Vehicle Speed Limit Arbitration Using Odometry Context
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicles struggle to accurately display speed limits when signs are obstructed by weather conditions or vandalized, leading to potential safety risks due to the inability to reliably determine and communicate the correct speed limit to drivers.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system that combines image sensors to capture speed limit signs and odometry data to determine both local and global speed limits, using an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) to arbitrate between these limits and display an accurate speed limit to the driver.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the vehicle relies solely on detecting speed limit signs to determine the speed limit, then the system is simple, but the reliability deteriorates when signs are obstructed by weather conditions or vandalized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple speed limit determination methods (sign detection, odometry-based context analysis, and map data) into a unified system. The ECU integrates results from image sensors detecting signs, odometry data analyzing vehicle movement context, and pre-stored map data to reliably determine speed limits even when individual methods fail due to obstructed signs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements multiple functional pathways for speed limit determination: (1) detecting speed limit signs via image sensors, (2) inferring speed limits from odometry data and environmental context, and (3) retrieving speed limits from map data. This multi-functionality ensures reliable speed limit determination across various conditions including when signs are obstructed or vandalized.
2Reliability
If the vehicle uses multiple data sources (image frames, odometry data, map data) to determine speed limits, then the reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the speed limit determination process into distinct functional modules: an image sensor module for capturing and analyzing speed limit signs, an odometry module for analyzing vehicle movement and environmental context, a map data module for retrieving pre-stored speed limit information, and an ECU that integrates results from these segments. This segmentation manages complexity by organizing data processing into separate, manageable components.
Solution Approach 2:
The ECU serves as an intermediary that receives processed information from multiple data sources (image sensors, odometry systems, map databases) and synthesizes this information to determine the final speed limit. This intermediary role simplifies the overall system architecture by providing a centralized integration point that manages the complexity of multi-source data processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating a vehicle includes capturing an image frame and odometry data associated with a vehicle as the vehicle traverses an external environment. The image frame and odometry data are transmitted to an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of the vehicle. The method further includes determining a local speed limit for the vehicle from the image frame of the external environment and selecting a context of the external environment based upon the odometry data. A global speed limit for the vehicle is determined based upon the selected context. An arbitrated speed limit, which is the local speed limit or the global speed limit, is notified to a driver of the vehicle.