Vehicle Marker Layout for Distance-Robust Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
The limited space available for affixing markers to a travelling vehicle makes it difficult to simultaneously recognize large and small markers, which are essential for reliable vehicle recognition regardless of inter-vehicle distance.
Innovation Solution
A travelling vehicle equipped with a large marker and a small marker, each with distinct reflectance regions, allows reliable recognition by an imager regardless of distance, using different display patterns and LED arrays to convey vehicle state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a large number of vehicles are connected in a travelling vehicle system, then the system can provide comprehensive travel information and improve route optimization, but the communication load and data processing complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the communication architecture into multiple layers: vehicle-to-infrastructure communication for basic status data, infrastructure-to-cloud communication for data aggregation, and cloud-to-vehicle communication for optimized route distribution. This segmentation reduces the communication burden on individual vehicles while maintaining system-wide information sharing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
A central server acts as an intermediary between vehicles and the cloud platform, pre-processing and filtering travel information before transmission. The server aggregates data from multiple vehicles, performs initial analysis, and distributes only relevant optimized route information, reducing redundant communication load.
2Measurement precision
If real-time travel information is collected and processed for all connected vehicles, then route optimization accuracy improves, but the data processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary data processing and route optimization calculations on the cloud platform before vehicles need the information. Travel patterns, traffic conditions, and route optimizations are pre-computed based on historical data and real-time updates, so vehicles receive ready-to-use optimized routes without experiencing real-time processing delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where vehicle performance data and actual travel conditions are collected, analyzed, and used to refine future route optimizations. This feedback mechanism allows the system to learn from past performance and improve accuracy over time without requiring exhaustive real-time processing for each decision.
3Productivity
If the control unit determines optimized routes based on multiple factors including travel time, distance, and vehicle capacity, then the route optimization quality improves, but the computational complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit dynamically adjusts the weightings and thresholds of different optimization parameters (travel time, distance, vehicle capacity, tolls) based on current conditions and vehicle-specific requirements. This allows the system to handle multiple factors efficiently by adapting the computational model to prioritize relevant parameters for each specific routing decision rather than processing all parameters equally.
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
Enables reliable recognition of adjacent vehicles and instantaneous determination of their state, facilitating safe and efficient operation.
Implementation Method 1
the large marker has a display pattern including a first region, a second region with a lower reflectance than a reflectance of the first region... the small marker has a display pattern including a third region with a lower reflectance than the reflectance of the first region and a fourth region with a lower reflectance than the reflectance of the third region and a lower reflectance than the reflectance of the second region
Data Source
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AI summary
A travelling vehicle includes: a body provided with a small marker and a large marker; an imager; a pattern recognition unit; and a state determination unit configured to determine that the travelling vehicle that is another travelling vehicle is present in at least one of the front and the rear of a subject travelling vehicle when the small marker or the large marker is recognized. The large marker is configured to be of a size that does not entirely fit within an image capturing range of the imager equipped in the other travelling vehicle located less than a predetermined distance from the subject travelling vehicle. The small marker is configured to be of a size that entirely fits within the image capturing range of the imager equipped in the other travelling vehicle when a distance from the subject travelling vehicle is less than the predetermined distance from the subject travelling vehicle, the small marker being arranged inside a region where the large marker is configured. The large marker has a display pattern including a first region, a second region with a lower reflectance than a reflectance of the first region, and a region where the small marker is arranged. The small marker has a display pattern including a third region with a lower reflectance than the reflectance of the first region and a fourth region with a lower reflectance than the reflectance of the third region and a lower reflectance than the reflectance of the second region.