Guideway Vehicle Localization via Sensor Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Guideway-mounted vehicles face disruptions due to communication interruptions between vehicles and control systems, which can occur due to system failures, incorrect information transmission, or sequencing errors, leading to unnecessary braking and operational inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle localization system equipped with multiple sensors on either end of the vehicle, capable of detecting objects along the guideway, generates fused sensor data to determine the vehicle's position and velocity, and performs consistency checks between sensors to ensure accurate data and reduce reliance on dedicated markers, thereby enhancing communication resilience and operational stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If CTBC systems determine location and speed by interrogating transponders along the guideway, then location and speed information can be obtained, but communication interruptions occur due to system failures, incorrect information transmission, or sequencing errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces sensors (cameras, LIDAR, radar) as intermediary devices that detect objects along the guideway to provide location information. These sensors act as mediators between the vehicle and the control system, allowing location determination without direct communication with transponders, thus resolving the contradiction by providing an alternative information pathway when CTBC communication fails
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/electrical CTBC communication system with an optical sensing system. Instead of relying on electromagnetic communication that is susceptible to interruptions, the system uses optical sensors to detect objects and determine location, substituting a more reliable sensing mechanism for the vulnerable communication mechanism
2Reliability
If multiple sensors are deployed on the vehicle to detect objects along the guideway, then localization accuracy and communication resilience are enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the sensor system multi-functional by using the same sensors (cameras, LIDAR, radar) for multiple purposes: object detection for localization, wheel spin/slide detection, and speed measurement. This universality reduces the need for separate dedicated systems, thereby enhancing reliability without proportionally increasing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple sensing functions into a unified sensor package mounted on the vehicle. Instead of having separate systems for localization, wheel detection, and speed measurement, the system merges these functions into an integrated sensor array that performs all tasks, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high reliability
3Measurement precision
If the system relies on wheel spin/slide detection for velocity determination, then speed information can be obtained, but errors occur due to wheel diameter variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical wheel-based velocity measurement system with an optical sensing system. Instead of relying on wheel rotations that are affected by diameter variations, the system uses LIDAR and radar to directly measure object distances and relative speeds, eliminating the source of error while improving both precision and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an optical copy of the physical environment using LIDAR and radar sensing. By generating a digital representation of objects and their movements along the guideway, the system can determine velocity from this optical copy rather than from mechanical wheel measurements, thereby eliminating errors caused by physical wheel variations
Data Source
AI summary
A system comprises a set of sensors on a first end of a vehicle having the first end and a second end, and a controller. The sensors are configured to generate corresponding sensor data based on a detected object along a direction of movement of the vehicle. The controller is configured to compare a time at which the first sensor detected the object with a time at which the second sensor detected the object to identify the first end or the second end as a leading end of the vehicle, and to calculate a position of the leading end of the vehicle based on the sensor data generated by one or more of the first sensor or the second sensor. The controller is also configured to generate a map of the plurality of objects based on the sensor data.