Off-Road Drivable Area Mapping for Vehicle-Specific Routing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Routing vehicles in off-road areas, particularly in quarries and similar conditions, is challenging due to unpredictable obstacles like puddles and changing terrain, leading to potential vehicle damage and downtime.
Innovation Solution
A computer system that processes vehicle and map data to determine drivable areas and optimize routing trajectories for specific vehicles, considering factors like traction capability, weight, and surface conditions, while also allowing for simulation of map changes and obstacle removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If vehicles operate in off-road areas with unpredictable obstacles, then mission completion is possible, but vehicle damage and downtime risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary mapping and drivable area determination before vehicle operation. Map data is obtained and processed in advance to identify traversable areas and obstacles, allowing the vehicle to follow pre-computed safe routes rather than reacting to obstacles in real-time, thus preventing damage while maintaining productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (computer system with processing circuitry) that processes map data and vehicle data to generate drivable area information. This intermediary layer filters out harmful obstacles and presents only safe navigation information to the vehicle operator or autonomous control system, mediating between the complex off-road environment and the vehicle
2Ease of operation
If general routing is used in off-road areas, then navigation is simple, but vehicles may encounter impassable obstacles causing detours and downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines drivable areas specific to each vehicle type based on its characteristics (weight, traction capability, ground clearance). Instead of a single general route, the routing is locally optimized for each vehicle's capabilities, identifying traversable areas that match specific vehicle requirements while avoiding obstacles that would cause detours for that particular vehicle type
3Power
If routing does not consider vehicle-specific characteristics, then routing computation is faster, but vehicles may be unable to traverse certain areas
Solution Approach 1:
The drivable area determination is customized for each vehicle type by considering specific vehicle characteristics such as weight, traction capability, and ground clearance. The system processes vehicle data alongside map data to generate vehicle-specific drivable area maps, ensuring that routing recommendations are adapted to each vehicle's terrain capabilities while maintaining efficient computation through structured data processing
Data Source
AI summary
A computer system comprising processing circuitry is presented. The processing circuitry is configured to obtain vehicle data of a specific vehicle and obtain map data of a confined off-road area. The processing circuitry is further configured to determine drivable area data for the specific vehicle within the confined off-road area based on the vehicle data and the map data; and provide the drivable area data for routing of the specific vehicle within the confined off-road area.