Sensor Controller Beam Pattern Adjustment for Optical Sensor Abnormality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical sensor systems on vehicles experience a decrease in total scanning capability when an abnormality occurs, as the scanning capabilities of individual sensors are not effectively compensated for, leading to reduced performance.
Innovation Solution
A sensor controller that monitors the status of optical sensors and adjusts beam patterns to ensure continued scanning coverage by concentrating beam irradiation density towards overlapping regions of functional sensors when an abnormality is detected, maintaining even or uneven distribution patterns to compensate for the affected area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple optical sensors are mounted with different scanning ranges to improve total scanning capability, then the overall scanning coverage is improved, but when an abnormality occurs in any sensor, the total scanning capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit pre-configures multiple beam patterns (first, second, and third beam patterns) corresponding to different sensor abnormality scenarios. When a sensor abnormality is detected, the control unit can immediately switch to the appropriate pre-configured beam pattern without delay, ensuring continuous scanning coverage. This preliminary preparation of alternative scanning configurations resolves the contradiction by having backup scanning strategies ready in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the beam patterns of normal sensors based on the detected abnormal sensor. The control unit selects different beam patterns (first, second, or third) depending on which sensor is abnormal, and modifies the scanning ranges and beam directions in real-time. This dynamic reconfiguration allows the system to adapt to various failure scenarios while maintaining overall scanning capability.
2Area of stationary object
If beam irradiation is concentrated towards overlapping regions when abnormality occurs, then coverage ratio is maintained, but beam distribution becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit applies different beam distribution strategies to different spatial regions. In overlapping regions (where multiple sensor beams converge), the beam density is increased to compensate for the abnormal sensor's loss. In non-overlapping regions, the beam distribution is adjusted separately. This local differentiation allows the system to concentrate resources where most needed while maintaining appropriate coverage elsewhere, resolving the contradiction between coverage maintenance and distribution uniformity.
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor controller, which controls a first optical sensor and a second optical sensor respectively having beam irradiation ranges, shifted from each other, for scanning a substantially front direction and a substantially side direction of a vehicle. The sensor controller: determines when an abnormality occurs in either the first optical sensor or the second optical sensor; identifies an abnormal sensor in which abnormality has occurred and a normal sensor that maintains normality; and controls a beam pattern in a beam irradiation range of the normal sensor to have a degeneration pattern with a high density in a region overlapping a beam irradiation range of the abnormal sensor.