Articulated Vehicle Surround View Using Tractor-Trailer Angle Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for generating a birds-eye view image of an articulated vehicle's surroundings cannot combine images from cameras mounted on different parts of the vehicle, such as a tractor and a trailer, when these parts move relative to each other.
Innovation Solution
A processor determines the relative position between the tractor and the trailer by measuring the angle between them using an angular sensor or by detecting features in images from cameras on both vehicles. The processor then combines images from cameras on both vehicles based on this relative position to generate a combined birds-eye view image.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If cameras are mounted on both the tractor and the trailer to provide complete coverage of the surroundings, then the coverage area is improved, but the difficulty of combining images worsens because the relative positions of the cameras change when the tractor and trailer move in different directions
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the image combination process by continuously tracking the relative motion between the tractor and trailer. The processor receives motion data from sensors on both vehicles and实时更新 the transformation parameters to maintain accurate image alignment despite changing relative positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical image alignment methods with computational approaches. Instead of physically fixing camera positions, the system uses image processing algorithms and sensor data to virtually align images from dynamically positioned cameras, substituting mechanical constraints with software-based solutions.
2Ease of operation
If cameras are mounted on a single-body vehicle at fixed positions, then the ease of combining images is improved, but the coverage area of the articulated vehicle worsens because cameras on the tractor cannot capture the surroundings of the trailer
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the articulated vehicle into separate segments (tractor and trailer), each equipped with its own cameras. This segmentation allows each camera system to independently capture its local surroundings, and the processor then combines these segmented views into a comprehensive overall image, solving the coverage limitation.
Solution Approach 2:
The processor acts as an intermediary that receives images from multiple independent camera systems mounted on different vehicles, processes their relative positions using sensor data, and synthesizes them into a unified combined image, thereby enabling ease of operation across distributed camera networks.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for generating an image of the surroundings of an articulated vehicle are provided. According to an aspect of the invention, a processor determines a relative position between a first vehicle of an articulated vehicle and a second vehicle of the articulated vehicle; receives a first image from a first camera arranged on the first vehicle and a second image from a second camera arranged on the second vehicle; and combines the first image and the second image based on the relative position between the first vehicle and the second vehicle to generate a combined image of surroundings of the articulated vehicle.