Ultrasonic Object Detection Sensitivity Adjustment via Second Lowest Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing object detection systems face reduced accuracy due to temperature sensor failures, especially when affected by engine exhaust heat or direct sunlight, leading to inaccurate outside air temperature estimation and decreased detection performance.
Innovation Solution
The object detection system incorporates multiple object detection units with temperature sensors, where the detection sensitivity of the reception circuit is adjusted based on the second lowest temperature among the units, ensuring accurate outside air temperature estimation and improved detection accuracy even in case of sensor failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the lowest temperature among temperatures detected by respective temperature sensors is estimated as the outside air temperature, then object detection accuracy can be improved, but object detection accuracy greatly decreases when the temperature sensor that detects the lowest temperature detects an abnormally low temperature due to a failure
Solution Approach 1:
The system prepares a backup selection criterion (second lowest temperature) in advance to cushion against the failure of the primary criterion (lowest temperature). When sensor failure occurs, the pre-prepared alternative ensures continuous reliable operation without abrupt performance degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the selection parameter from the lowest temperature to the second lowest temperature when sensor failure is detected. This parameter change allows the system to maintain reliable outside air temperature estimation by excluding the abnormal lowest temperature value caused by sensor failure.
2Measurement precision
If a temperature sensor is installed to detect outside air temperature, then object detection accuracy can be improved, but it is not preferable in terms of cost to install a sensor only for detecting the outside air temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensors integrated into the object detection units serve dual purposes: they detect environmental temperature for object detection accuracy correction and provide redundancy for failure detection. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated temperature sensors, reducing overall system cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The object detection units themselves provide the temperature sensing function needed for accurate object detection. The system uses its own existing sensors (designed for object detection) to also perform environmental temperature measurement, eliminating the need for additional dedicated temperature sensing components.
3Measurement precision
If the temperature sensor detects environmental temperature, then outside air temperature can be estimated, but the temperature sensor may be affected by engine exhaust heat, direct sunlight, or the like, causing the detected temperature to be significantly higher than the outside air temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and excludes the abnormal temperature value (affected by engine exhaust heat or direct sunlight) by selecting the lowest temperature among multiple sensors. This extraction of the harmful influence allows the system to estimate outside air temperature based on the cleanest available data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides the temperature sensing function across multiple separate temperature sensors positioned at different locations. This segmentation ensures that not all sensors are simultaneously affected by the same harmful factors, allowing the system to identify and exclude contaminated readings through comparison.
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
This approach enhances object detection accuracy by reducing the impact of temperature sensor failures and environmental factors, such as engine exhaust heat and direct sunlight, and maintains detection sensitivity through the use of the second lowest temperature for sensitivity adjustment.
Implementation Method 1
a transmission and reception unit configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave and receive a reflected wave generated by reflection of the ultrasonic wave on an object
Implementation Method 2
a reception circuit unit configured to detect a signal level of the reflected wave received by the transmission and reception unit
Data Source
AI summary
An object detection system includes: a plurality of object detection units. The object detection units each include a transmission and reception unit configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave and receive a reflected wave generated by reflection of the ultrasonic wave on an object, a reception circuit unit configured to detect a signal level of the reflected wave received by the transmission and reception unit, a detection unit configured to detect the object by comparing the signal level detected by the reception circuit unit with a predetermined signal threshold value, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of an environment, and a detection sensitivity adjustment unit configured to adjust detection sensitivity of the reception circuit unit based on a second lowest temperature among temperatures detected by the respective temperature sensors in the plurality of object detection units.