Autonomous Tractor-Trailer Dock Alignment With Guided Backing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Backing up and aligning tractor trailers to loading docks is a complex task prone to accidents due to restricted visibility and tight spaces, posing risks to pedestrians and property, and incurring significant costs for shipper and receiver.
Innovation Solution
A driver aid and autonomous system that uses drive-by-wire technology to control steering, acceleration, and braking, combined with sensors like LADAR and RADAR for mapping and obstacle avoidance, and visual/auditory feedback to guide the driver into the correct position, either fully autonomously or with driver assistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a driver manually backs up and aligns the tractor trailer, then the driver has full control over the vehicle, but the complexity of the task increases and the risk of accidents rises due to restricted visibility and tight spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary automated guidance system that acts as a mediator between the driver and the complex parking task. The system provides real-time guidance signals (visual and auditory) that simplify the driver's decision-making process while maintaining driver control, thereby improving safety without completely removing driver involvement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback mechanisms through visual displays showing the vehicle's position relative to the dock and auditory signals providing real-time guidance. This feedback loop enables the driver to make precise adjustments, reducing the complexity of the parking maneuver while maintaining safety.
2Reliability
If the system provides full autonomous control through drive-by-wire, then the risk of accidents decreases, but the driver loses control and the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial automation rather than full autonomy. The automated guidance system provides assistance for the complex alignment and positioning tasks, while the driver retains control of acceleration and braking. This partial action approach improves safety without requiring complete system complexity of full autonomous drive-by-wire control.
3Measurement precision
If the system uses multiple sensors like LADAR and RADAR for mapping and obstacle avoidance, then the measurement precision improves, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple sensor types (LADAR, RADAR, cameras) into an integrated sensing platform that shares processing resources and data fusion algorithms. This combining approach achieves high measurement precision for position and obstacle detection while reducing overall system complexity compared to using each sensor system independently.
Data Source
AI summary
A system can autonomously or semi-autonomously guide a driver to a dock or parking location. The system can include a sensor or sensors that collect data to create a map of the dock or parking location, a user interface that allows the driver to select a dock or a feature in the map and to determine the final pose of the tractor and trailer, and a planner that creates a kinematically-correct and obstacle-free trajectory from the current location to the dock or parking location. The system can provide user aids, such as a ground guide avatar or avatars, that provide the distance to the dock, speed and turning directions, or other guidance.