Retractable Roof Sensor Clearance Control for Autonomous Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in navigating while maintaining sensor elevation for ground coverage without increasing vehicle height, which can lead to collision risks with low overhanging infrastructure, and require solutions that balance conflicting requirements for sensor placement and vehicle height.
Innovation Solution
A retractable sensor system for autonomous vehicles that includes a lift apparatus and a cleaning element, allowing the sensor to adjust its elevation based on environmental data and clearances, retract into a housing to avoid collisions and maintain safety, and clean the lens when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the sensor elevation is increased to achieve ground coverage, then the sensor's ability to capture ground data is improved, but the vehicle height increases which creates collision risk with low overhanging infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor apparatus employs a retractable sensor body that can dynamically adjust its elevation between extended and retracted positions. The sensor body is movable along a vertical axis relative to the housing, allowing the system to adapt sensor height to environmental conditions and infrastructure clearance requirements in real-time
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor body is nested within the housing when in the retracted position, with the sensor body capable of extending outward when ground coverage is prioritized. This nesting arrangement allows the sensor to be stored compactly within the vehicle's height constraints while still achieving extended elevation when needed for sensing operations
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the sensor is retracted into the housing to avoid collision with structures, then the vehicle safety is improved, but the sensor effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses location sensors to detect the vehicle's position relative to infrastructure and receives information about minimum clearances of structures. Based on this feedback, the control system automatically adjusts the sensor body position between extended and retracted states to maintain both safety and sensing effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor body transitions dynamically between extended and retracted positions based on real-time environmental assessment. The sensor is extended when clearance is sufficient for optimal ground coverage and retracted when approaching structures with limited clearance, maintaining sensor effectiveness across varying operational conditions
3Productivity
If the sensor remains extended for continuous operation, then the data capture capability is maintained, but the risk of lens contamination from environmental factors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor body is retracted into the housing during periods when data capture is not required, such as during vehicle stops or hibernation modes. This preliminary retraction action protects the lens from environmental contamination before contamination can occur, while maintaining the capability to quickly extend for data capture when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically manages sensor body retraction and extension based on operational mode detection. When the vehicle enters hibernation or parking mode, the sensor body autonomously retracts to protect itself from contamination, and automatically extends when active driving mode is detected, without requiring manual intervention
Data Source
AI summary
A method of operating a vehicle having a roof-mounted sensor apparatus includes, by a retractable sensor, capturing data about an environment along a path on which the vehicle is traveling. The method includes, by a location sensor, determining a location of the vehicle along the path. By a computing device of the vehicle, the method includes accessing a map that corresponds to the location and the path, determining that a structure having a minimum clearance is ahead at an imminent location on the path, and determining that the minimum clearance is less than or equal to an elevation of the retractable sensor. The method includes prior to the vehicle arriving at the imminent location, automatically operating a lifting element of the sensor apparatus to withdraw the retractable sensor into the sensor apparatus so that the elevation of the retractable sensor is less than the minimum clearance of the structure.