Retractable Sensor Housing for Aerodynamic and Pedestrian Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous vehicle sensor technologies face challenges in aerodynamics and safety due to sensor placement, which can interfere with vehicle performance and pose hazards to pedestrians and animals, and require easy servicing and replacement without disassembling the housing.
Innovation Solution
A retractable sensor housing system with a fixed and movable body, actuated by a motor, that allows sensors like LIDAR to be raised during use and lowered when not in use, incorporating a magnetic potentiometer for position sensing and easy attachment/detachment via a sensor bracket, improving aerodynamics and safety while enabling maintenance without disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sensor is mounted at locations on the vehicle to enhance the sensor's field of view, then the sensor can detect objects more effectively for autonomous driving, but the sensor placement interferes with aerodynamics and creates hazards for pedestrians and animals
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor housing is designed to be movable between a retracted position (when not in use) and a deployed position (when autonomous driving mode is active). This dynamic configuration allows the system to optimize aerodynamics and pedestrian safety when the sensor is not needed, while providing enhanced detection capability when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure is divided into a fixed housing body and a movable housing body that can independently move relative to each other. This segmentation allows the sensor-containing portion to move separately from the main vehicle structure, enabling deployment only when needed for autonomous driving operations.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the sensor is housed within a retractable structure, then aerodynamics and pedestrian safety are improved, but the housing becomes more complex with additional moving parts and motors
Solution Approach 1:
The movable housing body serves multiple functions: it houses the sensor, provides the moving mechanism for deployment/retraction, and acts as a protective enclosure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall structure despite the movable design.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable housing body is designed to nest within or against the fixed housing body when retracted, creating a compact configuration that minimizes the increase in overall vehicle dimensions while providing the deployable sensor platform.
3Ease of operation
If the sensor is attached to the movable housing body, then the sensor can be raised and lowered with the housing, but the sensor attachment mechanism adds complexity to the housing structure
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor attachment mechanism is integrated directly into the movable housing body structure, combining the mounting function with the housing itself rather than using a separate, complex attachment system. This integration simplifies the overall design while maintaining ease of sensor installation and removal.
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 retractable sensor housing enhances vehicle aerodynamics, ensures sensor safety, and facilitates easy maintenance by allowing sensors to be raised and lowered, improving collision avoidance capabilities and reducing the risk of damage or injury while allowing for seamless servicing.
Implementation Method 1
The positioner sensor can be a magnetic potentiometer with a variable resistance that depends on the position of a magnet attached to the movable body structure of the housing
Data Source
AI summary
An electronics housing assembly is disclosed. In some embodiments, the electronics housing is attached to a vehicle to house a sensor of the vehicle (e.g., a LIDAR). The electronics housing includes a fixed body structure, a movable body structure, a motor operatively coupled to the movable body structure, a positioner sensor coupled to the fixed body structure, and a sensor bracket attached to the movable body structure and configured to attach to a sensor. In some embodiments, the positioner sensor is used to detect the position of the movable body structure and the sensor.