Autonomous Vehicle Stop Signal Control via Spatial Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In closed operating environments with partially or fully autonomous vehicles, conventional methods cause unnecessary stops of all vehicles when a stop signal is triggered, leading to time-consuming restarts, especially with multiple trigger devices.
Innovation Solution
A computing device within the environment receives stop signals and evaluates positional data to determine which vehicles need to stop based on their spatial relationship to the trigger device, allowing only relevant vehicles to be halted, thereby avoiding undesired stops and ensuring efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a stop signal is transmitted to all vehicles in the operating environment, then safety is improved by ensuring all vehicles stop when a trigger device is activated, but productivity deteriorates due to unnecessary stops of vehicles that are not at risk and time-consuming restart procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the operating environment into multiple zones, each with trigger devices that only affect vehicles within their specific zone. When a trigger device is activated, only vehicles in the corresponding zone receive the stop signal, while other vehicles continue operating normally. This spatial segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining safety within the triggered zone while preserving productivity in other zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop signal transmission is localized to specific geographic zones rather than being applied universally. Each trigger device is associated with a particular zone, and the computing device determines which vehicles are affected based on their position relative to the triggered zone. This local quality approach ensures safety where needed while avoiding unnecessary stops elsewhere, thus resolving the contradiction between safety and productivity.
2Reliability
If multiple trigger devices are deployed in the operating environment, then safety coverage is improved by monitoring multiple zones, but device complexity increases due to the need to coordinate multiple trigger devices and manage stop signals across the environment
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple trigger devices and their associated zone management functions are merged into a single computing device. The computing device receives stop signals from any trigger device, determines the affected vehicles based on positional data, and transmits appropriate stop commands. This consolidation reduces device complexity by centralizing control while maintaining comprehensive safety coverage across multiple zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The computing device performs multiple functions: it monitors positions of all vehicles, processes stop signals from any trigger device, determines affected vehicles based on spatial relationships, and transmits stop commands. This multi-functionality allows the system to handle multiple trigger devices and zones without proportionally increasing complexity, as a single device manages all safety-critical operations.
3Reliability
If a stop signal is transmitted to all vehicles, then reliability is improved by ensuring complete operational standstill for safety, but loss of time increases due to the time required to restart all vehicles after the signal is cleared
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and applies stop signals only to the specific subset of vehicles that are actually affected by the triggered zone, rather than applying them to all vehicles. By taking out the unnecessary stop commands for vehicles outside the triggered zone, the system maintains complete stop assurance for at-risk vehicles while avoiding unnecessary stops and restarts for other vehicles, thus reducing time loss.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is disclosed for controlling at least one vehicle moving at least partially autonomously within an operating environment. One trigger device is designed within the operating environment for triggering a stop signal for stopping the at least one vehicle. A computing device allocated to the operating environment receives the stop signal of the triggered trigger device and determines a set of vehicles to be stopped by evaluating positional data describing the position of the triggered trigger device and the position of the at least one vehicle. The computing device orders the at least one vehicle to stop depending on the evaluation result.