Discreet Vehicle Routing Using Elevation-Based Field-of-View Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle navigation systems do not provide strategic routing that accounts for factors such as avoiding observers or minimizing the field-of-view, which is crucial in military or tactical operations where stealth is necessary.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for determining discreet routes that minimize the portion of the route within the field-of-view of observers by using elevation data and observer locations to calculate optimal routes that traverse both roadways and off-road terrain, incorporating a field-of-view determination module and route determination module to identify and avoid observer visibility zones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional vehicle navigation systems constrain vehicles to designated travel corridors, then route planning efficiency is improved, but the ability to minimize observer visibility is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The routing system dynamically adjusts the travel path based on real-time observer locations and field-of-view calculations. Instead of fixed designated corridors, the system continuously optimizes the route to minimize visibility while maintaining efficiency, allowing the path to adapt as observers move or new information becomes available.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates vertical dimension data through elevation models to calculate three-dimensional field-of-view zones. By using elevation data, the system determines which areas are visible from observer positions and routes vehicles through valleys or obscured terrain features, adding a vertical dimension to traditional two-dimensional route planning.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If strategic routing to minimize field-of-view is implemented, then observer visibility is reduced, but route planning complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of field-of-view zones using stored elevation data and observer positions before determining the optimal route. By pre-processing the visibility analysis and creating visibility masks, the system reduces the computational burden during actual route planning, making the complex calculation more manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses an intermediary field-of-view calculation module that acts as a mediator between observer data and route planning. This module converts complex visibility geometries into simplified cost surfaces or avoidance zones that can be more easily integrated into standard routing algorithms, reducing overall system complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If off-road terrain is used for discreet routing, then observer visibility is minimized, but traversability constraints increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different routing criteria to different local areas based on vehicle capabilities and terrain characteristics. In areas where the vehicle can traverse off-road terrain, the system allows discreet routing through obscured terrain. In areas where traversability is limited, the system adapts to use available roadways or alternative paths, making the routing strategy locally optimized rather than uniformly applied.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for discreet routing of a vehicle are described. The system and method provide a way of getting a subject vehicle from Point A to Point B while minimizing the visibility of the subject vehicle by one or more observers. In one embodiment, the method includes (1) determining a location of one or more observers within a target area and (2) applying elevation data to a plurality of grid squares within the target area. Based on the elevation data, a field-of-view (FOV) for each of the one or more observers is determined. The FOV includes one or more of the plurality of grid squares that are visible from the location of the observer. The method includes determining a route from an initial location to a destination location within the target area that minimizes an amount of the route within the FOV of the one or more observers.