Refuse Vehicle Sensor Management for False Alert Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refuse vehicles lack efficient systems for distinguishing between actual events and false events detected by sensors, particularly when the sensors detect components of the vehicle itself, leading to unnecessary alerts and potential operational inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a vehicle control system with sensors and a processor that compares sensor data to control data to determine if detected events are actual or false, specifically deactivating or activating sensors based on the operational mode of the lift assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensors are continuously active to detect events, then detection coverage is improved, but false alerts increase due to detecting vehicle components
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts sensor activation states based on the operational mode of the lift assembly. When the lift assembly is in a state that could be detected by sensors (e.g., elevated position), the system deactivates those sensors to prevent false alerts. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making sensor activity conditional rather than continuous.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller receives feedback about the lift assembly's operational state and uses this information to control sensor activation. The system continuously monitors lift assembly position and adjusts sensor states accordingly, creating a feedback loop that prevents false detection of vehicle components while maintaining event detection capability when needed.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are active simultaneously, then event detection capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic sensor management where the activation state of each sensor is adjusted based on the current operational mode of the lift assembly. This reduces the number of simultaneously active sensors while maintaining adequate detection coverage, thereby reducing system complexity without sacrificing measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sensors are activated based on the specific operational context. When the lift assembly is in certain positions or modes, only relevant sensors are activated. This localized activation strategy reduces overall system complexity by ensuring that not all sensors are active at the same time, while still maintaining precise event detection capability when needed.
3Reliability
If sensors detect all objects in the field of view, then detection completeness is improved, but false event identification becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The controller uses feedback about the lift assembly's operational state to validate sensor detections. When the lift assembly is in a position that matches a detected object's location, the system uses this contextual information to identify the detection as a false event. This feedback mechanism maintains detection completeness while enabling accurate false event identification through contextual validation.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary between the sensors and the event detection system. It receives raw sensor data and cross-references it with lift assembly operational state information to determine whether detections represent actual events or false positives. This intermediary layer preserves detection completeness while adding the capability to distinguish true events from false ones.
Data Source
AI summary
A refuse vehicle includes a chassis coupled to a wheel, a body assembly coupled to the chassis and defining a refuse compartment, a lift assembly, a user interface including a display, and a vehicle control system having a sensor and a controller in communication with the lift assembly, the user interface, and the sensor. The controller including a processor and at least one memory and is configured to receive sensor data from the sensor, determine, based on the sensor data, that the lift assembly is in a collection mode, and update the user interface to display a collection view on the display.