Motorcycle Radar Tilt Estimation for Hazard-Aware Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to accurately detect the tilt angle of two-wheeler vehicles, such as motorcycles, which is crucial for assessing hazards and ensuring rider safety, especially on non-horizontal road surfaces, and often rely on distracting visual alerts rather than non-intrusive methods.
Innovation Solution
A radar-based system that uses a sensor unit with transmitters and receivers to determine the tilt angle by plotting two-dimensional coordinates of reflected objects and selecting the tilt angle with the maximum number of reflections, accompanied by a communication network to transmit the tilt angle and audio alerts to indicate detected objects and hazards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If visual alerts are used to indicate surrounding hazards to drivers, then information about hazards is provided to the driver, but the visual alerts become distracting and may themselves become hazardous
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual alert systems with an acoustic alert system. Instead of using visual displays or lights to warn drivers of hazards, the system employs speakers to generate directional acoustic signals that alert the driver to the presence and direction of hazards without requiring the driver to shift visual attention from the road.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces audio signals as an intermediary medium to convey hazard information. Rather than directly presenting visual information that competes for the driver's attention, the system uses sound waves as an intermediary carrier of hazard data, leveraging the human auditory system's ability to process spatial information without visual engagement.
2Reliability
If radar systems are used to detect objects in the vehicle environment, then hazard detection capability is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates the essential hazard detection function from complex multi-sensor systems. By focusing specifically on radar-based detection and pairing it with acoustic alerts, the system removes unnecessary complexity while maintaining reliable hazard detection capability. The system uses a streamlined architecture that processes radar data and generates acoustic warnings without requiring integration of multiple sensor types or complex processing algorithms.
3Measurement precision
If the vehicle tilt angle is not accurately detected, then the radar image presentation and hazard assessment become inaccurate, but adding tilt detection increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the radar system multi-functional by enabling it to perform both hazard detection and tilt angle measurement functions. The same radar sensor unit that detects objects in the environment also captures reflection patterns that reveal vehicle tilt information. Through signal processing of the reflected electromagnetic waves, the system simultaneously achieves hazard awareness and orientation detection without requiring separate dedicated sensors.
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
The system efficiently and accurately detects the tilt angle of two-wheeler vehicles and provides non-distracting audio alerts to riders about surrounding hazards, enhancing safety by aligning vehicle sensors with the real world and alerting riders to potential dangers without visual distractions.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor unit includes a radar-based sensor unit configured and operable to transmit a beam of electromagnetic radiations towards objects on the road on which the motorcycle is being driven and receive the electromagnetic waves reflected by the objects
Implementation Method 2
receive the electromagnetic waves reflected by the objects
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for detecting angle of a vehicle using a radar including an array of transmitters, transmitting electromagnetic radiation towards surrounding objects, and receivers detecting reflected electromagnetic signals. Received information includes horizontal coordinates and vertical coordinates for each object detected. A pre-processing unit determines stationary and non-stationary state of objects from the received electromagnetic signals. A processing unit receives the coordinates along with motion characteristics of objects and plots each reflected object in the horizontal-vertical plane perpendicular to the direction of motion of the vehicle. A virtual box is constructed corresponding to each of a series of candidate tilt or roll angles. The angle of the virtual box having the largest number of plotted reflections is selected as the angle of the vehicle.