Extendable Sensor Stalks for Vehicle Road Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumer vehicles prioritize aesthetics over sensor placement, limiting the effectiveness of external sensors for self-driving and safety applications, as they are often not extendable or retractable, hindering their ability to gather necessary road condition data efficiently.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of extendable and retractable sensors, including telescopic cylindrical rods and separable drone devices, which can be deployed and stowed to maintain vehicle aesthetics while providing enhanced road condition monitoring capabilities when needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensors are placed outside the vehicle skin, then road condition detection capability is improved, but vehicle aesthetics are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements extendable sensor stalks that can dynamically change position between retracted and extended states. The stalks are movable rather than fixed, allowing the sensor to adapt its location based on operational needs. This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction by enabling external sensor placement for improved detection while maintaining a retracted, aesthetically pleasing position when not in use.
2Measurement precision
If sensors are extended to better review positions, then road condition monitoring is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor stalks utilize a telescopic nesting mechanism where segmented sections of the stalk are housed within one another. When extended, the stalk sections deploy in a nested sequence, similar to a telescopic antenna. This nesting approach reduces the overall retracted profile and simplifies the mechanical structure compared to rigid external mounting, thereby addressing the complexity concern while enabling extended monitoring capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor system for a vehicle includes sensors that can be extended further away from the vehicle in order to obtain additional information. The sensors can be kept in their stowed position, to obtain the minimum amount of information but to maintain maximum of the looks of the vehicle. The sensors can then be extended to obtain additional information about the vehicles.