Radar Top View Generation for Vehicle Surroundings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital imaging systems for automotive applications, such as digital cameras and camera systems, face challenges in providing clear and distortion-free bird's eye views of the vehicle's surroundings, often resulting in costly solutions and increased processing time due to the need for complex algorithms to correct 3D structure recovery.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a radar sensor unit with a processing unit to generate a top view image of the vehicle's surroundings, which can include additional sensor data from cameras or other sources, processed using algorithms for image transformation and enhancement, such as machine learning and image enhancement techniques, to provide a user-friendly and accurate representation of objects around the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If camera systems and processing devices are used to generate top views, then visual information quality is improved, but device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses radar sensors to capture electromagnetic reflections from objects and creates a top view representation that copies the spatial arrangement of objects. This radar-based copying approach replaces expensive camera systems while maintaining the ability to generate accurate top-down visual representations of the environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes optical camera systems with radar-based electromagnetic sensing. By replacing the mechanical/optical image capture mechanism with radar signal processing, the system achieves top view generation at lower cost while avoiding the distortion issues inherent in camera-based approaches.
2Device complexity
If camera images are projected to a flat surface, then top view generation is simplified, but distortion artefacts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of how spatial data is captured - using radar range measurements and angle-of-arrival data instead of optical image projections. This parameter change from optical projection to radar-based coordinate transformation enables accurate top view generation without the distortion artefacts that plague flat-surface projections of camera images.
3Measurement precision
If sophisticated algorithms are used to recover 3d structure, then measurement precision is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by using radar sensors to directly measure range and angle parameters that inherently encode three-dimensional spatial information. This preliminary measurement approach eliminates the need for time-consuming post-processing algorithms to recover 3D structure from 2D images, as the 3D geometric data is captured directly during the sensing phase.
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 offers a cost-effective and efficient method to display the vehicle's surroundings in a top view, reducing distortion and enhancing visual clarity, allowing for safer navigation and autonomous driving functions by accurately highlighting objects and unoccupied spaces.
Implementation Method 1
The device comprises a sensor unit which includes at least one radar sensor. The radar sensor is configured to obtain radar image data of the external surroundings of the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed at systems and methods for determining objects around a vehicle. In aspects, a system includes a sensor unit having at least one radar sensor arranged and configured to obtain radar image data of external surroundings to determine objects around a vehicle. The system further includes a processing unit adapted to process the radar image data to generate a top view image of the external surroundings of the vehicle. The top view image is configured to be displayed on a display unit and useful to indicate a relative position of the vehicle with respect to determined objects.