Dynamic Sensor Processing for Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned vehicles face processing bandwidth limitations when using multiple sensors to detect obstacles and navigate, as existing technologies do not dynamically adjust data processing rates based on sensor positioning relative to the vehicle's direction of travel.
Innovation Solution
A method to dynamically control processing parameters such as data sampling rate, frame rate, and transmit power of sensors based on the vehicle's speed and direction of travel, focusing processing resources on sensors with a field of view encompassing the direction of travel while reducing processing demands for sensors in other directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple sensors are used to detect obstacles in all directions, then collision avoidance capability is improved, but processing bandwidth requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating sensor processing based on spatial location. Sensors facing the direction of travel are processed at high frame rates to ensure collision avoidance, while sensors in other directions are processed at lower frame rates. This creates non-uniform processing quality across different spatial zones, optimizing the balance between safety and computational load.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts processing parameters based on real-time conditions. The frame rate for each sensor is not fixed but adapts according to the vehicle's speed and direction of travel. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to maintain high collision avoidance capability when needed while reducing processing bandwidth during less critical periods.
2Speed
If vehicle speed increases, then navigation efficiency is improved, but obstacle detection time requirements become more stringent
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts sensor processing parameters based on vehicle speed. When the vehicle travels at higher speeds, the system increases the frame rate for sensors facing the direction of travel to ensure obstacles are detected within the reduced time window. This dynamic adaptation maintains adequate detection time despite increased vehicle speed.
3Measurement precision
If data processing rate for all sensors is maintained at high levels, then obstacle detection accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by applying different processing rates to different sensors based on their orientation. High processing rates (and thus high accuracy) are applied only to sensors facing the direction of travel where obstacle detection is most critical. Sensors in other directions receive lower processing rates, reducing overall power consumption while maintaining adequate detection accuracy where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by processing sensor data at high rates only for the subset of sensors that are most critical for collision avoidance (those facing the direction of travel). This partial high-rate processing achieves sufficient obstacle detection accuracy without the excessive power consumption that would result from uniformly high-rate processing of all sensors.
Data Source
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AI summary
Various embodiments involve dynamically controlling parameters for processing sensor data, including rates at which vehicle sensors are sampled and analyzed, based on the vehicle's speed and direction. Data or sampling rates of sensors useful for collision avoidance and/or path planning may be adjusted to emphasize data from sensors having a field of view encompassing the travel direction, while limiting processing of data from sensors less likely to provide useful data for such purposes. In some embodiments, the rate at which data from a particular sensor is sampled and/or processed may depend on a vehicle's direction and speed of travel as well as the sensor's field of view. Processing demands may be reduced by focusing processing on data from sensors viewing the direction of travel while reducing processing of data from sensors viewing other directions. In some embodiments, sensor data sampling or processing rates may vary based on collision risk probabilities.