Road Surface Detection Using Vehicle Sound Reflection Peaks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in accurately estimating road surface conditions for autonomous vehicles due to the dynamic distance between the vehicle and the road surface, making it difficult to retrofit ultrasonic wave-emitting devices, and requiring a fixed transmitter/receiver setup.
Innovation Solution
A road surface condition determination device that utilizes sound data, including reflected sound and air temperature, to determine road surface conditions using a data acquisition and determination system installed on the vehicle, identifying peaks in specific frequency ranges to classify road surfaces as Dry, Wet, Ice, or Snow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If ultrasonic wave-emitting devices are installed on the vehicle to detect road surface conditions, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and ease of manufacture deteriorate due to the need for fixed transmitter/receiver setup and known distance to road surface
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle's own sound sources (engine, tires, inverter) serve as the acoustic signal source for road surface detection, eliminating the need for separate ultrasonic wave-emitting devices. The vehicle essentially detects road conditions using sounds it already produces during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical ultrasonic wave-emitting system with an acoustic analysis system that processes sound waves already present in the vehicle environment. Instead of actively emitting ultrasonic waves, the system passively captures and analyzes reflected sound components from existing vehicle sounds.
2Measurement precision
If ultrasonic wave-emitting devices are retrofitted to the vehicle chassis, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of manufacture and device complexity worsen due to the difficulty of retrofitting large devices
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle's existing sound-generating components serve as the acoustic source, eliminating the need to retrofit separate ultrasonic emitting devices onto the chassis. This approach leverages already-installed vehicle components for the detection function.
Solution Approach 2:
The sound collection system serves multiple functions: it captures vehicle operation sounds for normal vehicle acoustics monitoring and simultaneously captures reflected sound components for road surface condition detection, making the same hardware serve dual purposes.
3Measurement precision
If a fixed transmitter/receiver setup is used to maintain known distance to road surface, then measurement precision is improved, but adaptability deteriorates as the vehicle moves and distance changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed to function dynamically during vehicle motion rather than requiring a fixed setup. The sound collection section captures reflected sounds at varying distances as the vehicle moves, and the determination section processes these dynamic signals to identify road surface conditions without requiring constant distance knowledge.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors reflected sound components during vehicle operation and uses this feedback to determine road surface conditions in real-time. The determination section analyzes the characteristics of reflected sounds to identify peaks corresponding to different road surface types, adapting to changing conditions as the vehicle moves.
4Device complexity
If simple sound collection is used instead of ultrasonic wave emission, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces active ultrasonic wave emission with passive acoustic analysis of vehicle-generated sounds. The determination section uses signal processing to extract reflected sound components from the complex acoustic environment, achieving road surface detection without mechanical ultrasonic emitting devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the approach from emitting a specific frequency (ultrasonic) to analyzing a broad frequency spectrum of vehicle-generated sounds. The determination section identifies characteristic frequency peaks in the reflected sound components that correspond to different road surface conditions, using spectral analysis rather than simple amplitude detection.
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
Enables accurate estimation of road surface conditions with a simple configuration, allowing autonomous vehicles to adjust driving modes accordingly, without the need for ultrasonic wave-emitting devices.
Implementation Method 1
sound data, including information on reflected sound of sound generated by the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A road surface condition determination device (10) is a road surface condition determination device that determines a condition of a road surface on which a vehicle is in motion, comprising a data acquisition section (131) that acquires sound data, including information on reflected sound of sound generated by the vehicle, which is collected by a data collection section installed on the vehicle, and a determination section (132) that determines the condition of the road surface based on presence or absence of a peak in a predetermined frequency range in the acquired sound data.