Transporter User Control for Stair Navigation and Obstacle Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing personal vehicles lack the ability to automatically detect key environmental features and react accordingly, posing challenges in obstacle avoidance, stair traversal, elevator use, and parking.
Innovation Solution
A user control device equipped with a user control processor (UCP) that integrates sensors and processors to automatically navigate personal vehicles, including obstacle detection, stair climbing, elevator operation, and parking, using a combination of sensor data processing and user input to generate movement commands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a user control device with integrated sensors and processors is implemented to enable automatic navigation and obstacle detection, then the vehicle's autonomous navigation capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control device is divided into multiple specialized processors including a user control processor (UCP) for high-level decision making, a power base processor (PBP) for motor control, and a sensor processor for data acquisition and processing. This segmentation allows each component to focus on specific tasks, improving overall system efficiency while managing complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
A command processor acts as an intermediary between the UCP and PBP, translating high-level navigation commands into specific motor control signals. This intermediary layer simplifies the control architecture by providing a clear interface between decision-making and execution components, reducing the complexity burden of direct multi-point control.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors and processors are integrated to enhance environmental detection and automatic reaction, then the measurement precision of environmental features is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sensor types including ultrasonic sensors, infrared sensors, and cameras are merged into a unified sensor processing system. The sensor processor integrates data from all these sources to create a comprehensive environmental model, improving measurement precision through data fusion while managing complexity through centralized processing architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor processor is designed with multi-functional capabilities to handle various sensor types and processing tasks including obstacle detection, navigation mapping, and environmental feature recognition. This universal processor reduces device complexity by consolidating multiple specialized processing units into a single versatile component.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the vehicle's ability to autonomously navigate complex environments, ensuring safe and reliable operation by automatically detecting obstacles, traversing stairs, using elevators, and parking, thereby improving user convenience and safety.
Implementation Method 1
The sensors can include at least one time-of-flight sensor that can be mounted anywhere on transporter
Data Source
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Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
There is described a method 750 for enabling a transporter 120 to navigate stairs comprising: receiving 1251 at least one stair command; receiving 1253 environmental information 651 from sensors 147 mounted on the transporter 120; locating 1255, based on the environmental information 651, at least one staircase 643; receiving 1257 a selection of a selected staircase 643A from the at least one staircase 643; measuring 1259, based on the environmental information 651, at least one characteristic 645 of the selected staircase 643A; locating 1261, based on the environmental information 651, at least one obstacle 623, if any, on the selected staircase 643A; locating 1263, based on the environmental information 651, a last stair of the selected staircase 643A; and providing 1265 the at least one movement command 630 to move the transporter 120 on the selected staircase 643A based at least on the measured at least one characteristic 645, the last stair, and the obstacles 623, if any.