Dynamic Environment Map for Vehicle Driver Assistance

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for generating and processing environment maps for vehicles require significant computational and storage resources, as they typically represent the entire environment with fixed geometric shapes, leading to inefficiencies in data handling and processing.

Innovation Solution

A method that dynamically adjusts the environment map by only representing sections of the environment that are actively required by driver assistance systems, using cells with variable shapes and sizes, and combining occupancy information from multiple sensors, allowing for a needs-based design that optimizes storage and processing capacity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the entire environment is represented with fixed geometric shapes, then complete environment coverage is achieved, but computational and storage resources are excessively consumed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenvironment coverage completenessVSAvoidcomputational and storage resource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The environment map is divided into multiple cells with different resolutions. Areas requiring high detail (where objects are present) are represented with small cells, while areas without objects use larger cells. This segmentation allows the system to allocate computational resources selectively, reducing overall complexity while maintaining complete environment coverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the environment map are assigned different levels of detail based on local requirements. The system dynamically adjusts the resolution of individual cells based on object detection results and driver assistance system needs, ensuring high precision where necessary while using coarser representation in less critical areas, thereby optimizing resource consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Measurement precision

If high resolution is used for entire environment map, then measurement precision is improved, but data processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoccupancy information precisionVSAvoiddata processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The environment map dynamically adjusts its resolution based on real-time conditions. When objects are detected or when driver assistance systems require high precision in specific areas, the system increases resolution locally. When no objects are present or precision requirements are lower, resolution is reduced, thereby minimizing data processing time while maintaining necessary measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of applying high resolution uniformly across the entire environment, the system applies high resolution only partially to specific cells where objects are detected or where driver assistance systems require detailed information. This partial application of high resolution significantly reduces data processing time while maintaining precision where it matters most.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Device complexity

If fixed geometric shapes are used for environment sections, then system complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different driver assistance system requirements deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem structural complexityVSAvoidadaptability to driver assistance system requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The geometry of environment map sections is made dynamic rather than fixed. The system can adapt cell shapes and sizes based on the specific requirements of active driver assistance systems. This allows the same environment map structure to serve multiple different system requirements without increasing fundamental system complexity, as the adaptation occurs through configurable parameters rather than structural changes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2991874B1Provision of an efficient environmental map for a vehicle
Publication Date: 2019.03.27 BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AG
  • EP2991874B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2991874B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2991874B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for providing an environmental map for a vehicle, wherein the environmental map represents a section of the environment and comprises cells which are each assigned to a subsection of the environment of the vehicle, wherein to each cell is assigned occupancy information which is based on the probability of the presence of an object or a part of an object in the subsection assigned to the cell in question, wherein the vehicle comprises a group of at least two driver assistance systems which are each configured to adopt an active and an inactive state and which, in the active state require occupancy information concerning sections of the environment which at least do not overlap completely, wherein the method comprises: determination of the driver assistance system(s) which is(are) in the active state; determination of the section of the environment that the environmental map is intended to represent, on the basis of the section(s) about which the driver assistance system(s) in the active state require(s) occupancy information. In particular, the section of the environment that the environmental map is intended to represent comprises the section(s) about which the driver assistance system or the driver assistance systems in the active state require(s) occupancy information when in the active state.