobile device 106 and / or vehicle 110; however, additional information may not be easily interpreted by human operators, especially regarding speed. In other examples, additional information may not be visible to human operators but may still be machine-readable through the monitoring system of micromobile device 106 and / or vehicle 110. In some examples, infrastructure article 104 may be an optically active article that can be readily detected by a vision system having an infrared camera or other cameras configured to detect electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation may have wavelengths covering one or more bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, including the visible band (such as light in the wavelength range of about 400 nm to about 700 nm), the infrared band (such as light in the wavelength range of about 700 nm to about 2500 nm), the ultraviolet band, and so on. For example, infrastructure article 104 may be reflective, such as retroreflective, within one or more bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, which can be readily detected by the vision system of micromobile device 106 and / or vehicle 110. In other examples, infrastructure article 104 may be a radar-active article that can be readily detected by a radar system. The electromagnetic radiation may have wavelengths covering one or more bands of the electromagnetic spectrum typically used for radar frequencies, such as the frequency range of about 75 GHz to about 81 GHz.

[0029] Product messages can indicate various types of information. In some examples, a product message may, for instance, provide static information related to a region of a transport path 102 for a micromobile device 106. Static information may include any information related to navigation of the transport path 102, which is associated with the product message and remains unchanged. For example, certain characteristics of the transport path 102 may be standardized and / or commonly used, allowing the product message to correspond to a predefined category or operational characteristic of the respective path. As some examples, a product message may indicate navigation characteristics or features of the path, operational rules for the path, or a set of operational rules, etc.

[0030] Infrastructure article 104 may include a variety of indicators and / or markers. For example, infrastructure article 104 may include one or more of the following: optical tags, radio frequency identification tags, RFID tags, radar tags, magnetic tags, acoustic surface patterns, or materials configured to provide a specific mark to electromagnetic signals incident on the material. In some examples, infrastructure article 104 may transmit or receive data to / from micromobile device 106 or vehicle 110 via near field communication (NFC) protocols and signals, lasers, radar, or infrared-based readers or other communication types.

[0031] See Figure 1 The radar-optical fusion article 108 (or article 108) is attached to the substrate 114. In this example, the substrate 114 is part of the micromobile device 106. However, in some cases, the article 108 may be attached to other substrates 114. The substrate 114 may be the physical surface of the vehicle 100, infrastructure article 104, micromobile device 106, building, person, clothing article (e.g., construction vest), or wearable article (e.g., helmet), or any article that needs to be identified, such as a wheelchair, stroller, mailbox, light beam, machine, or packaging.

[0032] The article 108 is configured to reflect back at least a portion of light incident on the article 108. The wavelength of the light is in the range of about 400 nm to about 2500 nm. Additionally, the article 108 is configured to reflect back at least a portion of electromagnetic waves incident on the article 108. The frequency of the electromagnetic waves is in the range of about 0.5 GHz to about 100 GHz. The electromagnetic waves are received and processed by the monitoring system 116. Figure 1 As shown, a monitoring system 116 is provided in vehicle 110B to monitor the surrounding environment of vehicle 110B. Monitoring system 116 includes one or more sensors that sense the characteristics of the environment, infrastructure, and other objects around vehicle 110B. Some examples of sensors may include image sensors, radar, sonar, LiDAR, etc. These sensors generate sensor data indicating the sensed characteristics. When an object can be detected by one or more sensors of monitoring system 116, the object may be near vehicle 110B. In some cases, monitoring system 116 may be located on other vehicles 110A, 110C, micromobile devices 106, infrastructure artifacts 104, or buildings. Furthermore, one or more monitoring systems 116 may be configured to communicate with each other and share information about detected objects.

[0033] Monitoring system 116 is configured to process reflected electromagnetic waves to determine the characteristics of substrate 114 of attached article 108. For example, monitoring system 116 may process reflected radar signals to determine the location of substrate 114. Additionally, monitoring system 116 may use the location of substrate 114 to gather more information about substrate 114 and / or article 108. In one example, when determining location, monitoring system 116 is configured to receive reflected light from article 108. In one example, the wavelength of the reflected light is in the range of about 700 nm to about 2500 nm. Monitoring system 116 is configured to process the reflected light to generate an output signal that identifies substrate 114. As an example, monitoring system 116 may generate an optical image from the reflected light and process only the area of ​​the optical image surrounding the location to identify substrate 114. In some cases, the output signal may provide at least one of visual, auditory, and tactile cues to the driver of vehicle 110B. Alternatively, the output signal may be uploaded to an internet server, and the output signal may be transmitted from the internet server to nearby vehicles 110, micro-mobile devices 106, infrastructure products 104, traffic systems, alarm systems, etc.

[0034] In some examples, monitoring system 116 can determine the substrate 114 (such as...) based on sensor data. Figure 1The monitoring system 116 can determine the type of location where the micromobile device 106 is currently located, at least in part, based on the type of location. Exemplary types of locations include transport routes 102, parks, building interiors, parking lots, etc. The monitoring system 116 can determine the type of location where the micromobile device 106 is located based on image data (e.g., images and / or videos) generated by one or more image sensors. The monitoring system 116 can perform one or more image processing algorithms on the image data to identify the type of location. For example, the image data may include images of one or more infrastructure artifacts 104 near the micromobile device 106. In one instance, the monitoring system 116 can determine that the type of location where the micromobile device 106 is located is a bicycle path based on the image data. Additionally, the monitoring system 116 can perform image processing to identify infrastructure artifact 104A as a road mark (also called a lane mark). The monitoring system 116 can determine that the type of location where the micromobile device 106 is located is a bicycle path in response to determining that the micromobile device 106 is located between two road marks. In other words, in one example, monitoring system 116 can determine that transport path 102B is a bicycle path, and therefore the type of location where micromobile device 106 is located is a bicycle path. In some cases, monitoring system 116 determines that micromobile device 106A is located within a bicycle path based on characteristics of infrastructure artifacts 104 (e.g., color, width, double vs. single lanes, distance between them, etc.). Additional details of analyzing infrastructure data are described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 622,469, filed January 26, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 480,231, filed March 31, 2017, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0035] Monitoring system 116 can determine the distance between infrastructure artifacts 104. For example, monitoring system 116 can calculate the number of pixels between infrastructure artifacts 104 and the number of pixels associated with a known or typical size (e.g., width) of a reference object (e.g., infrastructure artifact 104A) captured in one or more images of image data. In such cases, monitoring system 116 can compare the number of pixels between infrastructure artifacts 104 with the number of pixels associated with the reference object to determine the distance between infrastructure artifacts 104. Thus, in one example, monitoring system 116 can determine that the type of location where micromobile device 106A is located is a bicycle path in response to determining that the distance between infrastructure artifacts 104A corresponds to the width of a bicycle path.

[0036] In some examples, the monitoring system 116 determines the type of transport path 102 based on its characteristics. For example, the monitoring system 116 may determine the color of transport path 102B and determine that transport path 102B is a bicycle path based on that color. In another example, the monitoring system 116 may identify symbols on the surface of transport path 102B between infrastructure artifacts 104A and determine that transport path 102B is a bicycle path based on those symbols.

[0037] In some cases, the image data includes data indicating artifact messages. Monitoring system 116 can determine the type of location where micromobile device 106 is located based on the artifact messages. For example, the artifact message may indicate the type of infrastructure artifact 104B, the type of transport path 102C associated with infrastructure artifact 104B, or both. In one example, monitoring system 116 may determine based on the artifact messages that the type of location where micromobile device 106 is located is a bicycle path.

[0038] The monitoring system 116 can determine the type of location where the micromobile device 106 is currently located, at least in part, based on the detection of one or more vehicles 110, pedestrians 112, micromobile devices 106, and / or bicycles. The monitoring system 116 can detect one or more vehicles 110 based on image data or other tagged data. For example, the monitoring system 116 can perform image processing on image data to detect one or more vehicles 110 and can determine that transport path 102A is a vehicle path. As another example, the monitoring system 116 can perform image processing on image data and determine that transport path 102C includes pedestrians 112. In such examples, the monitoring system 116 can determine that transport path 102C is a pedestrian path. Similarly, the monitoring system 116 can determine that transport path 102B is a bicycle path in response to the detection of bicycles and / or micromobile devices 106. Therefore, the monitoring system 116 can determine which transport path 102 the micromobile device 106 is located on based on image data.

