Autonomous Vehicle Search Control for Variable Sensor Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for covering a target range with multiple sensors require centralized control devices and manpower for remote manipulation, and struggle with determining sensor destinations when effective ranges vary by environment, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control system that includes environment estimation, coverage estimation, and autonomous control to determine optimal destinations for vehicles equipped with search sensors, allowing them to autonomously move to maximize effective search areas based on environment models and sensor performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple sensors are deployed to cover a target range, then the target range is covered by the plurality of sensors, but manpower by a plurality of manipulators is required for remote manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The unmanned vehicle autonomously determines its own movement destination and navigation path using the environment model and effective range information, eliminating the need for remote manipulation by operators. The vehicle self-manages its movement to optimize sensor coverage while reducing manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical remote manipulation system with an autonomous control system that uses computational algorithms to determine vehicle movement. The control device substitutes human operators with automated decision-making based on environment models and sensor effective ranges.
2Area of stationary object
If a centralized coverage control device is used to control sensor coverages, then the target range is covered effectively, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the coverage control functionality from a centralized control device and distributes it to individual unmanned vehicles. Each vehicle independently determines its movement destination using local environment models and effective range information, eliminating the need for complex centralized coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the coverage control system into independent segments where each unmanned vehicle autonomously manages its own movement and sensor coverage. This segmentation replaces the centralized control architecture with distributed autonomous decision-making across multiple vehicles.
3Ease of operation
If sensor effective ranges are assumed to be constant, then control is simplified, but accuracy deteriorates when effective ranges vary by environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic environment models that adapt to changing environmental conditions. The effective range of sensors is recalculated based on current environment information (temperature, humidity, pressure, etc.), allowing the system to maintain accuracy as environmental conditions vary rather than assuming constant ranges.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters used for effective range calculation by incorporating environment information (temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed, etc.) into the effective range estimation. This allows the system to adjust sensor effective ranges dynamically based on environmental parameters rather than using fixed values.
Data Source
AI summary
A control method of a vehicle, comprising: estimating an environment model relating to a search region, based on environment information acquired by an environment sensor, wherein the environment sensor acquires the environment information representing an environment around a local vehicle among one or more vehicles; estimating an effective range based on the estimated environment model, when the local vehicle, and each vehicle among the one or more vehicles move to each candidate destination; and configuring a plurality of sets being configurable by the candidate destinations of all the vehicles, determining, based on the estimated effective range, a certain set, among the plurality of sets, by which an entire size demarcated by the effective range in one set among the plurality of sets becomes maximum.