Calibration Enclosure with Encoded Projections for Vehicle Sensor Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for calibrating vehicle sensors are difficult to align with various vehicle types and sensor types, are time-consuming, and lack adaptability, leading to inefficiencies in sensor recalibration and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A calibration enclosure with an interior surface featuring encoded projections that can be placed over a vehicle to provide alignment references for sensor calibration, using either rigid or pliable materials, allowing for quick and precise calibration of sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional calibration systems are used, then calibration reference points can be provided, but alignment with various vehicle types and sensor types is difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration enclosure is designed with a universal interface that can accommodate multiple vehicle types and sensor configurations. The enclosure body is shaped to fit various vehicle forms factors, and the interior surface includes standardized projection patterns that work with different sensor types (cameras, LIDAR, radar), eliminating the need for vehicle-specific or sensor-specific calibration equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration projections are pre-configured on the interior surface of the enclosure at optimal positions and orientations. When the enclosure is placed over the vehicle, these pre-positioned projections immediately provide the correct reference geometry for calibration, eliminating the time-consuming process of manually positioning calibration targets or aligning reference points during the calibration procedure.
2Ease of operation
If traditional calibration systems are used, then calibration can be performed, but the process is time-consuming and difficult to use
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration system is designed to be self-aligning and self-calibrating. The enclosure automatically positions the calibration projections relative to the vehicle sensors when placed over the vehicle, and the sensor system automatically detects and uses these projections for calibration without requiring manual intervention for alignment or configuration, making the process both easy to operate and rapid.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical alignment procedures with automated optical/detector-based alignment. Instead of requiring technicians to physically position and align calibration targets using mechanical means, the system uses encoded projection patterns that are automatically detected by the sensors, converting a mechanical alignment task into an automated detection and processing task.
3Measurement precision
If calibration enclosures are designed for specific vehicle types, then alignment may be accurate, but adaptability to other vehicle types is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration enclosure employs a universal design where the exterior body shape and interior projection configurations are standardized to work across multiple vehicle types. The enclosure maintains precise alignment through standardized mounting interfaces and geometric relationships that are consistent regardless of the specific vehicle model, allowing the same enclosure to achieve calibration precision across diverse vehicle platforms.
Data Source
AI summary
The present application relates to a calibration enclosure, systems that include a calibration enclosure, and methods of using the same. A calibration enclosure includes a body having an interior surface and one or more projections disposed at one or more locations on the interior surface of the body. Each one of the one or more projections provides an encoded signal that is usable for calibrating a vehicle sensor when the calibration enclosure is placed over a vehicle including the vehicle sensor such that the calibration enclosure covers the vehicle.