[0039] In some scenarios, monitoring system 116 can determine the type of location of micromobile device 106A based on communication data received from a monitoring system separate from vehicle 110B (such as another vehicle 110C, infrastructure artifacts 104, or micromobile device 106). In some examples, monitoring system 116 receives communication data via a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) transceiver. Alternatively, monitoring system 116 can receive communication data via any wireless communication device such as a Bluetooth device, a Wi-Fi device, a GPS device, etc. For example, the communication data may include data indicating that the type of location is transportation route 102. In one example, the communication data indicates the GPS coordinates of micromobile device 106 (e.g., GPS coordinates), and monitoring system 116 can determine the type of location based on the GPS coordinates. In another example, the communication data may indicate the type of transmitting device, and monitoring system 116 can determine the type of location of micromobile device 106A based on the type of transmitting device. For example, the communication device may indicate that the transmitting device is vehicle 110, such as a truck or semi-truck. In such examples, monitoring system 116 may determine that micromobile device 106A is located on transport path 102 in response to determining that the transmitting device is vehicle 110. In some cases, communication data includes data received from vehicle 110, infrastructure artifacts 104, or other micromobile devices 106 traveling near the current location of micromobile device 106A for a specific period of time after arriving at its current location.

[0040] In some examples, the communication data may include data indicating the type of road, the dimensions of the road (e.g., the number of lanes), the speed of vehicle 110, the speed limit of the road, etc. In some examples, the data indicating the type of road may include data indicating the presence of an accident, the presence of a construction zone, the direction, speed or congestion of traffic, the road surface type, the types of vehicles allowed or present on the road, the number of lanes, the complexity of traffic, or a combination thereof. For example, monitoring system 116 may receive data from vehicle 110 indicating the type of transport path 102.

[0041] In some examples, monitoring system 116 determines whether micromobile device 106A is permitted in its current location. For example, monitoring system 116 may determine whether micromobile device 106A is permitted in its current location based on the type of the current location and one or more rules. Rules may be pre-programmed or machine-generated (e.g., using trained or untrained machine learning models). In some scenarios, monitoring system 116 determines, based on rules, that micromobile device 106A is permitted in certain types of locations and not permitted (e.g., may be prohibited) in other types of locations. For example, when micromobile device 106A is located on a path in transport path 102, monitoring system 116 may determine that micromobile device 106A is permitted in its current location. Similarly, when micromobile device 106A is located inside a building or on a sports field (e.g., a baseball field, a football field, etc.), monitoring system 116 may determine that micromobile device 106A is not permitted in its current location.

[0042] Micromobile device 106A may be permitted in a subset of locations of one type and may be prohibited in different subsets of locations of that type. For example, monitoring system 116 may determine, based on rules, that micromobile device 106A is permitted on transport routes 102A and 102B, and not permitted on transport route 102C. In another example, monitoring system 116 may determine that micromobile device 106A is not permitted in construction zone 118 (or any other temporary traffic control zone).

[0043] Alternatively or in addition, in some scenarios, the monitoring system 116 determines whether micromobile device 106A is permitted in its current location based on the type of the current location, at least in part on the presence of vehicle 110, micromobile device 106, pedestrian 112, or a combination thereof. For example, the monitoring system 116 may determine that micromobile device 106A is not permitted in its current location in response to detecting one or more of vehicle 110, micromobile device 106, or pedestrian 112.

[0044] The monitoring system 116 may operate based at least in part on the following: the type of location where the micro-mobile device 106A is located, whether the micro-mobile device 106A is permitted in its current location, the type of road, the presence of vehicle 110, pedestrian 112 and / or other micro-mobile devices 106, or a combination thereof.

[0045] In some examples, monitoring system 116 performs operations to adjust the operation of vehicle 110B. For example, monitoring system 116 may perform operations based on the type of location and / or in response to determining that micromobile device 106A is not permitted in its current location. For example, monitoring system 116 may cause vehicle 110B to adjust (e.g., increase or decrease) its speed. In one scenario, monitoring system 116 adjusts the maximum permissible speed based on the type of location. For example, monitoring system 116 may enable vehicle 110B to travel at a first speed when micromobile device 106A is on a pedestrian path (e.g., path 102C), and may enable vehicle 110B to travel at a different (e.g., lower) speed when micromobile device 106A is on a vehicle path (e.g., path 102A). In another example, monitoring system 116 may perform operations to adjust the braking of vehicle 110B based on the type of location.

[0046] The monitoring system 116 may perform at least one operation based at least in part on whether the monitoring system 116 detects the presence of vehicle 110, pedestrian 112, and / or other micromobile devices 106. For example, the monitoring system 116 may adjust the speed of vehicle 110B in response to the detection of pedestrian 112, regardless of the location type of micromobile device 106A.

[0047] The monitoring system 116 may perform at least one operation by generating an output signal. For example, the output signal may include audio output, visual output, tactile output, or a combination thereof. As an example, the monitoring system 116 may output a visual alarm via one or more LED lights, audible signals, or tactile alarms (e.g., causing vibration of the steering mechanism of vehicle 110B) to indicate that the micromoving device 106A is not permitted at its current location.

[0048] In some examples, monitoring system 116 outputs a message to a remote device separate from vehicle 110B. This message may indicate that the micromobile device 106A is currently in an unauthorized location. The message may also indicate the time elapsed since the micromobile device 106A was located, its current location, and other relevant information.

[0049] In some cases, the monitoring system 116 determines the amount of time that the micromobile device 106A has been in a position where the micromobile device 106A is not permitted. The monitoring system 116 may perform at least one operation in response to determining that the amount of time satisfies (e.g., greater than or equal to) a threshold duration. For example, the monitoring system 116 may generate an output and / or adjust the speed of the vehicle 110B in response to determining that the micromobile device 106A has been in a position that is not permitted for at least the threshold duration. The monitoring system 116 may determine a confidence level indicating the probability that the micromobile device 106A has been in a position that is not permitted. The monitoring system 116 may perform at least one operation in response to determining that the confidence level satisfies (e.g., greater than or equal to) a threshold confidence level. For example, the monitoring system 116 may generate an output and / or adjust the speed of the vehicle 110B in response to determining that the confidence level satisfies the threshold confidence level.

[0050] Although the monitoring system 116 is described as dynamically controlling vehicle 110B, the technology disclosed herein can enable the monitoring system to control any other type of vehicle 110, micromobile device 106, or infrastructure artifact 104.

[0051] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a micromobile device 106A. The micromobile device 106A includes a chassis 202, rear wheels 204, front wheels 206, and a steering assembly 208. The chassis 202 includes a chassis support member 210 that extends substantially horizontally between a rear wheel mount 212 at one end of the chassis 202 and a front wheel mount 214 at the other end of the chassis 202 opposite to the rear wheel mount 212.

[0052] exist Figure 2 In this example, rear wheel 204 is mounted to rear wheel mount 212, and front wheel 206 is mounted to front wheel mount 214. Front wheel 206 is mounted to front wheel mount 214 for steering movement relative to front wheel mount 206 and rear wheel 204. Front wheel mount 214 may be coupled to steering assembly 208. Steering assembly 408 may extend generally vertically relative to chassis support member 210. Steering assembly 408 may be angled relative to chassis support member 210. In one example, the angle between chassis support member 210 and steering assembly 208 is between approximately 60 degrees and approximately 90 degrees. Steering assembly 208 may include a lever 216. Steering assembly 208 may be coupled to front wheel mount 214 such that turning lever 216 causes front wheel 206 to rotate.

[0053] The micromobile device 106A includes at least one electric motor 218, at least one motor controller 220, and at least one battery 222. The motor controller 220 is operatively coupled to the electric motor 218 to drive the rear wheel 204 and / or the front wheel 206. Figure 2In one example, electric motor 218 is configured to drive rear wheel 204; in some examples, electric motor 218 may be configured to drive front wheel 206. In one example, micromobile device 106A includes multiple motors, each configured to drive a corresponding wheel.

[0054] The micromobile device 106A may include a braking device. The braking device is operatively coupled to the rear wheel 204 to selectively slow down and / or stop the rear wheel 204. In some examples, the micromobile device 106A includes a braking device coupled to the front wheel 206.

[0055] The micromobile device 106A includes a radar-optical fusion article 108 (also referred to as article 108). Article 108 is configured to provide a mark to incident light and / or electromagnetic waves to enable better detection of the micromobile device 106A. Article 108 provides increased visibility for the micromobile device 106A. Information received from article 108 can be used by vehicle 110, infrastructure article 104, other micromobile devices 106, or pedestrians 112 to better understand their surroundings and avoid collisions. In other examples, article 108 may provide increased visibility to a substrate 114 to which article 108 is attached.

