Redundant Vehicle Sensor Layout for Continuous Environmental Sensing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current autonomous driving technologies have limited vehicle perception and environmental adaptability, leading to unreliable sensing of environmental information, which can compromise driving safety and reliability.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle is equipped with redundant sensor subsystems, including a master, slave, and backup system, each comprising different types of sensors with overlapping sensing ranges to ensure continuous environmental information acquisition and adaptability, even if one subsystem fails.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a single sensor subsystem is used for environmental sensing, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability of sensing environmental information deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereliability of sensing environmental informationVSAvoidcomplexity of sensor subsystem
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor system is divided into multiple independent sensor subsystems (first sensor subsystem, second sensor subsystem, third sensor subsystem), each capable of acquiring environmental information. This segmentation allows the system to maintain functionality even if one subsystem fails, thereby improving reliability without requiring a single complex subsystem.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Each sensor subsystem is configured with specific sensor types and sensing ranges tailored to particular environmental conditions or regions. For example, different subsystems may use different sensor types (cameras, LIDAR, radar) optimized for specific detection tasks, allowing each local component to have specialized quality that contributes to overall system reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If multiple sensor subsystems with overlapping sensing ranges are deployed, then the reliability of environmental information acquisition is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereliability of environmental information acquisitionVSAvoidcomplexity of sensor system configuration
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments sensing coverage into multiple subsystems with defined sensing ranges. By ensuring that adjacent subsystems have overlapping coverage areas, the system guarantees continuous environmental monitoring while maintaining manageable complexity through clear segmentation boundaries.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The overlapping sensing ranges between adjacent sensor subsystems create a buffer zone that ensures continuous coverage. This prior cushioning approach guarantees that if one subsystem fails or has limited coverage, the overlapping region provides redundant sensing capability, improving reliability while the structured overlap pattern keeps configuration complexity manageable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Measurement precision

If sensors are densely distributed to cover all areas, then the measurement precision of environmental information is improved, but the use of energy increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprecision of environmental information sensingVSAvoidenergy consumption of sensor system
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Different sensor subsystems use different sensor types and densities optimized for specific local requirements. Areas requiring higher measurement precision use denser sensor arrangements, while areas with lower requirements use sparser arrangements, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining necessary precision where needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements partial redundancy through overlapping sensing ranges rather than complete dense coverage everywhere. The overlap provides sufficient measurement precision for critical areas while avoiding the excessive energy consumption that would result from uniform dense sensor distribution across the entire environment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP4242773B1Vehicle having sensor redundancy
Publication Date: 2024.08.28 BEIJING TUSEN ZHITU TECH CO LTD
  • EP4242773B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4242773B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4242773B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle having sensor redundancy. The vehicle includes a sensor system including a first sensor subsystem configured for acquiring environmental information around the vehicle; a second sensor subsystem configured for acquiring environmental information around the vehicle; a computing system configured for sending a control instruction generated based on one of the first sensor subsystem and the second sensor subsystem to a control system according to a state of at least one of the computing system and the sensor system; a control system configured for changing at least one of a direction of travel and a speed of the vehicle based on the control instruction received from the computing system.