Automated Vehicle Steering for Limited Sensor Field-of-View
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated vehicles equipped with limited field-of-view sensors face challenges in detecting objects effectively due to fixed mounting orientations, which can result in varying detection ranges and sensitivities based on the sensor's direction relative to the vehicle's travel direction.
Innovation Solution
An operating system that includes a controller communicating with an object-detector, which steers the host-vehicle to align a preferred portion of the sensor's field-of-view with detected objects, such as an intersecting road, to improve detection accuracy by dynamically adjusting the sensor's orientation relative to the detected object.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the object-detector is fixedly attached to the host-vehicle with a fixed mounting orientation, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision and detection sensitivity vary based on direction relative to the vehicle's travel direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the host-vehicle itself movable (steering the vehicle) to dynamically adjust the orientation of the fixed sensor relative to detected objects. Instead of making the sensor movable, the system moves the vehicle body to align the sensor's preferred field-of-view direction with the object of interest, thereby maintaining detection precision while keeping the sensor mounting simple and fixed.
2Manufacturing precision
If the object-detector has a preferred direction of use with fixed mounting, then the manufacturing precision requirements are reduced, but the detection range and sensitivity are limited in certain directions
Solution Approach 1:
The system overcomes the limited detection coverage of fixed-mounted sensors by dynamically steering the host-vehicle to reposition the sensor's field-of-view. This allows the same fixed sensor to effectively detect objects in multiple directions by changing the vehicle's orientation, thereby achieving adaptability without requiring complex multi-directional sensor mounting or multiple sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes a single fixed-mounted object-detector serve multiple detection directions and purposes by steering the vehicle to different orientations. The same sensor can detect objects in front, side, or rear directions depending on how the vehicle is steered, achieving multi-functionality without adding multiple specialized sensors.
3Ease of operation
If the sensor's field-of-view is fixed relative to the vehicle, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability of object detection decreases when objects are outside the preferred field-of-view direction
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains the simplicity of fixed sensor operation while improving detection reliability by dynamically steering the vehicle to bring objects into the sensor's preferred field-of-view direction. The sensor itself remains simple and fixed, but the vehicle's movement dynamically optimizes the detection geometry to ensure reliable detection of objects regardless of their initial position.
Data Source
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AI summary
An operating system for an automated vehicle equipped with limited field-of-view sensors is provided. The system includes an object-detector and a controller. The object-detector detects objects proximate to a host-vehicle. A field-of-view of the object-detector is characterized by a preferred-portion of the field-of-view, where the preferred-portion is characterized as preferred for using the object-detector. The controller is in communication with the object-detector. The controller steers the host-vehicle to align the preferred-portion with a detected-object. The system optionally includes an intersecting-road-indicator that indicates an intersecting-road connected to an intersection approached by the host-vehicle, and the controller is in communication with the intersecting-road-indicator. The controller designates an intersecting-road as the detected-object, and steers the host-vehicle to align the preferred-portion of the object-detector with the intersecting-road when the host-vehicle approaches the intersection.