[0056] Figure 3A This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a radar optical fusion article 108 (also referred to as article 108) attached to a substrate 114 according to the technology of this disclosure. Article 108 includes a first retroreflection layer 302 configured to retroreflect at least a portion of light incident on the first retroreflection layer 302. The wavelength of the light is in the range of about 400 nm to about 2500 nm. In one example, the first retroreflection layer 302 is configured to retroreflect at least a portion of the light back to a first transceiver (see reference 1). Figure 6 (For a more detailed description). The first retroreflective layer 302 can be a retroreflective sheet, such as 3M. TM Diamond TM DG 3 Reflective sheet series 4000, 3M TM High-definition license plate sheet series 6700 and 3M TM Scotchlite TM Reflective material 8987. In some cases, the first retroreflective layer 302 may be a solid angle retroreflective sheet comprising a body portion generally having a substantially flat front surface and a structured rear surface having a plurality of solid angle elements. Each solid angle element comprises three generally mutually perpendicular optical surfaces for retroreflecting incident light. In some cases, the first retroreflective layer 302 may be a retroreflective sheet containing microspheres.

[0057] In some cases, the reflected light includes an optical marker associated with the substrate 114. In some cases, the reflected light from the first reflective layer 302 has a wavelength in the range of about 700 nm to about 2500 nm. The optical marker may be based on at least one of spatial patterns, wavelength-selective markers, angle-dependent markers, and polarization-specific markers. The spatial pattern may be a message encoded via a two-dimensional barcode (such as a QR code). The optical marker may be detected by an image sensor or an image capture device (e.g., a camera). The optical marker may be further processed to identify the substrate 114. The optical marker may indicate at least one of the location of the substrate 114, the type of the substrate 114, and the environment of the substrate 114.

[0058] In one example, optical code 304 (e.g., wavelength-selective spatial marking) is formed by permanently or temporarily attaching one or more visible-light-transparent near-infrared (IR) reflective multilayer optical films to a first retroreflective layer 302. Such attachment can be made, for example, using adhesives 306A and / or 306B. Adhesives 306A and 306B are substantially transparent within a selected wavelength range reflected by the multilayer optical films. In some examples, adhesives 306A and 306B may be optically transparent adhesives (OCAs). Using such wavelength-selective multilayer optical films on the first retroreflective layer 302 reflects near-infrared light incident on article 108 back through an additional retroreflective path, thus creating a high-contrast area on article 108 when viewed in near-infrared light. The multilayer optical films are effective infrared reflectors with high transmittance across the entire visible spectrum. Because the multilayer optical films are not readily visible in the visible spectrum, wavelength-selective markings (e.g., graphics, marks, patterns, images) produced using multilayer optical films are invisible to the naked eye in the visible spectrum. Therefore, multilayer optical films can be used to create concealed or hidden wavelength-selective markings on article 108, which can be used as substrate identifiers in automated vision or automated identification systems. Examples of cored retroreflective sheets that can be used with the techniques and systems disclosed herein include multilayer optical films, such as U.S. Patent 8,865,293, published October 21, 2014; U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 702,642, filed July 24, 2018; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 702,672, filed July 24, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In some cases, the first retroreflective layer 302 may include a retroreflective sheet configured to provide optical markings including polarization-specific markings. For example, the retroreflective sheet may be configured to linearly polarize (e.g., horizontally or vertically) or circularly polarize the incident light, such as those disclosed in PCT Publications WO2018151761A1, WO2019082130A1, and WO2019082162A1, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In some examples, the light markings may be angle-dependent markings associated with light incident at a particular angle, such as those disclosed in PCT Publication WO2019084297A2, U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 838,569, filed April 25, 2019, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 838,580, filed April 25, 2019, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0059] See Figure 3AArticle 108 includes a second echo layer 308 disposed adjacent to the first echo layer 302. The second echo layer 308 is configured to reflect at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from about 0.5 GHz to about 100 GHz. In one example, the second echo layer 308 is configured to reflect at least a portion of the electromagnetic waves back to a second transceiver (see reference). Figure 6 (To be described in more detail). In some cases, the reflected electromagnetic waves include electromagnetic markings associated with the substrate 114. In some cases, the electromagnetic waves are radar waves, and the reflected radar waves include radar markings associated with the substrate 114. In one example, the reflected electromagnetic waves from the second reflective layer 308 have a frequency in the range of about 75 GHz to about 81 GHz. The radar markings can be at least one of frequency markings, polarization markings, time markings, and angle-dependent markings. For example, the reflected electromagnetic waves may have a frequency of about 76 GHz, indicating the location of the substrate 114 to which the article 108 is attached.

[0060] In one example, the second retroreflection layer 308 includes a retroreflection antenna array disposed between adhesives 310A and 310B. A simple type of retroreflection radar antenna is the Van Atta array. It was first introduced by L.C. Van Atta in US2,908,002 "Electromagnetic Reflector" on October 6, 1959. A Van Atta array consists of an array of passive antenna elements connected in pairs via transmission lines, wherein each pair of elements is symmetrically positioned relative to the center of the array. The incident electromagnetic field received by each antenna element is fed back to its corresponding antenna element via the transmission line, thereby generating a re-radiated electromagnetic field. The transmission line is configured such that the phase distribution of the re-radiated field is opposite to that of the received field, which causes the re-radiated wave to propagate back in the direction of incidence.

[0061] In another example, the second retroreflection layer 308 includes an array of diffraction gratings disposed between adhesives 310A and 310B. When illuminated by a radar signal, a metallic marker much larger than the radar wavelength will scatter the radar signal in almost all directions. Most of the signal will be scattered in the specular direction. As the excited-state current on the marker reaches the edges, smaller levels will be scattered in other directions due to diffraction. Increasing scattering in the direction of the incident signal typically requires modifying the marker. One way to do this is to introduce elements that form diffraction (or blaze) gratings on the marker. The figure below schematically illustrates such a structure.

[0062]

[0063] In this case, the grating consists of rectangular grooves in a conductive or dielectric sheet. This creates a periodic structure of elements capable of scattering electromagnetic energy. For backscattering, i.e., θn = θi, the element spacing should satisfy...

[0064]

[0065] Where λ is the wavelength of the incident electromagnetic field. For roadside signs or similar applications, there are many ways to achieve this. One method uses short-circuited dipoles (typically half the wavelength) placed in a rectangular grid. Using the sign, these dipoles can be spaced apart and parallel to the sign. The spacer can be a dielectric sheet. The following figure shows an example:

[0066]

[0067] This is a top view. The regularly spaced thin "lines" are dipoles. The shaded areas represent dielectric pads. Below the pads (not shown) could be a metallic ground plane. For this structure, it is assumed that the incident wave comes from the left along the x-axis. The dipole spacing along the x-axis is given by the formula above and depends on the assumed angle of incidence. In this case, the dipole spacing along the y-axis is somewhat arbitrary (in this case, the wavelength). Other elements can be used, such as slots in the ground plane, periodic "holes" in the dielectric, etc.

[0068] Retroreflective antenna arrays and / or diffraction grating arrays can be manufactured using conventional electroplating and etching processes, printing processes using metallic inks or inks containing metallic precursors, or patterned bonding processes disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Applications 62 / 702,642 and 62 / 702,672, filed July 24, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In one example, the retroreflective antenna array may include a transfer-printed thin metal (as referenced in the [reference]... Figure 3B and Figure 3C (To be described in more detail).

[0069] See Figure 3A The article 108 may have a filter layer 314 disposed between the first retroreflective layer 302 and the second retroreflective layer 308. The filter layer 314 may include multiple elements (as referenced). Figure 4 (As described in more detail in Figure 5), the signal is configured to provide a filtered signal including an electromagnetic marker associated with the substrate 114. The electromagnetic marker may be at least one of a frequency marker, a polarization marker, a time marker, and an angle-dependent marker.

[0070] Figure 3B This is a schematic diagram showing a cross-section of an exemplary second retroreflective layer 308 according to the technology of this disclosure. Article 108 includes an adhesive 316, with a first surface adjacent to the second retroreflective layer 308. In some cases, Figure 3B Adhesive 316 in Figure 3AThe adhesive 310B is the same as that in the first region. Adhesive 316 includes a transfer-type thin metal 318A fixed to a first surface of adhesive 316 at a first region and a barrier 320 on a second region of the first surface of adhesive 316. The pattern formed from the first region includes the transfer-type thin metal 318A serving as a second retroreflective layer 308. In some cases, the transfer-type thin metal 318A includes a selective adhesive layer to facilitate the transfer of the thin metal layer to the first region of the first surface of adhesive 316. The transfer-type thin metal 318A may have a thickness in the range of about 10 nm to about 500 nm. Exemplary preforms containing transfer-type thin metals include the selective adhesive layer described in Part A of Working Example 2.4.1 of PCT Publication WO2019084295A1, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The selective adhesive layer is further described in PCT published patents WO2018178802A1 and WO2018178803A1, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Figure 3B The exemplary patterned bonding process for generating the second retroreflective layer 308 is described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 702,642, filed July 24, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0071] Figure 3C This is a schematic diagram showing a cross-section of another exemplary second retroreflective layer 308 according to the technology of this disclosure. In this example, adhesive 322 has a first surface adjacent to the first retroreflective layer 302 in a first region. A transfer-type thin metal 318B, similar to that described for transfer-type thin metal 318A, is fixed to a second surface of adhesive 322. The pattern formed by the first region includes the transfer-type thin metal 318B used as the second retroreflective layer 308. Figure 3C The exemplary patterned bonding process for generating the second retroreflective layer 308 is described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 702,672, filed July 24, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In some cases, after the transfer process, a selective bonding layer (not shown) may be aligned on opposite surfaces of the transfer-type thin metal 318B.

