Scrape Detection for Motor Vehicle Bumpers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Motor vehicles with low-mounted bumpers often inadvertently scrape or collide with pavement dips, high curbs, or potholes due to the lack of effective collision detection systems, leading to costly damage.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle control system predicts the trajectory path along a roadway, monitors elevations using a 3D map system like the Google Elevation API, and analyzes potential collisions by comparing the vehicle's bumper approach angle with the road slope angle, warning the driver through visual, auditory, or haptic means if a collision is imminent.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If optical sensors are used to detect road obstacles, then collision detection capability is improved, but system complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollision detection capabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces optical sensor-based detection systems with a computational geometry approach using 3D map data. The control system calculates trajectory paths and compares vehicle body part elevations with roadway elevation data to predict potential scrapes, eliminating the need for complex optical sensing hardware while maintaining collision detection capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses 3D map elevation data as a digital copy of the roadway surface to predict potential scrape points. Instead of physically sensing the road, the control system retrieves and processes elevation information from pre-existing 3D maps, allowing collision prediction without direct optical measurement of the road surface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Measurement precision

If 3D map systems are used to monitor road elevations, then collision prediction accuracy is improved, but data processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollision prediction accuracyVSAvoiddata processing requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating trajectory paths and identifying potential scrape points before the vehicle reaches them. The control system continuously computes forward along the trajectory, comparing vehicle body part elevations with roadway elevations at predicted contact points, allowing early warning without real-time heavy processing of the entire road surface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11364905B2Scrape detection for motor vehicle

Publication Date: 2022.06.21 DR ING H C F PORSCHE AG

AI summary

A method and control system for assessing a potential for collision between a body part of a vehicle and a roadway. The method includes predicting a trajectory path of the vehicle along the roadway, monitoring elevations of the roadway along the trajectory path, and analyzing, at a point along the trajectory path of the roadway, whether the body part of the vehicle will collide with the roadway based upon the estimated elevation of the body part on the vehicle at the point along the trajectory path and the estimated elevation of the roadway at the point along the trajectory path.