Remote Vehicle Control via Position Estimation and Virtual Representation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Remotely collaborative vehicle systems face significant latency and bandwidth issues when streaming live video, leading to inaccurate control and limited mission capabilities due to unmanageable delays and high bandwidth requirements.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that estimates a vehicle's position using a predefined positioning algorithm and communicates actual position data only when the estimated position differs from the actual position by a threshold, allowing for virtual representation and control without live video streaming, thereby reducing latency and bandwidth needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If live video streaming is used to control remote vehicles, then real-time visual feedback is provided to operators, but latency and bandwidth requirements become unmanageable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential control information from full video streams by implementing a pointer system that indicates only the region of interest. Instead of transmitting complete video data, the system sends minimal pointer coordinates that guide the operator's attention to critical areas, dramatically reducing bandwidth and latency while maintaining effective control capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a simplified virtual representation (copy) of the remote environment that includes only essential spatial relationships and key features. This virtual model allows operators to understand the situation without requiring full-fidelity video transmission, reducing data requirements while preserving operational awareness
2Measurement precision
If high quality video streams are transmitted, then visual information quality is improved, but bandwidth requirements increase to one megabit per second or more
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential spatial and positional information needed for control, represented as compact pointer coordinates rather than full video frames. This extraction reduces data transmission from megabits to minimal coordinate data, eliminating the bandwidth burden while preserving the ability to guide vehicle operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the representation parameters from high-fidelity video data to simplified spatial coordinates and virtual model data. This parameter transformation maintains the essential information needed for control while dramatically reducing the data volume that must be transmitted over the communication link
3Quantity of substance
If video compression is applied to reduce bandwidth, then bandwidth requirements are reduced, but compression and decompression overhead adds several seconds or more to latency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent avoids compression entirely by extracting control information in its simplest form as pointer coordinates. This extraction approach eliminates the compression/decompression processing pipeline that causes multi-second delays, achieving both bandwidth reduction and latency minimization simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the mechanical video compression and decompression process with a direct coordinate transmission mechanism. This substitution eliminates the processing overhead inherent in compression algorithms, providing immediate data availability without the temporal delays associated with compression cycles
4Device complexity
If kinematic data is transmitted with latency, then data transmission is simplified, but control accuracy deteriorates due to outdated position information
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations on the vehicle side to predict current position based on last known kinematic data and elapsed time. This preliminary action compensates for transmission delays, ensuring that the virtual representation reflects the vehicle's actual current position rather than outdated reported position
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the virtual representation is continuously updated based on incoming position data and time-synchronized information. This feedback loop ensures that despite transmission latency, the operator receives accurate real-time information about vehicle position and environmental features
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Methods and architecture systems for controlling vehicle systems are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of remotely controlling a vehicle includes estimating a position of the vehicle. A position estimation algorithm may estimate the position of the vehicle. A position data packet received from the vehicle may be used to update the estimated position of the vehicle. A display device may display a virtual representation of the vehicle based on the updated estimated position of the vehicle. Command signals may be transmitted to the vehicle based on the displayed virtual representation of the vehicle.