[0072] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a filter layer 314 according to the technology of this disclosure. The filter layer 314 can be a frequency-selective surface configured to selectively allow electromagnetic signals of certain frequencies to pass through it. The frequency-selective surface can be constructed as a flat surface having a series of identical elements arranged in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array. In one example, an array of holes on a thin metal sheet can be used to design the frequency-selective surface. This frequency-selective surface acts as a bandpass filter because it only allows certain frequencies within the band to pass through the holes. Figure 4In this example, filter layer 314 includes a metal sheet 402 with an aperture 404. The aperture 404 allows electromagnetic signals with frequencies within a frequency band (e.g., 75 GHz to 81 GHz) to pass through it. Therefore, in this example, filter layer 314 acts as a bandpass filter.

[0073] Figures 5A to 5F Various examples of a filter layer 314 according to the technology of this disclosure are shown. In these examples, the filter layer 314 includes a frequency-selective surface implemented using a metal patch 502 (also referred to as element 502) on a dielectric 504. This frequency-selective surface acts as a band-stop filter because it reflects certain frequencies within a frequency band. For example, the filter layer 314 can be used as a band-stop filter configured to reflect electromagnetic signals having frequencies within the frequency band (e.g., 75 GHz to 81 GHz) and allow electromagnetic signals having frequencies outside the frequency band to pass through it.

[0074] Figure 5A A filter layer 314 is shown, implemented using a dipole-shaped element 502 on a dielectric 504. Figure 5B A filter layer 314 is shown, implemented using a cross-dipole shaped element 502 on a dielectric 504. Figure 5C A filter layer 314 is shown, implemented using an element 502 in a cross shape on a dielectric 504. Figure 5D A filter layer 314 is shown, implemented using an element 502 in a triode shape on a dielectric 504. Figure 5E A filter layer 314 is shown, implemented using an element 502 that is circular in shape on a dielectric 504. Figure 5F A filter layer 314 is shown, implemented using an element 502 that is rectangular in shape on a dielectric 504.

[0075] Figure 6 A monitoring system 116 (also referred to as system 116) according to the technology of this disclosure is shown. System 116 can be installed on infrastructure products 104 or vehicles 110 (e.g., such as...). Figure 1The system 116 may be equipped with sensors, such as image sensors, temperature sensors, LiDAR, radar, or combinations thereof, as just a few examples. Examples of image sensors may include semiconductor charge-coupled devices (CCDs) or effective pixel sensors in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) or N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS, Live MOS) technologies. In one example, the system 116 or vehicle 110B includes at least two different sensors for detecting electromagnetic radiation in two different wavelength spectra. The image sensors may have a fixed field of view or may have an adjustable field of view. Image sensors with adjustable fields of view may be configured to telephoto relative to the vehicle 110B left and right, up and down, and to be able to widen or narrow the focal length. In some examples, the image sensors may include a first lens and a second lens. In various examples, the system 116 and / or vehicle 110B may have more or fewer sensors.

[0076] System 116 includes a first transceiver 602 configured to emit and receive at least a portion of light with wavelengths ranging from about 400 nm to about 2500 nm. The light is reflected back from a first retroreflection layer 302 of a radar optical fusion article 108 configured for attachment to a substrate 114. For example, the first transceiver 602 may be an image capture device for generating an optical image. In some cases, the first transceiver 602 may not be configured to emit light. For example, headlights emitted by the headlights of vehicle 110B may be reflected back by the first retroreflection layer 302 and then received by the first transceiver 602.

[0077] System 116 also includes a second transceiver 604 configured to transmit and receive at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from about 0.5 GHz to about 100 GHz. The electromagnetic waves are reflected back from a second echo layer 308 of the radar-optical fusion article 108. In some cases, the second transceiver 604 may not be configured to transmit electromagnetic waves. For example, electromagnetic waves emitted by sensors of vehicle 110B may be reflected back by the second echo layer 308, which is then received by the second transceiver 604.

[0078] System 116 includes a controller 606 communicatively coupled to a first transceiver 602 and a second transceiver 604. Controller 606 is configured to process reflected electromagnetic waves received by the second transceiver 604 to determine the position of substrate 114. In one example, controller 606 may be configured to process the reflected electromagnetic waves to determine the characteristics of substrate 114 to which article 108 is attached. In some cases, controller 606 may process electromagnetic markers of the reflected electromagnetic waves to generate a low-resolution spatial image indicating the position of substrate 114. Based on the position of substrate 114, controller 606 is configured to control the first transceiver 602 to receive reflected light from the first reflective layer 302. For example, controller 606 may be configured to orient the first transceiver 602 toward substrate 114. In some cases, controller 606 may control the first transceiver 602 after a time delay (e.g., 10 seconds) in determining the position of substrate 114. Alternatively, the controller 606 can immediately control the first transceiver 602 when the position of the base 114 is determined.

[0079] The controller 606 is configured to process the reflected light received by the first transceiver 602 to generate an output signal that identifies the substrate 114. In one example, the controller 606 may receive an optical image from the first transceiver 602 and process only the region of the optical image corresponding to the location of the substrate 114. For example, the controller 606 may use an image processing algorithm to analyze only those regions in the optical image that contain the subject (e.g., a person).

[0080] In some cases, controller 606 may determine the presence of optical markers in the reflected light. The optical markers may be based on at least one of spatial patterns, wavelength-selective markers, angle-dependent markers, and polarization-specific markers. The optical markers can be used to more accurately identify substrate 114. For example, controller 606 may determine a specific optical marker and thus identify the substrate as a micromobile device. In some cases, controller 606 may have a lookup table containing correspondences between various types of optical and / or electromagnetic markers and the type of substrate 114. For example, a first optical marker including a specific optical code may correspond to micromobile device 106, and a second optical marker including a specific wavelength-selective marker may correspond to vehicle 110. The lookup table may be stored in monitoring system 116 or downloaded to monitoring system 116 from an internet server.

[0081] The output signal can provide at least one of visual, auditory, and tactile cues. For example, controller 606 can generate vibrations on the steering wheel of vehicle 110B to alert the driver about the position of base 114. Controller 606 can be configured to provide the output signal to vehicle 110B, other vehicles 110A, 110C, or upload the output signal to an internet server. The output signal can be forwarded to traffic monitoring systems, alarm systems, autonomous driving assistance systems, etc.

[0082] System 116 may include communication units 608A and 608B to communicate with external devices by transmitting and / or receiving data. For example, system 116 may use communication units 608A and 608B to transmit and / or receive radio signals over radio networks such as cellular radio networks or other networks. In some examples, communication units 608A and 608B may transmit and receive messages and information to other vehicles, such as information interpreted from infrastructure artifact 104. In some examples, communication units 608A and 608B may transmit and / or receive satellite signals over satellite networks such as Global Positioning System (GPS) networks. In some examples, communication units 608A and 608B may transmit and / or receive data over a network to a remote computing system. In some examples, micromobile device 106A and system 116 are communicatively coupled to each other via a network. In another example, micromobile device 106A and system 116 are directly communicatively coupled to each other, for example, via a DSRC transceiver.

[0083] Controller 606 may include one or more processors, storage devices, communication units, input components, and output components. The processors, input components, storage devices, communication units, and output components may each be interconnected via one or more communication channels. The communication channels may interconnect each of these components and other components for inter-component communication (physically, communicatively, and / or operatively). In some examples, the communication channels may include a hardware bus, a network connection, one or more inter-process communication data structures, or any other component for transferring data between hardware and / or software.

[0084] One or more processors of controller 606 may implement functionality and / or execute instructions. For example, a processor on controller 606 may receive and execute instructions stored in a storage device. These instructions executed by the processor may cause controller 606 to store and / or modify information in the storage device during program execution.

