Autonomous Bumper Collision Position Detection With Single Sensor
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous moving bodies require multiple collision detection means and expensive force sensors, leading to increased costs and complexity in specifying collision positions with obstacles.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous moving body equipped with a single collision sensor along the bumper that divides the detection range into two sections, allowing for precise collision position detection by moving the body vertically and re-evaluating collision positions until a specified accuracy is achieved, thereby reducing costs and enhancing precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple collision detection means are provided along the bumper, then the collision position detection precision is improved, but the device cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The detection range along the bumper is divided into multiple sections, and a single collision detection means sequentially detects each section by moving the main body. This segmentation allows precise collision position detection without requiring multiple simultaneous sensors, thus reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the movement dimension (moving the main body along the bumper) to transform a spatial problem into a temporal sequence. Instead of having multiple sensors cover the entire bumper simultaneously, a single sensor moves along the bumper to scan different positions, converting a complex multi-sensor spatial arrangement into a simpler single-sensor temporal scanning process.
2Measurement precision
If a force sensor is provided to detect collision moment, then the collision position detection precision is improved, but the device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive force sensors with a simpler collision detection means that detects collision events. The system achieves precise collision position detection by combining this simpler sensor with the movement and division strategy, effectively using a cheaper sensing approach that doesn't require complex force measurement capabilities.
3Measurement precision
If the detection range is divided into multiple sections and the main body is moved iteratively, then the collision position detection precision is improved, but the detection time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the detection range into sections and performs iterative detection, but optimizes the process by moving the main body only to the necessary extent to resolve the collision position. The detection stops once the collision position is identified within the required precision, avoiding unnecessary additional movements and detections, thus balancing precision with time efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous moving body includes a main body, a bumper, collision detection sensor and position detection processor. A detection range of an obstacle with respect to the bumper is set along the bumper with a travelling direction of a main body as a center. In case of detecting the collision of the bumper with the obstacle, the position detection means moves the main body by a predetermined distance toward a vertical direction with respect to a line in the travelling direction that divides the detection range into two ranges and in a direction on a side of one of the two ranges. In case of detecting a collision with the obstacle after the movement, the position detection processor detects the one range as the collision position, and in case of not detecting a collision with the obstacle, the position detection processor detects the other range as the collision position.