Autonomous Vehicle Sensor Sharing for Obstructed Roadway Maneuvering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in navigating through obstructed regions due to limited visibility, which can lead to uncertainty about the presence and movement of objects, potentially impacting their operation and requiring human intervention.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous vehicle can identify obstructed regions and request another vehicle to provide sensor data from that area, allowing it to fill in its map and make informed maneuvering decisions without human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle relies solely on its own sensors to detect objects in obstructed regions, then the device complexity remains low, but the reliability of navigation deteriorates due to limited visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sensor systems of multiple autonomous vehicles, allowing the first autonomous vehicle to access sensor data from a second autonomous vehicle to overcome obstructed regions. This combines sensing capabilities across vehicles rather than requiring each vehicle to have complete omnidirectional sensors, thus improving reliability without proportionally increasing individual device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor data sharing system creates a universal information pool where sensor data from any autonomous vehicle can be utilized by other vehicles. The same sensor infrastructure serves multiple vehicles simultaneously, allowing each vehicle to benefit from expanded visibility without each vehicle individually carrying additional specialized equipment.
2Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle requests sensor data from other vehicles to view obstructed regions, then the reliability of maneuvering decisions improves, but the loss of time for data acquisition and processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
Autonomous vehicles continuously collect and store sensor data in advance, maintaining a history of environmental observations. When a vehicle needs information about an obstructed region, it can access pre-collected data from other vehicles rather than waiting for real-time data collection, significantly reducing the time delay while maintaining reliable decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring the first autonomous vehicle to physically position itself or deploy additional sensors to view obstructed regions, it obtains copies of sensor data from the second autonomous vehicle that is already positioned to observe those regions. This data copying approach eliminates time-consuming physical repositioning or sensor deployment while providing reliable environmental information.
3Measurement precision
If the autonomous vehicle carries additional sensors to view obstructed regions, then the measurement precision of objects in blind spots improves, but the weight and cost of the vehicle increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sensing capabilities of multiple vehicles into a shared information resource. The first autonomous vehicle achieves comprehensive object detection precision by combining its own sensor data with sensor data from the second autonomous vehicle, eliminating the need for each vehicle to carry redundant sensors that would increase weight.
4Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle stops for an extended period to ensure safety in obstructed regions, then the reliability of operation improves, but the productivity of the vehicle deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The first autonomous vehicle obtains copies of sensor data from the second autonomous vehicle to assess safety in obstructed regions, enabling it to make informed maneuvering decisions without stopping. This data copying approach maintains operational safety by providing reliable environmental information while preserving productivity by eliminating extended stopping periods.
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous vehicle including a sensor system configured to detect an environment in a field of view of the autonomous vehicle and to output data of the detected environment. A computing system of the autonomous vehicle can detect that a portion of a roadway along a route of the autonomous vehicle in the field of view of the autonomous vehicle is obscured. Responsive to the detection of the obscured portion of the roadway, the computing system can transmit a request for a second autonomous vehicle to view the portion of the roadway. The computing system can receive fill data representative of an output of a second sensor system of the second autonomous vehicle detecting the portion of the roadway in a field of view of the second autonomous vehicle.