[0085] Figure 7 A computing device 700 according to the present disclosure is illustrated. The computing device 700 includes an interpretation component 702 and a control component 704. Components 702 and 704 include one or more computer processors and memory for storing instructions to be executed by the computer processors. Components 702 and 704 may perform the operations described herein using software, hardware, firmware, or a mixture of hardware, software, and firmware, residing on the computing device 700 and / or at one or more other remote computing devices, and executing on the computing device 700 and / or at one or more other remote computing devices. In some examples, components 702 and 704 may be implemented as hardware, software, and / or a combination of hardware and software.

[0086] Computing device 700 may execute components 702 and 704 using one or more processors. Computing device 700 may execute any of components 702 and 704 as a virtual machine executing on the underlying hardware or within a virtual machine executing on the underlying hardware. Components 702 and 704 may be implemented in various ways. For example, any of components 702 and 704 may be implemented as a downloadable or pre-installed application or "app." In another example, any of components 702 and 704 may be implemented as part of the operating system of computing device 700.

[0087] According to the technology disclosed herein, the interpreter 702 can determine the location of the substrate 114 to which the radar-optical fusion article 108 is attached. The interpreter 702 can receive data from sensors indicating the presence of the article 108 near the vehicle 110B. The interpreter 702 can use one or more image processing algorithms to identify the substrate 114 and / or the article 108.

[0088] The interpreter 702 processes at least a portion of light with wavelengths ranging from about 400 nm to about 2500 nm. The light is reflected from a first retroreflection layer 302 of a radar optical fusion article 108 attached to the substrate 114. Furthermore, the interpreter 702 processes at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from about 0.5 GHz to about 100 GHz, wherein these electromagnetic waves are reflected from a second retroreflection layer 308 disposed adjacent to the first retroreflection layer 302. The interpreter 702 determines the position of the substrate 114 based on the processing of the reflected electromagnetic waves. The control unit 704 controls a first transceiver 602 to receive the reflected light from the first retroreflection layer 302 based on the position of the substrate 114. Reflected electromagnetic waves from the second retroreflection layer 308 are received by the second transceiver 604.

[0089] In some cases, the control unit 704 steers the first transceiver 602 by physically moving it toward the base 114. The control unit 704 may steer the first transceiver 602 after a time delay in determining the position of the base 114.

[0090] In one example, control unit 704 can control first transceiver 602 to generate an optical image and analyze the region of the optical image corresponding to the location of substrate 114. Image processing algorithms can be used to process only those regions of the optical image containing the subject (e.g., a person).

[0091] The control unit 704 can be configured to perform operations by adjusting the operation of the vehicle 110B. The control unit 704 may include any circuitry or other hardware or software, such as adjusting one or more functions of the vehicle. Some examples include adjusting to change the speed of the vehicle 110B, turning off the electric motors driving one or more wheels, or both.

[0092] Figure 8 This is a flowchart 800 illustrating exemplary operation of a monitoring system for identifying a substrate according to one or more techniques according to this disclosure. The techniques are described with reference to monitoring system 116. However, these techniques may be implemented by other monitoring systems.

[0093] exist Figure 8 In the example, the monitoring system 116 receives reflected light (802) from the first retroreflection layer 302 of the radar optical fusion article 108 attached to the substrate 114 via a first transceiver 602. The wavelength of the incident light is in the range of about 400 nm to about 2500 nm. The first transceiver 602 may be an image capture device or an image sensor, such as a near-infrared camera.

[0094] In some examples, the monitoring system 116 receives reflected electromagnetic waves (804) from a second echo layer 308 located adjacent to the first echo layer 302 via a second transceiver 604. The frequency of the electromagnetic waves is in the range of about 0.5 GHz to about 100 GHz.

[0095] In some examples, monitoring system 116 processes the reflected electromagnetic waves to determine the location of substrate 114 (806). The reflected electromagnetic waves include electromagnetic markers associated with substrate 114. The electromagnetic markers may be at least one of frequency markers, polarization markers, time markers, and angle-dependent markers.

[0096] In some examples, the monitoring system 116 controls the first transceiver 602 to receive reflected light (808) from the first retroreflection layer 302 based on the position of the substrate 114. For example, the monitoring system 116 may steer the first transceiver 602 toward the substrate 114. Subsequently, the first transceiver 602 may generate an optical image.

[0097] In some examples, the monitoring system 116 processes the reflected light to generate an output signal (810) that identifies the substrate 114. In one example, the monitoring system 116 processes an area of ​​an optical image corresponding to the location of the substrate 114. The output signal provides information related to the identification of the substrate 114. The output signal can provide at least one of visual, auditory, and tactile cues. The monitoring system 116 may provide the output signal to a vehicle or upload the output signal to an internet server.

[0098] Figure 9 A block diagram illustrating an exemplary system for improving safety associated with electric scooters according to the technology of this disclosure. Figure 9 In one example, system 150 includes an electric scooter 110A, a vehicle 104B, and a remote computing system 150. In some examples, Figure 9 The devices shown are communicatively coupled to each other via network 114. In some examples, Figure 9The devices shown are coupled to each other in direct communication, for example, via DSRC transceivers. Figure 9 One or more devices may be used to implement the technologies, articles, and systems disclosed herein.

[0099] Electric scooter 110A includes a computing device 116A, and vehicle 104B includes a computing device 116B. The computing devices 116A and 116B (collectively referred to as computing device 116) may each include one or more communication units 214A and 214B and sensors 117A and 117B. While computing device 116A is shown attached to electric scooter 110A, in other examples, the functionality of computing device 116A may be included in a computing device (e.g., a smartphone, smartwatch, wearable device, or other portable computing device) associated with the operator of electric scooter 100. In such examples, computing device 116A and the computing device associated with the operator of electric scooter 100 may communicate with each other and / or with one or more other computing devices.

[0100] One or more communication units 214A, 214B (collectively referred to as communication units 214) of computing device 116 may communicate with external devices by transmitting and / or receiving data. For example, computing device 116 may use communication units 214 to transmit and / or receive radio signals on a radio network (such as a cellular radio network) or other network (such as network 114). In some examples, communication units 214 may transmit and receive messages and information to other vehicles, such as information interpreted from infrastructure artifacts 107. In some examples, communication units 214 may transmit and / or receive satellite signals on a satellite network (such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) network). In some examples, communication units 214 may transmit and / or receive data via communication unit 154 through network 114 to remote computing system 150.

[0101] As just a few examples, sensors 117A and 117B (collectively referred to as sensor 117) may be image sensors 102A and 102B (collectively referred to as image sensor 102), temperature sensors, LiDAR, or combinations thereof. Examples of image sensor 102 may include semiconductor charge-coupled devices (CCDs) or effective pixel sensors in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) or N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS, Live MOS) technologies. Digital sensors include flat panel detectors. In one example, the electric scooter 110A or vehicle 104B includes at least two different sensors for detecting light in two different wavelength spectra. Image sensor 102 may have a fixed field of view or an adjustable field of view. Image sensor 102 with an adjustable field of view may be configured to telephoto relative to the electric scooter 110 or vehicle 104B left and right, up and down, and to be able to widen or narrow the focal length. In some examples, image sensor 102 may include a first lens and a second lens. In various examples, the electric scooter 110 and / or vehicle 104B may have more or fewer image sensors 102.

[0102] exist Figure 9 In one example, computing device 116A includes an interpretation component 118, a user interface (UI) component 124, and a control component 144. Components 118A, 124, and 144 may perform the operations described herein using software, hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware, software, and firmware, residing on computing device 116 and / or at one or more other remote computing devices, and executing on computing device 116 and / or at one or more other remote computing devices. In some examples, components 118A, 124, and 144 may be implemented as hardware, software, and / or a combination of hardware and software.

[0103] Computing device 116A may utilize one or more processors to execute components 118A, 124, and 144. Computing device 116A may execute any of components 118A, 124, and 144 as a virtual machine running on the underlying hardware or within that virtual machine. Components 118A, 124, and 144 may be implemented in various ways. For example, any of components 118A, 124, and 144 may be implemented as a downloadable or pre-installed application or "app." In another example, any of components 118A, 124, and 144 may be implemented as part of the operating system of computing device 116.

[0104] UI component 124 may include any hardware or software for communicating with a user of the electric scooter 110. In some examples, UI component 124 includes outputs to the user, such as displays (e.g., screens, indicators, or other lights), audio devices for generating notifications or other audible functions, and / or haptic feedback devices. UI component 124 may also include inputs, such as knobs, switches, keyboards, touchscreens, or similar types of input devices.

[0105] Generally, sensor 117 can be used to collect information about infrastructure and road conditions near electric scooter 110A and vehicle 104B, such as information about transport route 106. Sensor 117 can generate infrastructure data indicating the infrastructure near electric scooter 110A or vehicle 104B. Sensor 117 can generate road condition data indicating the road conditions near electric scooter 110A or vehicle 104B. For example, image sensor 102 can capture images of infrastructure artifacts, such as lane markings, centerline markings, road edge or shoulder markings, and the general shape of the transport route. The general shape of the transport route may include turns, bends, inclines, drops, widenings, narrowings, or other features.

