Vehicle Sensor Data Synchronization Using Time-Difference Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle sensor systems face challenges in accurately merging sensor data from multiple sources due to latency times and environmental factors, leading to temporal inaccuracies and a lack of sharpness in real-time monitoring, which can compromise safety and system reliability.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that account for sensor-specific latency times by continuously measuring signal propagation and processing times, using time-difference information to synchronize and merge sensor data from various detectors, ensuring accurate and timely data fusion, even in heterogeneous environments, and providing integrity checks to prevent corrupted data from affecting the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If sensor data from multiple detectors are merged without considering latency times, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and reliability deteriorate due to temporal inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by determining latency times for each detector in advance and storing them in a lookup table before data merging occurs. This pre-computation approach allows the system to quickly retrieve and apply latency compensation values during real-time operation without adding complex real-time calculation mechanisms, thus maintaining measurement precision while avoiding increased device complexity.
2Measurement precision
If latency times are determined continuously during sensor operation, then measurement precision improves, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic action by determining latency times at specific intervals or under specific conditions rather than continuously during operation. Latency times are recalibrated periodically or when significant environmental changes are detected, allowing the system to maintain adequate measurement precision while significantly reducing the energy consumption associated with continuous latency determination.
3Reliability
If sensor data are synchronized to system time with rigorous timing, then reliability improves for safety applications, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary approach by using timestamp information from the sensor data itself as a mediator for synchronization, rather than implementing a complex active synchronization system. The timestamps serve as a passive reference that allows data from multiple detectors to be correlated in time without requiring intricate synchronization hardware or protocols, thus achieving reliable safety application performance with minimal added complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for monitoring vehicle surroundings, including: reading in first and second surrounding-area information-items respectively with first and second detectors. The first and second surrounding-area information-items represent information items receivable from the vehicle surroundings and is about at least one object in the surroundings; processing the first surrounding-area information-item with the first detector, to provide first sensor-data, and processing the second surrounding-area information-item with the second detector, to provide second sensor-data; merging the first sensor-data and the second sensor-data, using a time-difference information item, to provide a measuring-signal. The time-difference information item represents a time-difference between a first latency-time, which is needed by the first detector for the processing, up to the provision of the first sensor-data, and a second latency-time, which is needed by the second detector for the processing, up to the provision of the second sensor-data. The measuring signal represents monitored surroundings of the vehicle.