Vehicle Forward-Looking Sensor Curvature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Forward-looking sensors in vehicles face challenges in maintaining an appropriate observation range on curved roads, especially when road information is unclear or at night, and struggle to accurately track vehicles moving along different paths, leading to misrecognition and loss of the objective vehicle.
Innovation Solution
An automotive forward-looking system that calculates the curvature of a curved road using a guardrail detected by a LIDAR sensor, allowing the forward-looking sensor to adjust its angle and maintain an appropriate observation range, even in varying environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If forward-looking sensors are controlled to turn at a predetermined angle to maintain observation range on curved roads, then the observation range is maintained, but the system fails when road information is unclear or at night
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guardrail detection as an intermediary method to calculate road curvature. Instead of directly relying on lane information or vehicle traces which may be unavailable, the system uses guardrails as a mediator that can be detected through LIDAR to infer the road's curved path, enabling sensor turning control in environments where traditional methods fail
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical dependency on visible lane markings and vehicle traces with LIDAR-based guardrail detection. The LIDAR system actively emits laser beams to detect the three-dimensional position of guardrails, substituting passive optical detection with active electromagnetic sensing that works in low-visibility conditions
2Device complexity
If forward-looking sensors use a predetermined FOV to monitor the area ahead, then the system structure is simple, but the sensor loses the objective vehicle on curved roads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the forward-looking sensor dynamic by enabling it to turn at calculated angles based on detected road curvature. The sensor's orientation is no longer fixed but adjusts dynamically according to the curved path inferred from guardrail positions, allowing it to maintain tracking accuracy on curved roads while keeping the sensor itself relatively simple
3Reliability
If the forward-looking sensor turns to follow the curved road, then the observation range is maintained, but the system cannot operate when there is no vehicle ahead or the lead vehicle moves differently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses guardrails as a mediator to calculate road curvature independently of other vehicles. By detecting the spatial configuration of guardrails along the road, the system can determine the curved path even when no lead vehicle is present or when the lead vehicle's trajectory differs from the actual road curvature
Solution Approach 2:
The guardrail detection method serves as a universal solution that works across multiple traveling environments where other methods fail. It provides a common basis for curvature calculation whether there is no vehicle ahead, the road is unclear, it is nighttime, or the lead vehicle deviates from the curved road path
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
The system accurately estimates the curvature of curved roads and controls the sensor's turning to maintain an appropriate observation range under diverse conditions, including unclear roads and absence of a lead vehicle, enhancing safety and reducing installation costs by utilizing sensors with narrower fields of view.
Implementation Method 1
obtaining a YUV image and a depth image of a forward area of a vehicle through a camera and a LIDAR sensor
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides automotive forward-looking system and method. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automotive forward-looking system including: a forward-looking sensor that has a field of view in a predetermined range of angle and monitors a forward area of a vehicle; a controller that calculates a turning angle of the forward-looking sensor by estimating the curvature of a curved road; and a sensor turning unit that turns the forward-looking sensor by being controlled to operate by the controller, in which the controller estimates the curvature of a curved road on the basis of a guardrail installed at a side of the curved road.