[0106] The computing device 116A may include a user component 118A configured to perform the techniques of this disclosure. For example, the user component 118A may receive data via a remote computing system that the user component 118A can use to traverse a specific portion of a road. According to the techniques of this disclosure, the data may be based at least in part on road condition data generated by another electric scooter, which indicates the road conditions of a specific portion of the road. The user component 118A may cause the control component 144 to perform at least one operation based at least in part on the data that the computing device can use to traverse the specific portion of the road. In some examples, the at least one operation may include generating output or altering the operation of the micromobile device. The output generated by the user component 118A may include at least one of visual output, auditory output, or tactile output. In some examples, the output may be based on or in response to road conditions as the micromobile device approaches.

[0107] Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computing device according to one or more aspects of this disclosure. Figure 10 Only one example of a computing device is shown. Many other examples of computing device 116A may be used in other situations and may include a subset of the components included in exemplary computing device 116A, or may include... Figure 10 Additional components not shown in the exemplary computing device 116A. Figure 10 One or more devices may be used to implement the technologies, articles, and systems disclosed herein.

[0108] like Figure 10As illustrated in the example, computing device 116A can be logically divided into user space 202, kernel space 204, and hardware 206. Hardware 206 may include one or more hardware components that provide an operating environment for components executing in user space 202 and kernel space 204. User space 202 and kernel space 204 may represent different segments or partitions of memory, wherein kernel space 204 provides processes and threads with higher privileges than user space 202. For example, kernel space 204 may include operating system 220, which operates with higher privileges than components executing in user space 202.

[0109] like Figure 10 As shown, hardware 206 includes one or more processors 208, input components 210, storage devices 212, communication units 214, output components 216, and sensors 117. Processors 208, input components 210, storage devices 212, communication units 214, output components 216, and sensors 117 can each be interconnected via one or more communication channels 218. Communication channels 218 can interconnect each of components 208, 210, 212, 214, 216, and 117, as well as other components, for inter-component communication (physical, communicative, and / or operational). In some examples, communication channels 218 may include a hardware bus, network connection, one or more inter-process communication data structures, or any other components for transferring data between hardware and / or software.

[0110] One or more processors 208 may implement the functionality within computing device 116A and / or execute instructions therein. For example, processor 208 on computing device 116A may receive and execute instructions stored in storage device 212 that provide functionality for components included in kernel space 204 and user space 202. These instructions executed by processor 208 may cause computing device 116A to store and / or modify information in storage device 212 during program execution. Processor 208 may execute instructions of components in kernel space 204 and user space 202 to perform one or more operations according to the techniques of this disclosure. That is, components included in user space 202 and kernel space 204 can be operated by processor 208 to perform the various functions described herein.

[0111] One or more input components 210 of the computing device 116A may receive input. Examples of input include, but are only a few examples; haptic, audio, kinetic, and optical inputs. In one example, the input component 210 of the computing device 116A may include a voice response system, a camera, a button, a control panel, a microphone, or any other type of device for detecting input from a human or machine. In some examples, the input component 210 may be a presence-sensitive input component, which may include a presence-sensitive screen, a touch-sensitive screen, etc.

[0112] One or more communication units 214 of computing device 116A can communicate with external devices by transmitting and / or receiving data. For example, computing device 116A can use communication unit 214 to transmit and / or receive radio signals on a radio network (such as a cellular radio network). In some examples, communication unit 214 can transmit and / or receive satellite signals on a satellite network (such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) network). Examples of communication unit 214 include DSRC transceivers, optical transceivers, radio frequency transceivers, GPS receivers, or any other type of device capable of transmitting and / or receiving information. Other examples of communication unit 214 may include those present in mobile devices. GPS, 3G, 4G and Radio and Universal Serial Bus (USB) controllers, etc.

[0113] One or more output components 216 of the computing device 116A can generate output. Examples of output are haptic, audio, and video outputs. In some examples, the output component 216 of the computing device 116A includes a presence-sensitive screen, sound card, video graphics adapter card, speaker, cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor, liquid crystal display (LCD), or any other type of device for generating output to a human or machine. The output component may include a display component, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), or any other type of device for generating haptic, audio, and / or visual output. In some examples, the output component 216 may be integrated with the computing device 116A.

[0114] In other examples, the output component 216 may be physically located outside and separate from the computing device 116A, but may be coupled to the computing device 116A via wired or wireless communication. The output component may be a built-in component of the computing device 116A (e.g., a screen on a mobile phone), located within and physically connected to the external package of the computing device 116A. In another example, a sensitive display may be an external component of the computing device 116A (e.g., a monitor, projector, etc., sharing a wired and / or wireless data path with a tablet computer), located outside and physically separate from the package of the computing device 116A.

[0115] In the example where computing device 116A is on an electric scooter, output component 216 may also include control component 144. Control component 144 has the same function as control component 144 described in other examples of this disclosure.

[0116] One or more storage devices 212 within computing device 116A may store information for processing during operation of computing device 116A. In some examples, storage device 212 is temporary memory, meaning that the primary purpose of storage device 212 is not long-term storage. Storage device 212 on computing device 116A may be configured to act as volatile memory for short-term storage of information, and therefore the stored contents are not retained if it is deactivated. Examples of volatile memory include random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), and other forms of volatile memory known in the art.

[0117] In some examples, storage device 212 also includes one or more computer-readable storage media. Storage device 212 can be configured to store a larger amount of information compared to volatile memory. Storage device 212 can also be configured to serve as a non-volatile storage space for long-term storage of information and to retain information after an activation / deactivation cycle. Examples of non-volatile memory include magnetic hard disks, optical disks, floppy disks, flash memory, or electrically programmable memory (EPROM) or electrically erasable programmable memory (EEPROM). Storage device 212 can store program instructions and / or data associated with components included in user space 202 and / or kernel space 204.

[0118] like Figure 10As shown, application 228 executes in user space 202 of computing device 116A. Application 228 can be logically divided into a presentation layer 222, an application layer 224, and a data layer 226. Presentation layer 222 may include user interface (UI) component 124, which generates and renders the user interface of application 228. Application 228 may include, but is not limited to, UI component 124, interpretation component 118A, security component 120, and one or more service components 122. For example, application layer 224 may include interpretation component 118A, service component 122, and security component 120. Presentation layer 222 may include UI component 124.

[0119] Data layer 226 may include one or more data stores. Data stores may store data in structured or unstructured form. Exemplary data stores may be any one or more of a relational database management system, an online analytical processing database, tables, or any other suitable structure for storing data.

[0120] Service data 233 may include any data used to provide services to service component 122 and / or obtained from providing services to service component 122. For example, service data 233 may include information about infrastructure artifacts 107, user information, operating rule sets, or any other information transferred between one or more components of computing device 116A. Operating data 236 may include instructions for operating the scooter operating rule set for operating electric scooter 110A.

[0121] Sensor data 232 may include infrastructure and / or road condition data, such as image data, marker data, or any other data indicating infrastructure near the electric scooter 110A. For example, communication unit 214 may receive image data indicating infrastructure and / or road conditions near the electric scooter 110A from image sensor 102, and may store the image data in sensor data 232. Image data may include one or more images received from one or more image sensors, such as image sensor 102. In some examples, the images are bitmaps, Joint Image Experts Group images (JPEG), Portable Network Graphics (PNG), or any other suitable graphic file format. In some examples, image data includes images of one or more road condition and / or infrastructure artifacts. In one example, image data includes images of one or more artifact messages 126 associated with one or more infrastructure artifacts.

[0122] In some examples, user component 118A causes control component 144 to adjust control of electric scooter 110A based on data received from one or more devices, such as a telecomputing system or infrastructure artifacts. Control component 144 can alter the operation of the electric scooter. For example, interpreter component 118A can cause control component 144 to adjust the operation of the electric motor and / or adjust the operation of the braking components (e.g., adjust the speed of electric scooter 110A). In some examples, user component 118A causes control component 144 to adjust control of electric scooter 110A based on data generated by one or more components or modules in computing device 116A.

[0123] Figure 11 This is a conceptual diagram of an electric scooter 110A according to the technology disclosed herein. The electric scooter 110A includes a chassis 402, a rear wheel 404, a front wheel 406, and a steering assembly 408. The chassis 402 includes a chassis support member 412 that extends substantially horizontally between a rear wheel mount 414 at one end of the chassis 402 and a front wheel mount 416 at the other end of the chassis 402 opposite to the rear wheel mount 414. Figure 11 One or more devices may be used to implement the technologies, articles, and systems disclosed herein.

