Clear Path Detection Using Road Surface Likelihood and Traffic Indicators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current autonomous driving systems face challenges in accurately identifying and processing road conditions to determine a clear path for vehicle navigation, requiring significant processing power and often bulky equipment to manage complex situations effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing camera and radar imaging systems to analyze images and determine a clear path by evaluating the likelihood of road surfaces and traffic infrastructure indications, modifying the path based on this information for navigation, without the need for individual object classification, thus reducing computational intensity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If individual object classification is performed to identify clear path, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and processing power requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the need for individual object classification from the clear path detection process. Instead of identifying and classifying each object separately, the system directly determines clear path by analyzing road surface likelihood and traffic infrastructure indications, eliminating the complex object recognition step while maintaining accurate clear path identification
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the image analysis process into distinct functional components: road surface likelihood evaluation, traffic infrastructure indication detection, and clear path determination. This segmentation allows each component to be processed independently with specialized algorithms, reducing overall system complexity while improving measurement precision for clear path identification
2Reliability
If comprehensive object recognition is performed to handle complex road conditions, then reliability is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-identifying traffic infrastructure indications and road surface characteristics before full clear path determination. This preliminary processing organizes and pre-processes critical information, allowing the main clear path detection to proceed faster while maintaining reliable assessment of complex road conditions through pre-structured data
3Measurement precision
If detailed image analysis is performed to identify all objects, then measurement precision is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by focusing detailed image analysis only on regions with high road surface likelihood and areas containing traffic infrastructure indications. Instead of uniformly processing the entire image, the system concentrates computational resources on locally relevant areas, improving measurement precision for road surface detection while significantly reducing overall energy consumption
Data Source
AI summary
A method for detecting a clear path of travel for a vehicle utilizing analysis of a plurality of images generated by a camera device located upon the vehicle includes monitoring the images. The images are analyzed including determining a clear path upon which a potential road surface can be estimated from other portions of the images that do not indicate a potential road surface, and determining an image of a traffic infrastructure indication. The method further includes determining the content of the traffic infrastructure indication, modifying the clear path based upon the content of the traffic infrastructure indication, and utilizing the modified clear path in navigation of the vehicle.