Infrastructure Mediator for Vehicle Sensor Data Filtering

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Solution Overview

Problem

In complex driving situations, especially in areas like parking garages or underground garages, vehicles face challenges in detecting their environment solely with their own sensors, leading to increased processing effort and potential longer reaction times for driver assistance systems, as they must identify and process irrelevant sensor data from other vehicles and infrastructure.

Innovation Solution

An infrastructure device selects and communicates with motor vehicles equipped with sensors to gather and process environmental data, transmitting only relevant data to the receiving vehicle, thereby reducing processing complexity and energy consumption by activating sensors only when needed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the vehicle processes sensor data from other vehicles and infrastructure facilities to improve environmental perception, then the detection accuracy of the motor vehicle environment is improved, but the processing load and reaction time are worsened due to the need to identify and process large amounts of irrelevant sensor information

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidprocessing load
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The infrastructure facility acts as an intermediary between sensor data sources and the receiving vehicle. It collects, filters, and processes sensor data from multiple vehicles and infrastructure sensors, then provides only relevant processed data to the receiving vehicle. This mediator approach transfers processing complexity from the vehicle to the infrastructure, reducing on-vehicle computational burden while maintaining detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Speed

If the vehicle uses its own sensors for environmental perception, then the response time is improved, but the detection capability is worsened in complex situations where areas are obscured by walls, pillars, or other vehicles

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresponse timeVSAvoiddetection capability
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges sensor data from multiple sources including the vehicle's own sensors, sensors from other vehicles, and infrastructure facility sensors. By combining these diverse sensor inputs, the system achieves comprehensive environmental perception that overcomes individual sensor limitations and occlusion problems, while the infrastructure-mediated delivery maintains efficient response times.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Measurement precision

If sensor data from other vehicles is used to improve environmental perception, then the detection accuracy is improved, but the energy consumption is worsened because sensors must remain active to provide data

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Parked vehicles with active sensors contribute their sensor data to the infrastructure facility without requiring their own processing systems to remain fully operational. The infrastructure facility retrieves and processes this data centrally, allowing parked vehicles to serve the network's environmental perception needs while minimizing their own energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3552194B1Method for providing result data which depend on a motor vehicle environment
Publication Date: 2020.09.16 AUDI AG
  • EP3552194B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3552194B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

Method for providing result data relating to a motor vehicle environment by means of an infrastructure device (6), comprising the steps of: - selecting at least one selected motor vehicle (15, 16) having at least one sensor device (20) which can be used to capture at least one part of the motor vehicle environment, - transmitting a request message to the selected motor vehicle (15, 16) by means of the infrastructure device (6), - capturing sensor data describing at least parts of the motor vehicle environment by means of the sensor device (20) and transmitting the sensor data to the infrastructure device (6) by means of the selected motor vehicle (15, 16), - making the result data available to a receiving motor vehicle (3) by means of the infrastructure device (6), wherein the result data comprise the sensor data or are determined from the latter.