Optical Environment Sensor for Motor Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional environment sensors for motor vehicles, such as ultrasonic and radar systems, face limitations in spatial resolution and detection range, requiring complex signal processing and increased effort for high spatial resolution and range, which is not efficiently addressed.
Innovation Solution
The use of optical sensors that apply a first optical transmission signal to a predeterminable spatial area, with an evaluation unit analyzing reflected signals and a reference signal to infer object presence, offering higher spatial resolution and range with efficient evaluation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If ultrasonic sensors are used for object detection, then the device complexity is low, but the spatial resolution and detection range are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces ultrasonic mechanical wave-based sensing with optical electromagnetic wave-based sensing. This substitution enables significantly higher spatial resolution and extended detection range while maintaining relatively simple device architecture, directly resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the detection signal from ultrasonic frequency to optical frequency. This parameter change allows the system to achieve high spatial resolution and long detection range inherent to optical wavelengths, while the simple optical component design keeps device complexity low
2Measurement precision
If radar systems are used to achieve high spatial resolution, then the spatial resolution is improved, but the signal processing complexity and antenna requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes radar's radio wave-based detection with optical wave-based detection. This substitution achieves comparable or superior spatial resolution with significantly simplified signal processing requirements, as optical detection naturally provides higher frequency resolution without requiring complex phased array antenna systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex antenna system and sophisticated signal processing architecture required by radar. By using simple optical transmission and detection components, the system achieves high spatial resolution without the burden of complex radar infrastructure
3Measurement precision
If optical sensors are used for object detection, then the spatial resolution and detection range are improved, but the signal evaluation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-modulating the optical transmission signal with a known code sequence before transmission. This allows the receiver to use simple correlation processing to extract object detection information, significantly reducing signal evaluation complexity while maintaining high spatial resolution and detection range
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through the use of coded modulation and correlation detection. The transmitted code sequence serves as a reference for evaluating the received signal, enabling simple and efficient object detection without complex signal processing algorithms
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
This approach provides a significantly higher spatial resolution and larger detection range than conventional sensors, with efficient signal evaluation and minimal impact on drivers or others, allowing for precise object detection and distance measurement.
Implementation Method 1
analyzing a spatial area, in particular reflected on an object to be detected
Implementation Method 2
evaluating predefinable time ranges of the sum signal in order to infer a reflection and/or attenuation and/or phase shift of the transmission signal
Implementation Method 3
a first reference received signal at an output of the reference transmission path, the first transmitted signal and the reference signal each have non-zero frequency components
Data Source
Figure 1~3a
Figure 3b~3d
Figure 4~8
AI summary
The invention relates to an environment sensor (500), in particular for a motor vehicle (700a, 700b), for detecting objects, essentially in the surrounding area of the motor vehicle (700a, 700b). According to the invention, the environment sensor comprises at least one optical sensor device (100), which is designed to subject a predefined spatial region to at least one first optical transmission signal (s1), and an evaluation unit (130) designed to analyze a first reception signal (s1'), which has been reflected in the spatial region, particularly at an object to be detected, and a reference signal (sr) for deducing the presence of the object (600).