Garage Door Detection Using Rearview Camera Trajectory Analysis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Rear view camera systems in vehicles often fail to detect partially opened garage doors within their field of view, leading to potential collisions as drivers may incorrectly assume clearance when it is not available.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system that includes a rearview camera, memory, and a processor to monitor a garage door, calculating the time until the door provides clearance and preventing vehicle movement until then, while providing warnings to the driver or virtual driver system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the rear view camera field of view is aimed downwards to facilitate driver visibility of the immediate rearward path, then the driver can see the road surface and obstacles directly behind the vehicle, but a partially opened garage door may be positioned outside the field of view and not detected
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of the garage door in its closed or partially open position before the vehicle begins reverse movement. By detecting the door's initial position and calculating its trajectory, the system prevents the contradiction from arising during actual operation, ensuring both driver visibility and detection accuracy are maintained throughout the maneuver.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static two-dimensional camera field of view analysis to three-dimensional spatial reasoning by calculating the garage door's movement trajectory and projected position. This dimensional extension allows the system to detect doors that are currently outside the camera's field of view by predicting where they will be relative to the vehicle path.
2Productivity
If the vehicle allows movement based solely on rear view camera field of view detection, then the vehicle can move quickly without unnecessary delays, but the vehicle may collide with a garage door that is not visible in the camera view
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection and trajectory calculation before the vehicle begins movement. By determining in advance whether the garage door will intersect with the vehicle's path, the system eliminates unnecessary delays while maintaining safety, as the vehicle only moves when clearance is confirmed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the garage door position and compares it against the calculated trajectory, providing real-time feedback on whether clearance exists. This feedback mechanism allows the vehicle to move quickly when safe while preventing movement when collision risk is detected, resolving the contradiction between speed and safety.
3Measurement precision
If the rear view camera monitors the garage door continuously, then the system can accurately detect when the door provides sufficient clearance, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the critical information needed for clearance determination - the garage door's position and movement trajectory - rather than processing all visual data from the camera. This selective extraction maintains high detection accuracy while minimizing system complexity by focusing computational resources on essential parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex mechanical or multiple-camera detection systems with a computational approach using a single camera and trajectory calculation algorithms. This substitution achieves accurate clearance detection through software-based spatial reasoning rather than hardware complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and apparatus are disclosed for garage door detection for a vehicle. An example vehicle includes a rearview camera, memory, and a processor. The rearview camera monitors a garage door. The memory stores a first height associated with a field of view of the rearview camera and a second height. The a processor, when a bottom edge of the garage door exceeds the first height, calculates a time until the bottom edge will reach the second height. Additionally, until the calculated time, the processor prevents movement of the vehicle.