UGV Simulation Scene Comparison Using Costmap Similarity Metrics
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need to compare virtual environments for unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) development and testing in a quantitative manner to assess their similarity based on UGV performance metrics.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for comparing simulated environments by generating costmaps, dividing costs into histogram bins, and using metrics such as traversability ratio, blob size, and L2 distance to assess similarity between environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple simulation environments are created for comprehensive UGV testing, then testing coverage and reliability are improved, but the complexity of comparing and selecting representative environments increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the complex qualitative comparison of simulation environments into quantitative parameter-based comparison. It extracts specific parameters from costmaps (traversability metrics, terrain characteristics, obstacle distributions) and uses these parameters to compute similarity scores between environments, enabling systematic selection of representative testing environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual or intuitive environment comparison methods with automated computational analysis. It uses algorithms to process costmap data, calculate traversability metrics, and determine environmental similarity, substituting human judgment with objective mathematical computation.
2Measurement precision
If detailed costmap analysis is performed to accurately compare environments, then measurement precision is improved, but computational time and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the costmap analysis into distinct computational components: extracting terrain parameters, calculating traversability metrics, generating histograms of cost distributions, and computing similarity scores. This segmentation allows for optimized processing of each component and facilitates parallel computation where applicable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent focuses computational resources on the most critical aspects of environment comparison by analyzing specific traversability parameters and costmap features that have the greatest impact on UGV performance. Rather than processing all possible costmap attributes equally, it prioritizes the most relevant metrics for accurate yet efficient comparison.
Data Source
AI summary
In an approach to comparing simulated environments for unmanned ground vehicle development and testing, a system includes stored program instructions, the stored program instructions configured to: receive a first simulation scene and a second simulation scene; calculate a first costmap for the first simulation scene and a second costmap for the second simulation scene; calculate a traversability ratio metric comparing the first costmap and the second costmap; calculate a blob size metric comparing the first costmap and the second costmap; calculate an L2 distance between a first plurality of histograms from the first costmap and a second plurality of histograms from the second costmap; and determine whether a first environment of the first simulation scene and a second environment of the second simulation scene are similar based on the traversability ratio metric, the blob size metric, and the L2 distance.