Sensor Array for Autonomous Utility Vehicle Surroundings Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomously operated commercial vehicles face challenges in achieving reliable 360° surroundings detection due to the complexity of their size, articulated connections, and restricted data connectivity between traction engines and trailers, which complicates collision avoidance, especially in environments with interfering objects like cargo terminals.
Innovation Solution
A sensor arrangement comprising radar units, downwardly directed cameras with fisheye objectives, and rearwardly directed sensors, along with an evaluation module, which captures and evaluates image data to produce panoramic images of the vehicle's surroundings, ensuring complete coverage without requiring modifications to the trailer or high data rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensors are placed on the trailer to achieve 360° surroundings detection, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and data connectivity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sensor placement requirement from the trailer and relocates all sensors to the traction engine. This eliminates the need for trailer modifications and complex data connections between trailer and engine, while maintaining 360° detection capability through strategic sensor placement on the engine's accessible surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system on the traction engine serves multiple functions: it detects surroundings for collision avoidance, provides panoramic views for autonomous operation, and works across different trailer configurations without requiring trailer-specific sensor installations. The same sensor suite handles both safety detection and navigation tasks.
2Measurement precision
If high data rates are implemented between traction engine and trailer for sensor data transmission, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and connectivity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the requirement for high-data-rate connections between trailer and engine by extracting all sensor placements from the trailer. Image data is captured exclusively by sensors mounted on the traction engine, eliminating the need for complex inter-vehicle data transmission infrastructure.
3Measurement precision
If trailer modifications are made to install sensors, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of manufacture and adaptability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts sensor placement requirements from the trailer entirely, making the system adaptable to any trailer configuration. The same sensor arrangement on the traction engine works with different trailer owners, lengths, and designs, eliminating modification requirements while maintaining detection accuracy.
4Measurement precision
If complete 360° sensor coverage is implemented on all vehicle surfaces, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies sensors strategically at specific locations on the traction engine that provide optimal coverage angles. Rather than uniform distribution, sensors are placed where their detection cones naturally cover critical blind areas, achieving complete 360° coverage with minimal sensor count and reduced system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor apparatus for an autonomously operated commercial vehicle to allow panoramic capture of surroundings of the commercial vehicle, including: radar units mountable in front corner areas of the vehicle; downwardly directed cameras having a fisheye objective, mountable on front upper corner areas of the vehicle; at least one rearwardly directed sensor mounted on a section of the vehicle to allow rearward image capture; and an evaluation module to evaluate image data from the radar units, the downwardly directed cameras and the at least one rearwardly directed sensor to achieve the panoramic capture of the surroundings of the vehicle; in which the radar units and the at least one rearwardly directed sensor capture all points in a surrounding area of the vehicle, and wherein the downwardly directed cameras capture all points in the surrounding area of the vehicle. Also described are a related commercial vehicle, method and computer readable medium.