Vehicle Proximal Environment Mapping via Characteristic Digest
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Solution Overview
Problem
Remote vehicles lack accurate and up-to-date information about their proximal environment, particularly in areas around and under them, which limits their ability to maneuver safely and autonomously.
Innovation Solution
A method for mapping the environment proximal to a remote vehicle by obtaining its current location and detecting characteristics such as terrain slope, friction coefficient, magnetic fields, and communication protocols, storing this information in a characteristic digest associated with specific locations, and using this data to enhance navigation and communication capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If aerial or satellite reconnaissance is used to provide location and mapping information, then the vehicle can obtain valuable environmental information, but the information is limited and does not cover areas around and under the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the environmental sensing into multiple segments: aerial/satellite reconnaissance for broad area coverage, and ground-based sensors (cameras, LIDAR, microphones, etc.) for detailed proximal environment mapping. This segmentation allows each sensing system to operate in its optimal range, with aerial systems providing strategic overview and ground sensors providing tactical detail of areas around and under the vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces ground-based sensor systems as intermediary devices between the aerial reconnaissance and the vehicle. These ground sensors act as mediators that capture detailed information about the proximal environment (areas around and under the vehicle) that aerial systems cannot detect, thereby completing the information gap.
2Reliability
If the vehicle operates without accurate proximal environment information, then the system complexity is reduced, but the vehicle cannot maneuver safely or autonomously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sensing systems (cameras, LIDAR, microphones, inertial sensors, communication sensors) into an integrated environmental sensing and mapping system. This combination allows the vehicle to collect diverse environmental data simultaneously, improving reliability for safe maneuvering while managing complexity through integrated processing rather than separate independent systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional sensing system that performs multiple functions: navigation, obstacle detection, terrain mapping, communication quality assessment, and environmental monitoring. This universal system improves reliability across multiple operational aspects while avoiding the need for separate dedicated systems for each function, thereby managing overall complexity.
3Measurement precision
If the vehicle collects and stores detailed characteristic data at each location, then navigation accuracy is improved, but the data processing and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and stores only the most relevant environmental characteristics at each location (terrain type, slope, roughness, friction coefficient, communication quality) rather than storing all possible sensor data. This extraction approach maintains location accuracy for navigation while significantly reducing the volume of data that needs to be processed and stored.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by storing detailed characteristic data only at specific locations where the vehicle has been or plans to go, rather than maintaining uniform high-resolution data everywhere. The characteristic digest stores location-specific information (terrain characteristics, communication quality) that is relevant to navigation decisions at that particular place, optimizing data usage for navigation accuracy while minimizing overall data volume.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for mapping an environment proximal to a vehicle includes obtaining a current location of the vehicle according to a map of the environment, detecting at least one characteristic of the environment at the current location, and storing the at least one characteristic in a characteristic digest. The characteristic digest respectively associates one or more locations in the environment to one or more sets of previously detected characteristics in the environment. The method also includes associating the at least one characteristic with the current location in the characteristic digest.