Mobile Robot Road-Crossing Collision Avoidance With Multi-Sensor Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collision avoidance systems for robots operating on pedestrian pathways are inadequate when crossing vehicle roads, as they may overlook hazards due to their size and the complexity of urban environments, leading to potential accidents.
Innovation Solution
A method for mobile robots to sense road conditions and initiate a collision avoidance maneuver by using a combination of sensors for general situational awareness and specific object detection, including visual cameras, radar, and ultrasonic sensors, to detect hazardous moving objects and execute maneuvers such as braking, reverse acceleration, or forward acceleration to ensure safe crossing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If delivery robots operate on sidewalks and pedestrian walkways, then energy efficiency and safety are improved, but the ability to cross vehicle roads safely deteriorates due to robot size and driver awareness
Solution Approach 1:
The robot performs preliminary actions before crossing the road by stopping at the curb, activating warning signals (lights and sounds), and scanning the road environment with sensors to detect approaching vehicles. This preliminary preparation enhances safety by ensuring the robot is visible and aware of hazards before entering the road.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot continuously monitors road conditions using sensors during the crossing process, receiving real-time feedback about approaching vehicles. When a hazard is detected, the system provides feedback by triggering warning signals and executing avoidance maneuvers, creating a closed-loop safety mechanism that responds dynamically to changing conditions.
2Reliability
If robots use multiple sensors for hazard detection, then collision avoidance capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensing technologies (cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors, LIDAR) into an integrated sensing system. These diverse sensors merge their detection capabilities to provide comprehensive coverage of the road environment, allowing the robot to detect hazards through multiple physical principles simultaneously while sharing processing resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing system is designed with multi-functionality where the same sensor array serves multiple purposes: detecting vehicles, pedestrians, road markings, and environmental conditions. The camera system, for example, can identify both traffic signals and approaching vehicles, reducing the need for dedicated sensors for each function and thereby managing complexity.
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 solution enhances the safety of mobile robots crossing roads by reducing the likelihood of collisions through redundant sensing and maneuvering strategies, alerting drivers to the robot's presence, and optimizing road crossing protocols to minimize accidents.
Implementation Method 1
visual cameras
Implementation Method 2
radar
Implementation Method 3
ultrasonic sensors
Data Source
Figure 1a~1d
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A collision avoidance method and system for a mobile robot crossing a road. When a mobile robot approaches a road, it senses road conditions via at least one first sensor, and initiates road crossing if the road conditions are deemed suitable for crossing. As it crosses the road, the mobile robot senses, via at least one second sensor, a change in the road conditions indicating the presence of at least one hazardous moving object. In response to determining that at least one hazardous object in present, the mobile robot initiates a collision avoidance maneuver. A mobile robot configured to avoid collisions while crossing a road includes: at least one first sensor configured to sense road conditions, at least one second sensor configured to sense road conditions, and a processing component configured to carry out one or more collision avoidance maneuvers.