Off-Road Vehicle Path-Zone Obstacle Avoidance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous navigation for off-road vehicles, such as farm equipment, faces challenges in identifying obstacles in unstructured environments like fields without recognizable roads or traffic signals, requiring innovative collision avoidance systems.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that record a vehicle's footprint and stopping times based on speed, determine projected and possible path zones, and use sensors to detect objects within these zones, allowing the vehicle to slow down or stop before obstacles, even if they are not directly in its current path, by planning a turn or adjusting speed based on obstacle clearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the vehicle stops or slows down for any detected obstacle, then collision avoidance is improved, but productivity and operational efficiency deteriorate due to unnecessary stops in unstructured off-road environments
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different safety criteria to different spatial zones: the projected path zone (current trajectory) uses strict stop criteria, while possible path zones (adjacent areas where the vehicle could go with trajectory changes) use more lenient slowdown criteria. This local differentiation allows the vehicle to maintain productivity while ensuring safety in critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary trajectory planning and buffer distance calculation before encountering obstacles. By pre-defining projected and possible path zones with appropriate buffer distances, the vehicle can make proactive decisions about when to slow down or stop, rather than reacting impulsively to every detected object, thus maintaining operational efficiency.
2Reliability
If the vehicle maintains a large buffer distance from detected objects, then collision safety is improved, but the vehicle's ability to navigate tight spaces and make sharp turns deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different buffer distance requirements to different spatial zones: a larger projected path buffer distance is applied to the current trajectory zone for safety, while a smaller possible path buffer distance is applied to adjacent zones where trajectory changes are anticipated. This allows the vehicle to maintain safety margins where needed while preserving maneuverability in other areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer distances are not fixed but dynamically adjusted based on the vehicle's current speed, trajectory, and the specific zone being evaluated. The system calculates appropriate buffer distances in real-time, allowing larger buffers when speeds are higher or trajectories are uncertain, and smaller buffers when the vehicle is moving slowly or following a well-established path.
3Reliability
If the vehicle detects and responds to all objects in possible path zones, then collision avoidance is improved, but device complexity and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The detection system is segmented into two distinct functional components: one monitoring the projected path zone (current trajectory) with strict stop criteria, and another monitoring possible path zones (adjacent areas) with more lenient slowdown criteria. This segmentation allows each component to operate with appropriate complexity levels, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial monitoring to possible path zones rather than full stop criteria. Instead of treating all detected objects equally, the system applies differentiated response levels: full stop for projected path objects and controlled slowdown for possible path objects, reducing computational burden while maintaining adequate safety margins.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are techniques for avoiding collisions with obstacles by a vehicle, in particular an off-road vehicle. Objects are detected with sensors in a calculated projected path zone of the vehicle footprint based on a vehicle trajectory. Possible path zones on either side of the projected path zone where the vehicle could potentially go with a change in trajectory are determined. The vehicle is slowed down or stopped for objects in the projected path and is slowed less for objects within the possible path zones.