[0124] exist Figure 11 In this example, the rear wheel 404 is mounted to the rear wheel mount 414, and the front wheel 406 is mounted to the front wheel mount 416. The front wheel 406 is mounted to the front wheel mount 416 for steering movement relative to the front wheel 406 and the rear wheel 404. The front wheel mount 416 may be coupled to a steering assembly 408. The steering assembly 408 may extend generally vertically relative to the chassis support member 412. The steering assembly may be angled relative to the chassis support member 412. In one example, the angle between the chassis support member 412 and the steering assembly 408 is between approximately 60 degrees and approximately 90 degrees. The steering assembly 408 may include a lever 410. The steering assembly 408 may be coupled to the front wheel mount 416 such that turning the lever 410 causes the front wheel 406 to rotate.

[0125] The electric scooter 110A includes at least one electric motor 420, at least one motor controller 422, and at least one battery 424. The motor controller 422 is operatively coupled to the electric motor 420 to drive the rear wheel 404 and / or the front wheel 406. Figure 11 In one example, electric motor 420 is configured to drive rear wheel 404; in some examples, electric motor 420 may be configured to drive front wheel 406. In one example, electric scooter 110A includes multiple motors, each configured to drive a corresponding wheel.

[0126] The electric scooter 110A may include a braking device 430. Figure 11 In one example, braking device 430 is operatively coupled to the rear wheel 404 to selectively slow down and / or stop the rear wheel 404. In some examples, the electric scooter 110A includes braking device coupled to the front wheel 406.

[0127] According to the technology disclosed herein, computing device 116A can receive data that can be used by an electric scooter to traverse a specific section of a road. This data may be at least partially based on road condition data generated by different electric scooters, which indicate the road conditions of the specific section of the road. Computing device 116A can cause electric scooter 110A to perform at least one operation based at least partially on the data traversing the specific section of the road. Exemplary operations may include generating output, sending messages, and / or changing the operation of the electric scooter. In some examples, computing device 116A can send road condition data for a specific section of the road, wherein the road condition data indicates the road conditions of the specific section of the road, and is generated at least partially based on one or more sensors communicatively coupled to the computing device.

[0128] In some examples, the techniques and systems of this disclosure can use inertial data (accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer data) collected by micro-mobile devices, combined with their corresponding GPS coordinates, to provide the detection and propagation of road conditions. In some examples, road conditions may refer to defects in the road network, such as potholes, road surface cracks, sharp turns requiring caution, etc. As part of the techniques and systems of this disclosure, a computing device can receive the aforementioned data from the micro-mobile probe at its input and generate a micro-mobile-centric infrastructure quality mapping map or structural data that can be represented on a mapping map. An information network is established using historical and / or real-time data harvested by the micro-mobile probe (e.g., sensors) that provides alerts to micro-mobile devices about areas requiring more attention and areas to be avoided. Furthermore, the technology presents an incentive mechanism that encourages more micro-mobile devices to drive routes through areas where limited information is available.

[0129] In some examples, micromobile devices collect and transmit information about the quality of their trajectories (e.g., in real time), which may be stored along with relevant historical data at a remote computing system such as a server or cloud platform. The remote computing system can receive and process this information to generate an infrastructure quality mapping map (or a structured data representation of the mapping map) that uses or illustrates the harvested probe trajectory data. The infrastructure quality mapping map or structured data representation can be processed to identify locations associated with smoother (e.g., less complex or less risky) trajectories, as well as areas where roads have deteriorated to a degree that is unsuitable for micromobile device operators.

[0130] In some examples, a communication network can be established between micromobile devices and remote locations. This network can disseminate infrastructure quality data in the form of warnings and recommendations, enabling micromobile operators and / or computing devices processing the data to make more informed decisions about potential routes. External connections to this network can also be established with management agencies responsible for restoring the quality of areas identified as exhibiting severe road quality deterioration.

[0131] In some examples, the techniques disclosed herein can provide an incentive mechanism that allows for prioritization of routes through areas where existing data is not available with sufficient granularity. Such information and techniques can also be implemented in a computing device that is responsible for guiding access to an entity by incentivizing an operator of a micromobile device through areas recently maintained or constructed to measure the effectiveness of predetermined maintenance procedures.

[0132] In some examples, the computing device can determine which areas of infrastructure are of high quality or low risk for micromobile operation, and then modify or incentivize micromobile operation to a lower-risk infrastructure layout or a high-quality infrastructure area. The computing device can collect infrastructure and layout information relevant to micromobile operation. This invention discloses a computing device that uses this information to determine infrastructure quality and layout factors and to determine how environmental changes or influences the state or operation of a micromobile. The computing device can collect information related to infrastructure quality and layout, which, because it is relevant to micromobile operation, can inform riders or route applications of safer routes that can be taken due to higher-quality infrastructure and layout. The computing device can inform riders operating in lower-quality infrastructure about areas and objects (blind spots, potholes, raised pavement) to avoid as they navigate through the environment.

[0133] In one or more examples, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, these functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium and executed by a hardware-based processing unit. A computer-readable medium may include a computer-readable storage medium, which corresponds to a tangible medium such as a data storage medium, or a communication medium, which includes, for example, any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another according to a communication protocol. In this manner, a computer-readable medium may generally correspond to (1) a non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium or (2) a communication medium, such as a signal or carrier wave. A data storage medium may be any available medium accessible by one or more computers or one or more processors to retrieve instructions, code, and / or data structures for implementing the techniques described in this disclosure. Computer program products may include computer-readable media.

[0134] By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable storage media may include RAM, ROM, eEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible by a computer. Furthermore, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if instructions are transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. However, it should be understood that computer-readable storage media and data storage media do not include connections, carrier waves, signals, or other transient media, but rather refer to non-transient tangible storage media. The disks and optical discs used include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0135] Instructions can be executed by one or more processors such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general-purpose microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuits. Therefore, the term "processor" as used may refer to any of the foregoing structures or any other structure suitable for implementing the described techniques. Furthermore, in some aspects, the described functionality may be provided within dedicated hardware and / or software modules. Moreover, these techniques may be implemented entirely within one or more circuit or logic units.

[0136] The technologies disclosed herein can be implemented in a wide variety of devices or apparatuses, including wireless handheld devices, integrated circuits (ICs), or sets of ICs (e.g., chipsets). Various components, modules, or units are described in this disclosure to emphasize functional aspects of devices configured to perform the disclosed technologies, but do not necessarily need to be implemented via different hardware units. Rather, as described above, various combinations of units can be provided in hardware units or via a collection of interoperable hardware units including one or more processors as described above, combined with suitable software and / or firmware.

[0137] It should be recognized that, according to this example, certain actions or events in any of the methods described herein may be performed in a different order, and may be added together, combined, or omitted (e.g., not all described actions or events are necessary for the practice of the method). Furthermore, in some examples, actions or events may be executed simultaneously rather than sequentially, for example, through multithreaded processing, interrupt handling, or multiple processors.

[0138] In some examples, computer-readable storage media include non-transitory media. In some examples, the term "non-transitory" indicates that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier or propagating signal. In some examples, non-transitory storage media stores data that may change over time (e.g., in RAM or cache).

[0139] According to the technology disclosed herein, the radar-optical fusion article 108 provides visibility to the substrate 114 to which the article 108 is attached. Information received from the article 108 can be used by vehicles 110, infrastructure articles 104, other micromobile devices 106, or pedestrians 112 to better understand their surroundings and avoid collisions. In some cases, the article 108 can characterize the substrate 114 more quickly when the monitoring system 116 controls the first transceiver 602 to process only a specific area within the field of view of the first transceiver 602. Furthermore, the monitoring system 116 enables edge computing and can result in power savings.

[0140] Various examples have been described. These examples, as well as others, are all within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A radar optical fusion article for attachment to a substrate, the radar optical fusion article comprising: A first retroreflection layer is configured to reflect at least a portion of light with a wavelength in the range of 400 nm to 2500 nm; and A second echo layer is disposed adjacent to the first echo layer, and the second echo layer is configured to reflect at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with a frequency in the range of 0.5 GHz to 100 GHz, wherein the reflected electromagnetic waves can be processed to determine the location of the substrate.

2. The radar optical fusion article according to claim 1, wherein the reflected light from the first retroreflection layer has a wavelength in the range of 700 nm to 2500 nm.

3. The radar optical fusion article according to claim 1, wherein the reflected electromagnetic waves from the second reflective layer have a frequency in the range of 75 GHz to 81 GHz.

