Capacitive Smart Road Grid for Occluded Vehicle Localization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing smart road infrastructure fails to provide accurate data on vehicles, pedestrians, or debris that are occluded from the view of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles, limiting their ability to navigate safely.
Innovation Solution
A capacitive smart road system with a grid of capacitance sensors formed by overlapping wires and dielectric material, which measures changes in electric fields to detect and locate objects on the road, using a processor to analyze and transmit data to mission control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If cameras, RADAR sensors, and LiDAR sensors are used to detect objects, then object detection capability is improved in unoccluded views, but detection capability deteriorates in occluded areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces capacitive sensors as an intermediary detection mechanism embedded in the road infrastructure. These sensors detect objects through changes in capacitance caused by the presence of conductive objects (vehicles, pedestrians) in occluded areas, serving as a mediator that provides detection capability where direct optical and electromagnetic sensors fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from surface-level detection (cameras, RADAR, LiDAR operating in air space) to subsurface detection by embedding capacitive sensors within the road structure. This dimensional shift allows detection through the road medium, enabling sensing in previously inaccessible occluded zones beneath and around vehicles.
2Loss of information
If smart road infrastructure with multiple sensors is deployed, then traffic management data collection is improved, but infrastructure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The capacitive sensor grid serves multiple functions: detecting vehicles, pedestrians, and debris; determining their locations; and providing occlusion awareness. This single infrastructure component replaces or complements multiple separate sensing systems, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive monitoring capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The capacitive sensors are passively powered by the vehicle's own electrical field when it passes over them, eliminating the need for separate power distribution infrastructure. The sensors self-activate and provide data without requiring complex power management systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise localization of objects on the road, overcoming occlusion issues and enhancing navigation accuracy for autonomous vehicles, with faster scanning and easier maintenance of sensors.
Implementation Method 1
A dielectric material is disposed in a vertical gap at each respective overlapping area forming a capacitance sensor
Implementation Method 2
The at least one processor is configured to periodically measure change in respective electric field of each capacitance sensor
Data Source
AI summary
A system including a plurality of first wires and a plurality of second wires is disclosed. Each second wire overlaps over one or more first wires at a respective overlapping area of one or more first wires. A dielectric material is disposed in a vertical gap at each respective overlapping area forming a capacitance sensor including a first electrode corresponding to a first wire and a second electrode corresponding to a second wire. The first and second electrodes are connected to a positive bias and a negative bias of at least one voltage source, respectively. The system includes at least one processor configured to periodically measure change in respective electric field of each capacitance sensor of a subset of capacitance sensors of a plurality of capacitance sensors, and store data corresponding to periodically measured change in the respective electric field of each capacitance sensor of the subset of capacitance sensors.