Autonomous Vehicle Exterior Object Detection and Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in detecting and addressing unauthorized objects or persons on their exterior surfaces, which can interfere with navigation and operation, particularly in the absence of a human supervisor.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous vehicle system that utilizes environment and object detection signals to control the vehicle's operation, including limiting autonomous mode if an unauthorized object or person is detected, and can navigate to a designated area for assistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If autonomous vehicles operate without human supervision, then productivity and automation are improved, but reliability deteriorates due to undetected unauthorized objects on exterior surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous vehicle performs self-detection and self-monitoring of its exterior surfaces using sensors to identify unauthorized objects or persons, enabling the system to service itself without human intervention and maintain reliable operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors exterior surfaces and provides feedback signals to the control system, enabling real-time detection and response to unauthorized objects, thereby maintaining reliability during autonomous operation
2Reliability
If sensors continuously monitor for unauthorized objects on exterior surfaces, then reliability is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensors operate in periodic cycles, alternating between active monitoring modes and lower-power states, allowing the system to maintain detection reliability while reducing overall energy consumption during autonomous operation
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle system includes at least one autonomous driving sensor programmed to output environment signals representing an environment around an autonomous vehicle and object detection signals representing an object or person on an exterior surface of the autonomous vehicle. The vehicle system further includes an autonomous mode controller programmed to autonomously control the autonomous vehicle in accordance with the environment signals output by the autonomous driving sensor, detect the object or person on the exterior surface of the autonomous vehicle in accordance with the object detection signals, and limit autonomous operation of the autonomous vehicle in response to detecting the object or person on the exterior surface of the autonomous vehicle.