Autonomous Vehicle Height Control for Obstacle-Aware Platform Stops
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous driving vehicles face challenges in safely stopping at designated positions when obstacles, such as fallen objects, are present, as they may interfere with the vehicle, preventing easy entry and exit for occupants.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle is equipped with an outside sensor to detect obstacles and a vehicle height adjusting device, controlled by a control device that adjusts the vehicle height to avoid interference by changing the stop position or adjusting the height to match the platform condition, ensuring safe and comfortable entry and exit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the vehicle height is decreased to allow easy entry and exit at the stop position, then the ease of operation for occupants is improved, but the vehicle may interfere with obstacles present at the stop position
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle height is made dynamically adjustable based on real-time detection of obstacles at the stop position. The vehicle height adjusting device changes the vehicle height from a first height (for easy entry/exit) to a second height (to avoid obstacle interference) depending on whether an obstacle is detected, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and avoidance of harmful interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle height parameter is changed based on the detection results from the outside sensor. When an obstacle is detected at the stop position, the vehicle height parameter is adjusted to a different value to prevent interference, while maintaining the capability to adjust to optimal heights for occupant entry and exit when no obstacle is present.
2Ease of operation
If the vehicle stops at the predetermined stop position to provide comfortable entry and exit, then the ease of operation is improved, but the vehicle may collide with obstacles at that position
Solution Approach 1:
The outside sensor performs preliminary detection of obstacles at the predetermined stop position before the vehicle completes its stopping maneuver. Based on this advance detection, the control device determines whether to adjust the vehicle height to avoid obstacles, ensuring both safe stopping and comfortable entry/exit conditions are met.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the outside sensor to continuously monitor the stop position environment. When an obstacle is detected, the feedback signal triggers the vehicle height adjusting device to modify the vehicle height, creating a closed-loop control system that ensures both safety and comfort.
3Reliability
If the vehicle height is adjusted to avoid obstacles, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of operation for entry and exit may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle height adjusting device dynamically switches between different height settings based on real-time obstacle detection. When no obstacle is present, the vehicle maintains an optimal height for easy entry and exit. When an obstacle is detected, the height is dynamically adjusted to avoid interference, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes an outside sensor configured to acquire information on an outside circumstance of the vehicle, a vehicle height adjusting device configured to adjust a vehicle height, and a control device configured to control the vehicle. The control device is configured to control the vehicle height adjusting device such that the vehicle height becomes a vehicle height corresponding to a platform condition at a predetermined stop position when the vehicle stops at the predetermined stop position. The control device is configured to control the vehicle height adjusting device based on a height of an obstacle such that the obstacle does not interfere with the vehicle when the obstacle is detected at the predetermined stop position by the outside sensor.