Infrastructure Camera System for Vehicle Geo-Coordinate Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles equipped with sensors may collect data below a confidence threshold or encounter geographic locations not stored in their databases, leading to inaccurate or incomplete data, which can hinder their operation.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a stationary infrastructure element with a camera and server that identifies geo-coordinates of vehicles or geographic locations through image data, providing precise geo-coordinates to the vehicle to address data anomalies, thereby improving operation by supplementing faulty sensor data and incomplete location maps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If vehicle sensors are used to collect environmental data, then the vehicle can operate autonomously, but the data accuracy falls below confidence threshold due to occlusions or light saturation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an infrastructure-based camera system as an intermediary to capture images of vehicles and their environments. This external imaging system supplements the vehicle's own sensors, providing alternative data sources when the vehicle's sensors fail due to occlusions or light saturation. The infrastructure camera acts as a mediator between the vehicle's navigation needs and the unreliable sensor data.
Solution Approach 2:
The infrastructure camera system serves multiple functions: it captures vehicle images for identification, extracts geo-coordinates for location data, and provides environmental context. This multi-functional approach replaces the need for multiple specialized sensors on each vehicle, centralizing the sensing capability in the infrastructure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the vehicle relies on its own sensors and onboard geographic database, then it maintains operational independence, but it encounters locations outside its database leading to incomplete data
Solution Approach 1:
The infrastructure camera system is pre-positioned at known geographic locations with predetermined geo-coordinates. This preliminary setup allows the system to provide location data on-demand without requiring the vehicle to have pre-loaded all possible geographic information. The infrastructure is prepared in advance to supplement the vehicle's database gaps.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the vehicle's computer identifies data anomalies (such as locations outside its database), requests additional data from the infrastructure server, receives the geo-coordinate information from captured images, and uses this feedback to address the data deficiency and continue operation.
3Measurement precision
If the vehicle requests additional data from external sources, then data accuracy improves, but communication overhead and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The infrastructure server pre-processes images and extracts geo-coordinates in advance, storing this information ready for rapid retrieval. When a vehicle requests data, the pre-extracted geo-coordinates can be immediately provided without requiring real-time image processing, significantly reducing the time penalty for data requests.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/sensor-based data collection approach with an information-based approach. Instead of relying on physical sensors to continuously gather data, the system uses image capture followed by computational extraction of geo-coordinates, substituting physical sensing with information processing that can be pre-performed and stored.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a stationary infrastructure element including a camera mounted to the infrastructure element and an infrastructure server. The infrastructure server includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to receive a request from a movable vehicle, the request identifying a data anomaly including at least one of (1) a sensor of the vehicle collecting data below a confidence threshold or (2) a geographic location outside a geographic database of the vehicle, to actuate the camera to collect image data of one of the vehicle or the geographic location, to identify geo-coordinates of the vehicle or the geographic location based on identified pixels in the image data including the vehicle or the geographic location, and to provide the geo-coordinates to the vehicle to address the data anomaly.