Vehicle Sensor Sharing for Unobstructed Forward Views
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle communication systems lack the ability to effectively combine and share unobstructed sensor data among vehicles in a group, leading to incomplete or obstructed views of the area ahead, which can hinder navigation and decision-making.
Innovation Solution
A system that determines a vehicle with an unobstructed view of the area ahead, collects data from sensors on that vehicle, and shares this unobstructed view with other vehicles in the group, using a server or processor to combine and enhance the data into comprehensive, unobstructed views for display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If vehicles in a group rely on their own sensors to view the area ahead, then each vehicle has independent sensing capability, but the view becomes obstructed when sensors are blocked by other vehicles or obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges sensor data from multiple vehicles in a group to create a collective unobstructed view. Vehicles share sensor data through a communication network, allowing the group to combine partial views into a complete picture of the area ahead, eliminating blind zones caused by individual vehicle obstructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a server or communication network as an intermediary to collect, process, and distribute sensor data among vehicles. This mediator coordinates the sharing of sensor information, enabling vehicles to access unobstructed views from other group members without direct peer-to-peer complexity.
2Reliability
If all vehicles collect and process sensor data independently, then each vehicle has complete data processing capability, but the system consumes excessive energy and computational resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines data collection functions across the vehicle group, where vehicles with unobstructed sensor views share their data with others. This eliminates redundant sensing and processing across all vehicles, reducing total energy consumption while maintaining complete data availability for the group.
Solution Approach 2:
Vehicles that have unobstructed sensor views automatically serve as data sources for other vehicles in the group. This self-service mechanism allows the system to dynamically allocate sensing responsibilities based on actual viewing conditions, reducing overall system energy consumption while maintaining data completeness.
3Productivity
If vehicles share sensor data in real-time, then the collective view is continuously updated, but data transmission and processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential unobstructed view data from each vehicle for sharing, rather than transmitting all sensor data. This selective data extraction reduces communication overhead and processing complexity while providing the critical information needed for navigation and decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a server or central coordinator as an intermediary to manage data collection, validation, and distribution. This mediator simplifies the communication architecture by centralizing data processing logic, reducing the complexity individual vehicles would face if they had to directly communicate and process data from all other vehicles.
Data Source
AI summary
An example operation includes one or more of determining a vehicle in a group of vehicles that has an unobstructed view of an area ahead of the group, collecting data from sensors on the vehicle, sending the data to one or more other vehicles in the group of vehicles, and providing the unobstructed view of the area ahead of the group on a display of the one or more other vehicles.