Camera-Based Damper Control for Oil-Induced Vehicle Bouncing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle systems fail to effectively adjust damping coefficients in response to road conditions, particularly areas of oil on the road, which can lead to uncomfortable ride quality and potential safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A damper control system that utilizes a forward-facing camera to identify lane boundaries and detect areas of oil on the road, adjusting damping coefficients of adjustable dampers to mitigate the effects of vertical rises and falls associated with these conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If damping coefficients are adjusted in response to detected oil areas on the road, then ride comfort and safety are improved, but system complexity increases due to additional sensors and control modules
Solution Approach 1:
The forward-facing camera system performs multiple functions: it captures images for lane detection and simultaneously detects oil areas on the road by analyzing pixel intensity values. This multi-functionality allows the system to improve ride comfort and safety without adding dedicated oil detection sensors, thereby reducing the increase in system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The existing camera system and image processing algorithms serve dual purposes. The control system uses the same image data that would otherwise be processed for lane identification to also detect oil areas, adjusting damping coefficients without requiring separate detection infrastructure. This self-service approach minimizes additional system complexity while achieving improved reliability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If damping coefficients are adjusted before the vehicle reaches oil areas, then vertical bouncing is minimized, but response time requirements increase the complexity of real-time image processing
Solution Approach 1:
The system detects oil areas in advance using the forward-facing camera and processes the image data to identify regions with abnormal pixel intensity values. Based on the detected oil area position and vehicle speed, the control system calculates the time required for the vehicle to reach the oil area and adjusts damping coefficients beforehand. This preliminary action minimizes vertical bouncing while distributing processing demands over time, making real-time processing more manageable.
3Measurement precision
If the system uses pixel intensity values to detect oil areas, then detection precision is improved, but the system becomes more sensitive to lighting conditions and environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adjusts the pixel intensity threshold values based on ambient lighting conditions detected in the captured image. By adapting the threshold parameters to current environmental conditions, the system maintains high detection precision for oil areas while remaining versatile across different lighting scenarios. This parameter adaptation allows the same image processing approach to work effectively in both bright and low-light conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A damper control system includes: a lane module configured to identify boundaries of a present lane of a vehicle in an image of a road in front of the vehicle captured using a forward facing camera; an oil module configured to, from the image, determine whether an area of oil is present on the road between the boundaries of the present lane of the vehicle; and a damping module configured to, when the area of oil is present on the road between the boundaries of the present lane of the vehicle, selectively adjust damping coefficients of adjustable dampers of the vehicle before the vehicle reaches the area of oil on the road.