Autonomous Vehicle Sensor Sharing for Occluded Roadway Maneuvering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in navigating through obstructed regions where their sensors lack visibility due to occlusions, leading to uncertainty about the presence and movement of objects, which can impact their operation and require 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 maneuvers by receiving data on objects and their movements within the obstructed zone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the autonomous vehicle relies solely on its own sensors to detect objects, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision and reliability deteriorate in obstructed regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges sensor data from multiple autonomous vehicles to create a comprehensive environmental model. The first autonomous vehicle combines its own sensor data with sensor data from a second autonomous vehicle to detect objects in obstructed regions, thereby improving detection accuracy without adding physical sensors to the first vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a server as an intermediary to receive sensor data from the second autonomous vehicle and transmit it to the first autonomous vehicle. This intermediary facilitates the sharing and integration of sensor data between vehicles, enabling improved detection in blind spots without direct peer-to-peer communication complexity.
2Loss of information
If the autonomous vehicle requests sensor data from another vehicle, then the loss of information in obstructed regions is reduced, but the device complexity and communication requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal sensor data sharing system where any autonomous vehicle can serve as both a data source and a data recipient. The same communication infrastructure and data processing mechanisms are used for all vehicles in the fleet, allowing the system to scale without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary that manages the complexity of data collection, processing, and distribution. It receives sensor data from multiple vehicles, processes the information, and distributes relevant data to vehicles that need it, thereby centralizing complexity management and simplifying individual vehicle architectures.
3Productivity
If the autonomous vehicle waits for human intervention in obstructed regions, then the safety is maintained conservatively, but the productivity and operational efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by proactively requesting and receiving sensor data from second autonomous vehicles before the first vehicle enters obstructed regions. This advance information allows the first vehicle to plan safe maneuvers without waiting for human intervention, thereby improving productivity while maintaining safety through pre-acquired knowledge of the environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously receiving sensor data from other vehicles about objects in obstructed regions. This real-time feedback loop allows the first autonomous vehicle to make informed decisions about maneuvering through blind spots, improving operational efficiency while maintaining safety through continuous environmental awareness.
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.