Fleet Vehicle Sensor Coverage for Low-Resource Parking Surveillance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current security systems for monitoring vehicles in parking areas often require human staffing and infrastructure-based cameras, which are costly and inefficient, especially when vehicles are parked and not in operation.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing vehicle sensors on autonomous vehicles to create a network for automated surveillance, where sensors from strategically located vehicles are selectively activated to maintain coverage without unnecessary resource usage, allowing for semi-automated or fully automated monitoring of surrounding fleet vehicles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If infrastructure-based cameras and human staffing are used for security monitoring, then comprehensive surveillance coverage is achieved, but operational costs and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repurposes autonomous vehicles to serve dual functions: their primary transportation role and a secondary security surveillance role. The vehicles' existing sensors (cameras, LIDAR, RADAR) are utilized for monitoring parking areas, transforming mobile security assets into stationary sentinels when parked. This eliminates the need for dedicated infrastructure cameras and human staff while maintaining comprehensive surveillance coverage.
2Reliability
If all vehicle sensors are continuously activated for surveillance, then complete monitoring coverage is maintained, but energy consumption and resource usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic sensor activation based on the vehicle's operational state. Sensors are selectively activated only when the vehicle is parked and available for surveillance, rather than running continuously. The system dynamically adjusts which sensors are active based on coverage requirements and battery charge levels, optimizing energy consumption while maintaining reliable monitoring coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The surveillance system operates in periodic cycles rather than continuously. Vehicles activate sensors during designated surveillance periods when parked, then deactivate during operational periods. This periodic activation pattern significantly reduces overall energy consumption while ensuring coverage is maintained during critical monitoring windows.
3Productivity
If a subset of vehicles is selected for surveillance duty, then resource efficiency improves, but ensuring complete parking area coverage becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the central computer receives sensor data from selected vehicles and continuously evaluates coverage effectiveness. Based on this feedback, the system identifies gaps in surveillance coverage and dynamically reassigns vehicles to optimal parking positions or activates additional sensors to ensure complete area monitoring while maintaining resource efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of parking area geometry and vehicle sensor capabilities before deploying surveillance vehicles. The central computer calculates optimal vehicle placements and sensor configurations in advance to ensure complete coverage with the minimum number of vehicles, preventing coverage gaps before they occur.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for automated surveillance of a fleet of vehicles in a parking area using vehicle sensors on various fleet vehicles. In particular, the vehicles in a parking area can be observed and monitored using sensors on a subset of the vehicles. The field of view of each vehicle and overall map coverage of a parking area can be used to determine which vehicles to use for surveillance and/or which sensors on various vehicles to use for surveillance. Thus, surveillance can be optimized using fleet knowledge of vehicle locations within a facility and the scope of coverage of various vehicle sensors to determine where there is overlap in coverage. Appropriate sensors on certain vehicles can be selectively activated to maintain secure coverage without burning resources unnecessarily.