Dynamic Sensor Range Adjustment for Vehicle Attachments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle sensors fail to dynamically adjust their detection range in response to modifications made to the vehicle, such as the addition of tow hitches or bike racks, leading to unnecessary warnings and potential disablement of safety features.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising an interface, a sensor, and a processor that processes pixel data from exterior cameras to detect objects, identify vehicle attachments, determine their extension from the vehicle, and recalibrate the sensor's detection range accordingly, thereby preventing false obstacle detections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the sensor uses a fixed pre-determined detection range, then the sensor can reliably detect obstacles within the standard vehicle boundary, but it cannot adapt to vehicle modifications such as tow hitches or bike racks, resulting in false obstacle detections
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor range is dynamically adjusted based on detected vehicle attachments. The system transitions from a static pre-determined distance to a dynamic recalibrated distance that adapts to the actual vehicle configuration, resolving the contradiction between fixed-range reliability and adaptability to modifications
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses computer vision to detect vehicle attachments and provides feedback to recalibrate the sensor range. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows the sensor to automatically adjust its detection parameters based on the actual vehicle configuration, eliminating false alarms while maintaining detection accuracy
2Ease of operation
If the sensor maintains a fixed detection range, then the system complexity remains low, but the user experience deteriorates due to unnecessary warnings that cause annoyance and potential disablement of safety features
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-calibration by automatically detecting vehicle attachments using computer vision and adjusting the sensor range without user intervention. This self-service approach improves user experience by eliminating manual configuration while keeping the interface simple
Solution Approach 2:
The computer vision system acts as an intermediary between the physical vehicle modifications and the sensor detection system. It translates visual information about attachments into calibrated sensor parameters, bridging the gap between vehicle configuration and sensor operation
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprising an interface, a sensor and a processor. The interface may receive pixel data of an exterior of a vehicle. The sensor may detect an obstacle at a distance from the vehicle. The processor may process the pixel data arranged as video frames, perform computer vision operations on the video frames to detect objects, determine whether one of the objects is a vehicle attachment, determine an amount of distance that the vehicle attachment extends a size of the vehicle and generate a recalibration value for the distance used by the sensor in response to the amount of distance. A notification may be generated in response to the sensor detecting the obstacle within the distance. The distance may be a default value based on the size of the vehicle when the vehicle attachment is not present and the recalibration value when the vehicle attachment is detected.