Infrastructure Nodes for Obstructed Vehicle Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles face operational impairments when sensors are blocked or obstructed from detecting objects outside their field of view, leading to impaired path planning and execution.
Innovation Solution
A traffic management system that includes infrastructure nodes with sensors, communication modules, and computers to detect vehicles and objects, providing control messages to vehicles via wireless communication, even if they are obstructed, to assist in path planning and execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If vehicle sensors are used for autonomous operation, then automated vehicle control is enabled, but vehicle operations are impaired when objects are outside field of view or obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces infrastructure nodes as intermediary entities that bridge the gap between vehicles and obstructed objects. These infrastructure nodes equipped with sensors detect objects that are outside the vehicle's field of view or obstructed, then relay this information to the vehicle via wireless communication. This intermediary system enables automated control to function reliably even when direct sensor detection fails.
2Ease of operation
If infrastructure nodes provide control messages to all vehicles, then navigation through obstructed environments is improved, but communication system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The infrastructure nodes perform preliminary detection and classification of objects in the environment before vehicles arrive. Objects are pre-identified and categorized (e.g., pedestrians, vehicles, obstacles) with their locations and characteristics stored in advance. When vehicles approach, the system only needs to retrieve and transmit relevant pre-processed information, reducing real-time communication complexity while maintaining ease of navigation.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle can be detected approaching a limited operation zone of a travel area. It can be determined that the vehicle is able to execute wireless commands from a computer. The object can be identified within the limited operation zone. Based on identifying the object within the limited operation zone, the vehicle can be controlled by providing a control command via wireless communications, the control command including whether the vehicle is permitted to enter the limited operation zone.