Autonomous Vehicle Mirage Detection Using Road Condition Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles often misinterpret mirages as actual water accumulation on the road, leading to unnecessary adjustments in driving parameters, which can cause discomfort for passengers and potentially compromise safety and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented system that uses a vision system, generative adversarial networks (GAN), and data aggregation from other vehicles and IoT devices to differentiate between actual water accumulation and mirages, adjusting driving parameters and windshield images accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle's vision system detects visual indication of water accumulation on the road, then the system adjusts driving parameters to avoid hydroplaning, but this causes unnecessary adjustments when the visual indication is actually a mirage, leading to passenger discomfort and reduced operational efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by querying other vehicles and IoT devices about road conditions ahead. When the autonomous vehicle detects a potential water accumulation, it requests information from other vehicles in the vicinity and compares their sensor data. This feedback loop allows the system to verify whether the visual indication is a real water accumulation or a mirage, thereby improving detection accuracy while avoiding unnecessary driving parameter adjustments that would reduce operational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses other vehicles and IoT devices as intermediaries to verify road conditions. Instead of relying solely on its own vision system, the autonomous vehicle queries intermediate sources (other vehicles' sensors and IoT devices) to confirm the presence of water accumulation. This intermediary verification mechanism resolves the contradiction by providing additional information to distinguish between real water and mirages, improving reliability without compromising productivity.
2Measurement precision
If the autonomous vehicle requests information from other vehicles and IoT devices to verify water accumulation, then the accuracy of mirage detection improves, but the system complexity and communication overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system leverages the existing multi-functional infrastructure of other vehicles and IoT devices that already have sensors for monitoring road conditions. Instead of adding dedicated verification hardware to the autonomous vehicle, it utilizes the universal sensing capabilities already present in the ecosystem. This approach improves measurement precision through cross-verification while minimizing the increase in system complexity by reusing existing resources.
Solution Approach 2:
Other vehicles and IoT devices in the ecosystem contribute to verifying road conditions as part of their own operational functions. They use their existing sensors to monitor road conditions and share this information with the autonomous vehicle. This self-service approach allows the autonomous vehicle to improve its detection accuracy without bearing the full burden of verification infrastructure, thus reducing the net increase in system complexity.
3Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle adjusts driving parameters in response to detected water accumulation, then safety is improved by preventing hydroplaning, but this causes unnecessary safety interventions when the detection is a mirage, potentially compromising actual safety
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification by querying other vehicles and IoT devices before making driving parameter adjustments. When the vision system detects potential water accumulation, it first seeks confirmation from intermediate sources before executing safety interventions. This preliminary action ensures that adjustments are only made when water accumulation is verified, preventing unnecessary interventions that would cause passenger discomfort while maintaining safety when actual water is present.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements preliminary anti-action by using cross-verification to prevent false positive responses. Before adjusting driving parameters in response to detected water accumulation, the system actively checks with other vehicles and IoT devices to rule out mirages. This preliminary anti-action counteracts the potential harmful effect of unnecessary safety interventions, thereby eliminating passenger discomfort without compromising actual safety when water accumulation is genuine.
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
Improves passenger safety and comfort by accurately identifying mirages, optimizing driving parameters, and enhancing the efficiency of autonomous vehicle operations by reducing unnecessary adjustments.
Implementation Method 1
A mirage is an optical phenomenon that creates the illusion of water and results from the refraction of light through a non-uniform medium
Data Source
AI summary
In an approach to mirage detection by autonomous vehicles, one or more computer processors monitor road conditions of a road on which an autonomous vehicle is traveling. One or more computer processors detect a visual indication of a water accumulation on the road. One or more computer processors determine whether one or more other vehicles are detected on the road ahead of the autonomous vehicle. Responsive to determining the one or more other vehicles are detected, one or more computer processors request information associated with road conditions of the road ahead of the autonomous vehicle from the one or more other vehicles. Based on a response to the request from the one or more other vehicles, one or more computer processors determine the one or more other vehicles did not detect the water accumulation. One or more computer processors determine the visual indication of the water accumulation is a mirage.