4. The radar optical fusion article of claim 1, wherein the reflected light from the first retroreflection layer includes an optical marker associated with the substrate.

5. The radar optical fusion article according to claim 4, wherein the optical marking is based on at least one of spatial pattern, wavelength selective marking, angle-dependent marking, and polarization-specific marking.

6. The radar optical fusion article of claim 4, wherein the optical marker indicates at least one of the location of the substrate, the type of the substrate, and the environment of the substrate.

7. The radar optical fusion article of claim 1, wherein the reflected electromagnetic waves from the second retroreflection layer include radar markings associated with the substrate.

8. The radar optical fusion article according to claim 7, wherein the radar mark is at least one of a frequency mark, a polarization mark, a time mark, and an angle-related mark.

9. The radar-optical fusion article according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is the physical surface of a vehicle, infrastructure article, micro-mobile device, building, person, clothing article or wearable article.

10. The radar optical fusion article of claim 1, further comprising a filter layer disposed between the first retroreflection layer and the second retroreflection layer, the filter layer comprising a plurality of elements configured to provide a filtered signal including an electromagnetic marker associated with the substrate.

11. The radar-optical fusion article according to claim 10, wherein the electromagnetic mark is at least one of a frequency mark, a polarization mark, a time mark, and an angle-dependent mark.

12. The radar optical fusion article of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of elements of the filter layer is in the shape of a ring, a square, a dipole, a cross dipole, a tripolar, or a cross.

13. A micromobile device, the micromobile device comprising: A chassis having a rear wheel mount at one end and a front wheel mount at the other end, with a chassis support member extending between the rear wheel mount and the front wheel mount; The chassis supports the rear wheel, and the chassis supports the rear wheel is mounted to the rear wheel mounting bracket; The chassis supports the front wheel, which is mounted to the front wheel mount for steering movement relative to the front wheel mount and the chassis supports the rear wheel; A chassis support motor, physically coupled to the chassis and configured by a motor controller to drive at least one of the chassis support front wheel or the chassis support rear wheel for powered movement on the ground; and A radar-optical fusion article, said radar-optical fusion article being attached to at least a portion of the micro-mobile device, said radar-optical fusion article comprising: A first retroreflection layer is configured to reflect at least a portion of light with a wavelength in the range of 400 nm to 2500 nm; and A second echo layer is disposed adjacent to the first echo layer, and the second echo layer is configured to reflect at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with echo frequencies in the range of 0.5 GHz to 100 GHz, wherein the reflected electromagnetic waves can be processed to determine the location of the micro-mobile device.

14. The micromobile device of claim 13, wherein the reflected light from the first retroreflection layer has a wavelength in the range of 700 nm to 2500 nm.

15. The micromobile device of claim 13, wherein the reflected electromagnetic waves from the second echo layer have a frequency in the range of 75 GHz to 81 GHz.

16. The micromobile device of claim 13, further comprising a steering assembly coupled to the chassis-supported front wheel, wherein the radar-optical fusion article is attached to the steering assembly.

17. The micromobile device of claim 13, wherein the reflected light from the first retroreflection layer includes a light marker associated with the micromobile device.

18. The micromobile device of claim 17, wherein the optical marking is based on at least one of spatial patterning, wavelength-selective marking, angle-dependent marking, and polarization-specific marking.

19. The micromobile device of claim 17, wherein the optical marker indicates the location of the micromobile device.

20. The micromobile device of claim 13, further comprising a filter layer disposed between the first retroreflective layer and the second retroreflective layer, the filter layer comprising a plurality of elements configured to provide a filter signal including an electromagnetic tag associated with a substrate.

21. The micromobile device according to claim 20, wherein the electromagnetic marker is at least one of a frequency marker, a polarization marker, a time marker, and an angle-dependent marker.

22. A system comprising: A first transceiver, configured to receive at least a portion of light in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 2500 nm, wherein the light is reflected back from a first retroreflection layer of a radar optical fusion article configured for attachment to a substrate. A second transceiver is configured to receive at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with frequencies in the range of 0.5 GHz to 100 GHz, wherein the electromagnetic waves are reflected back from a second echo layer disposed adjacent to the first echo layer. and A controller, communicatively coupled to the first transceiver and the second transceiver, is configured to: The reflected electromagnetic waves received by the second transceiver are processed to determine the location of the substrate; The first transceiver is controlled to receive reflected light from the first retroreflection layer based on the position of the substrate. as well as The reflected light received by the first transceiver is processed to generate an output signal that identifies the substrate.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the first transceiver includes an image capture device.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the first transceiver is further configured to generate an optical image, and wherein the controller is further configured to process a region in the optical image corresponding to the location of the substrate.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the controller is further configured to steer the first transceiver toward the substrate.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the controller is configured to control the first transceiver after a time delay in determining the location of the substrate.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the controller is further configured to provide the output signal to the vehicle or upload the output signal to an Internet server.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the output signal provides at least one of a visual indication, an auditory indication, and a tactile indication.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the system is installed on an infrastructure product or vehicle.

30. An article of article configured for attachment to a substrate, the article of article comprising: A first retroreflection layer is configured to reflect at least a portion of light with wavelengths in the range of 400 nm to 2500 nm back to a first transceiver. A second echo layer is disposed adjacent to the first echo layer and is configured to reflect at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with frequencies in the range of 0.5 GHz to 100 GHz back to a second transceiver, wherein the reflected electromagnetic waves can be processed to determine the location of the substrate and, based on the location of the substrate, control the first transceiver to receive reflected light from the first echo layer.

31. The article of claim 30, wherein the reflected light from the first retroreflection layer has a wavelength in the range of 700 nm to 2500 nm.

32. The article of claim 30, wherein the reflected electromagnetic waves from the second reflective layer have a frequency in the range of 75 GHz to 81 GHz.

33. The article of claim 30, wherein the substrate is the physical surface of a vehicle, infrastructure article, micromobile device, building, person, clothing article, or wearable article.

34. The article of claim 30, wherein the reflected light from the first retroreflection layer includes a light marker associated with the substrate.

35. The article of claim 34, wherein the optical marking is based on at least one of spatial pattern, wavelength-selective marking, angle-dependent marking, and polarization-specific marking.

36. The article of claim 34, wherein the optical marker indicates at least one of the location of the substrate, the type of the substrate, and the environment of the substrate.

37. The article of claim 30, wherein the second retroreflection layer comprises at least one of a retroreflection antenna array and a diffraction grating.

38. The article of claim 37, wherein at least one of the retroreflective antenna array and the diffraction grating comprises a transfer-printed thin metal.

39. The article of claim 38, wherein the transfer-type thin metal has a thickness in the range of 10 nm to 500 nm.

40. The article of claim 38, further comprising: An adhesive having a first surface adjacent to the second retroreflective layer; A blocking element located on a second region of the first surface of the adhesive, wherein the transfer-type thin metal is fixed to the first surface of the adhesive at the first region.

41. The article of claim 38, further comprising: An adhesive having a first surface adjacent to the first retroreflective layer in a first region, wherein the transfer-type thin metal is fixed to a second surface of the adhesive; and A selective adhesive layer, which is aligned on the opposing surfaces of the transfer-type thin metal.

42. The article of claim 30, further comprising a filter layer disposed between the first retroreflective layer and the second retroreflective layer, the filter layer comprising a plurality of elements configured to provide a filter signal including an electromagnetic marker associated with the substrate.

43. The article of claim 42, wherein the electromagnetic mark indicates at least one of the location of the substrate, the type of the substrate, and the environment of the substrate.

44. The article of claim 42, wherein the electromagnetic mark is at least one of a frequency mark, a polarization mark, a time mark, and an angle-dependent mark.

45. A computing device, the computing device comprising: One or more computer processors, and The memory includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to: Processing at least a portion of light with wavelengths in the range of 400 nm to 2500 nm, wherein the light is reflected back from a first retroreflection layer of a radar optical fusion article configured for attachment to a substrate; Processing at least a portion of electromagnetic waves with frequencies in the range of 0.5 GHz to 100 GHz, wherein the electromagnetic waves are reflected back from a second reflective layer disposed adjacent to the first reflective layer; as well as The location of the substrate is determined based on the processing of the reflected electromagnetic waves; as well as The first transceiver is controlled to receive reflected light from the first retroreflection layer based on the position of the substrate, wherein the reflected electromagnetic waves from the second retroreflection layer are received by the second transceiver.

46. ​​The computing device of claim 45, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control the first transceiver after a time delay in determining the location of the substrate.

47. The computing device of claim 45, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to orient the first transceiver by physically moving the first transceiver toward the substrate.

48. The computing device of claim 45, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control the first transceiver to generate an optical image and analyze a region of the optical image corresponding to the location of the substrate.

Images