Autonomous Street Sweeper Obstacle Avoidance Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lack of autonomous street sweeper vehicles that can efficiently follow routes while maintaining safe distances from curbs, pedestrians, and road obstacles, and adjust operations to avoid damage from hazards.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous street sweeper vehicle system comprising a drive-by-wire kit, a database for route storage, obstacle detection mechanisms, and a control system that adjusts speed and cleaning equipment settings to navigate around obstacles and maintain safe distances, led by a manned or unmanned lead vehicle, utilizing sensors like GPS, LADAR, and cameras for navigation and debris detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If autonomous street sweeper vehicles operate without human operators, then labor costs are reduced and operational continuity is improved, but safety in detecting and avoiding road obstacles and maintaining safe distances from curbs and pedestrians deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple detection mechanisms (LIDAR, cameras, sensors) into an integrated autonomous detection system that continuously monitors curbs, pedestrians, cars, and road obstacles. This merged system processes data from multiple sources simultaneously to achieve reliable obstacle detection and safe navigation without human operators.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary control system that acts between the autonomous vehicle and the environment. This control system receives data from detection mechanisms, processes it through algorithms, and generates appropriate navigation commands, serving as a mediator that ensures safe operation while maintaining full automation.
2Reliability
If the street sweeper vehicle maintains a larger distance from the curb to avoid obstacles, then safety is improved, but cleaning efficiency and route coverage deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic distance adjustment where the vehicle continuously modifies its distance from the curb based on real-time detection of obstacles, pedestrians, and road conditions. The control system adjusts navigation parameters dynamically to maintain optimal safety margins while maximizing cleaning efficiency in different operational contexts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes operational parameters (distance from curb, speed, cleaning equipment settings) based on detected road conditions. When obstacles are detected, the vehicle increases distance and adjusts speed; when the road is clear, it optimizes position for maximum cleaning efficiency, thereby resolving the contradiction between safety and productivity.
3Productivity
If the vehicle operates at high speed to improve productivity, then cleaning coverage increases, but the risk of damage from road hazards and inability to detect obstacles deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous feedback loops where detection mechanisms monitor road conditions and feed this information to the control system, which adjusts vehicle speed in real-time. When hazards are detected, the system immediately reduces speed to prevent damage; when the road is clear, it maintains higher speed for maximum productivity, thereby resolving the contradiction between coverage and hazard avoidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary detection and assessment of road conditions before the vehicle reaches potential hazards. The detection mechanisms scan ahead continuously, allowing the control system to prepare appropriate speed adjustments in advance, ensuring both high productivity on clear roads and safe operation when hazards are anticipated.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cleaning functions (sweeping, vacuuming, blowing, scraping) are integrated into one vehicle, then versatility is improved, but device complexity and operational control deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple cleaning functions (sweeping, vacuuming, blowing, scraping) into a single autonomous vehicle platform. The control system manages all these functions through a unified architecture that coordinates their operation based on detected road conditions, achieving versatility without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the control of different cleaning functions into separate controllable modules, each managed by dedicated subsystems within the overall control architecture. This modular segmentation allows independent optimization and control of each function while maintaining coordinated operation through the central autonomous control system.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more autonomous street sweeper vehicles can perform a variety of sweeping functions, such as sweeping, vacuuming, blowing, and scraping. Each autonomous street sweeper vehicle can be designed to follow routes and can comprise an autonomous vehicle that includes a drive by wire kit, a database storing the routes, a detection mechanism, and a control system that controls the vehicle to follow the routes while maintaining serviceable distances to the curb. In a convoy of multiple autonomous street sweeper vehicles, the vehicles in the convoy can communicate with each other, and each of the autonomous street sweeper vehicles can perform a different function. In some examples, a speed of the vehicle and/or settings of the cleaning equipment can be adjusted, for example, based on road hazards or amount of debris.