Roadway Profile Detection From Leading Vehicle Trajectory
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for adaptive damper systems in vehicles rely on external data sources for predictive road profile adjustments, which can be limited by data connection bandwidth and availability, and vehicle own sensors have limitations, especially at night or in adverse conditions, leading to suboptimal safety and comfort.
Innovation Solution
A method that detects a leading vehicle's trajectory using sensors and an inverse vehicle model to determine the road height profile independently of Car2Car and Car2X communication, allowing for pre-control of semi-active damper systems based on this data, using existing vehicle sensors like cameras and distance sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If external data sources (Car2Car, Car2X communication) are used for predictive road profile adjustments, then the accuracy and timeliness of damper adaptation is improved, but the system becomes dependent on data connection bandwidth and availability which may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the leading vehicle as an intermediary carrier to transfer road profile information. Instead of relying on external communication infrastructure, the system observes the leading vehicle's motion trajectory to infer road characteristics, making the communication medium (the leading vehicle) integral to the measurement process itself
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual model of the road profile by copying the leading vehicle's trajectory data and processing it through an inverse vehicle model. This virtual road profile copy allows the following vehicle to predict road conditions without directly sensing them, eliminating the need for physical sensors on the road or external data connections
2Reliability
If vehicle own sensors (cameras, distance sensors) are used for road detection, then the system becomes independent of external data sources, but the detection capability is severely limited at night or in adverse conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The leading vehicle performs the road sensing action preliminarily by traveling over the road first. Its trajectory data, collected under various lighting and weather conditions, serves as pre-processed information that the following vehicle can use without performing its own direct road sensing, thus overcoming sensor limitations in adverse conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct optical/mechanical road sensing with a computational approach using an inverse vehicle model. Instead of using cameras or distance sensors to directly image the road, the system substitutes mechanical sensing with mathematical modeling that processes trajectory data to infer road profile, eliminating the weaknesses of optical sensors in poor visibility
3Reliability
If on-board sensors are used to generate input signals for adaptive damper control, then the system can operate without external data, but the damping adjustments always lag behind changes in the road profile
Solution Approach 1:
The leading vehicle's trajectory data provides preliminary information about upcoming road conditions before the following vehicle encounters them. By processing this leading vehicle data through the inverse model, the system achieves predictive damper control that anticipates road profile changes rather than reacting to them after detection
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from one-dimensional direct sensing (own sensors detecting current road conditions) to utilizing information from another dimension (leading vehicle's past trajectory). This temporal and spatial dimension shift allows the following vehicle to access road profile information from a different perspective in time and space, eliminating the lag inherent in direct sensing
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a motor vehicle (10) for determining a roadway profile, wherein first a vehicle driving ahead in the lane of the motor vehicle (10) is detected. A trajectory of at least one fixed point of the vehicle driving ahead is then detected and, using an inverse vehicle model and the detected trajectory of the at least one fixed point of the vehicle driving ahead, a roadway elevation profile is determined. Preferably, a horizontal distance from the vehicle driving ahead and a speed of the motor vehicle (10) are also detected. Using the determined roadway elevation profile, the detected horizontal distance and the speed, feedforward control of an adaptive damper system (60) is preferably also carried out.