Autonomous Vehicle Sensor Assemblies for Redundant 360-Degree Perception
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles require accurate and reliable environmental data for safe navigation, but existing sensor systems lack comprehensive coverage and redundancy, leading to potential failures in object detection and navigation.
Innovation Solution
A sensor system with multiple sensing devices, including cameras, LiDAR, radar, and GNSS, is implemented on autonomous vehicles, providing 360-degree coverage and redundancy through modular assemblies and prioritized sensing devices for essential and non-essential autonomous operations, enabling continued operation even in case of device failure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple sensing devices are deployed to provide 360-degree coverage and redundancy, then reliability and safety are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is divided into multiple independent assemblies, each containing specific sensing devices (cameras, LiDAR, radar, GNSS) positioned at different locations on the vehicle. This segmentation allows comprehensive 360-degree environmental coverage while maintaining modular architecture that manages system complexity through organized distribution of sensing functions across multiple discrete units.
Solution Approach 2:
Redundant sensing devices are pre-deployed in the sensor system configuration. When primary sensing devices fail or provide insufficient data, backup devices immediately activate to maintain autonomous operation. This beforehand cushioning ensures continuous safe navigation even during device failures, directly improving reliability without requiring complex real-time decision-making about when to activate backups.
2Reliability
If redundant sensing devices are activated during failure conditions, then operational continuity is maintained, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system dynamically adjusts its operational state based on detected conditions. During normal operation, only essential sensing devices are activated to minimize energy consumption. When failure conditions are detected or environmental conditions deteriorate, the system transitions to activate redundant sensing devices. This dynamic state adjustment maintains operational continuity while optimizing energy usage by avoiding continuous full-power operation of all sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (which sensing devices are active) based on detected conditions. During adverse conditions or failures, the parameter set of active devices expands to include redundant sensors. During normal conditions, the parameter set is reduced to essential devices only. This parameter change approach maintains operational continuity when needed while minimizing energy consumption during normal operation.
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 ensures reliable object detection, lane marking, and traffic sign/light detection, maintaining safe navigation by providing redundant data collection and enhanced perception capabilities, even in adverse conditions.
Implementation Method 1
solid-state light detection and ranging (LiDAR) devices of different ranges
Implementation Method 2
radar devices
Data Source
AI summary
An example sensor system for use with a vehicle includes a first group of sensing devices that are associated with an essential level of autonomous operation of the vehicle. The first group of sensing devices are configured and intended for continuous use while the vehicle is being autonomously operated. The sensor system further includes a second group of sensing devices that are associated with a non-essential level of autonomous operation of the vehicle. For example, the second group of sensing devices are configured to be redundant to and/or to enhance the performance of the first group of sensing devices. The second group operates in response to certain conditions being determined during autonomous operation of the vehicle. The sensor system further includes a plurality of assemblies attached to the vehicle. Each assembly includes two or more sensing devices from the first group and/or the second group.