Infrared Vehicle Detection for Autonomous Driving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inaccurate data from vehicle sensors, such as cameras and radars, can pose a serious risk to autonomous vehicles due to environmental conditions like inclement weather, impairing their ability to detect other vehicles accurately.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an infrared detection system that uses infrared sensors and light emitters to identify and track other vehicles, combining data with collision detection sensors to enhance accuracy and confidence levels for vehicle control systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional vehicle sensors (cameras and radars) are used to detect other vehicles, then the detection system can identify vehicles under normal conditions, but the accuracy deteriorates under environmental conditions like inclement weather
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an infrared detection system as an intermediary sensor modality between the autonomous vehicle and other vehicles on the roadway. The infrared sensors detect infrared light emitted by other vehicles, providing a supplementary detection channel that is less susceptible to degradation from rain, fog, and other environmental conditions that adversely affect conventional optical and radar sensors.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensor systems are combined to improve detection accuracy, then the measurement precision improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the infrared detection system with the existing autonomous vehicle sensor suite, combining data from infrared sensors, collision detection sensors, and other vehicle sensors into a unified detection framework. This integration allows the system to leverage multiple sensing modalities simultaneously, improving overall detection precision while managing system complexity through coordinated sensor operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach improves the accuracy of detecting other vehicles by providing a supplementary data source that is less affected by environmental conditions, thereby enhancing the safety and reliability of autonomous vehicle operations.
Implementation Method 1
A host vehicle computer can detect infrared light, e.g., via an infrared sensor, originated from a source outside the host vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
Infrared light is detected in a vehicle computer via an infrared sensor from a source outside the host vehicle. The computer can further determine that the infrared light was generated from a source in a second vehicle, detect the second vehicle based at least partly on the detected infrared light and possibly also partly on input from a host vehicle collision detection sensor.