Autonomous Vehicle Surface Sensing for Road Element Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in safely navigating roads with varying surface elements, such as pavement markers and rumble strips, due to limitations in detecting these elements and responding appropriately, which can lead to safety and reliability issues and sensor impairment detection.
Innovation Solution
The use of sensors to measure sounds and vibrations associated with surface elements, identifying patterns to determine the type of element and adapting vehicle behavior, and comparing these measurements to historical data to calibrate sensors and publish information to a shared database for improved planning and decision-making.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional sensors are used to detect road surface elements, then the vehicle can identify some surface features, but the detection precision and reliability are insufficient leading to safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensor types (cameras, LIDAR, radar, ultrasonic sensors, and vibration sensors) into an integrated sensing system. This multi-sensor fusion approach allows the vehicle to detect road surface elements through multiple modalities simultaneously, improving both detection precision and reliability by cross-validating measurements and compensating for individual sensor limitations.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing system is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting various road surface elements (pavement markers, rumble strips, speed bumps), measuring vibrations, capturing visual information, and providing data for both navigation and sensor calibration. This multi-functional approach enhances reliability by using the same sensor suite for multiple purposes, including self-validation.
2Reliability
If the vehicle adapts behavior based on surface element detection, then navigation safety improves, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle behavior is dynamically adapted based on real-time detection of road surface elements. The system continuously adjusts navigation parameters, speed, and routing decisions according to the detected surface conditions. This dynamic adaptation improves safety by responding to actual road conditions while managing complexity through event-driven behavior changes rather than continuous complex processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where detection results inform behavior adjustments, and sensor calibration uses feedback from known surface element locations. The multi-sensor system cross-validates measurements through feedback mechanisms, improving reliability while managing complexity through structured feedback processing rather than uncontrolled system interactions.
3Measurement precision
If sensors are calibrated using historical data, then measurement accuracy improves, but data processing time and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calibration by comparing real-time sensor measurements against a pre-built database of historical surface element data. Known surface element locations and characteristics from historical data serve as reference standards for rapid sensor validation and calibration, reducing the need for time-consuming real-time computations while maintaining high measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses historical measurements and surface element databases as copies or references against which current sensor readings are compared. This copying approach allows rapid calibration by matching current data against pre-processed historical patterns, significantly reducing computational load and processing time compared to performing full calibration computations in real-time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances vehicle safety and reliability by enabling better detection of road scenarios, mitigating sensor failures, and preparing for known disturbances through historical data integration, thereby improving navigation and maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
sensors to measure sounds and vibrations associated with surface elements
Implementation Method 2
sensors to measure sounds and vibrations associated with surface elements
Data Source
AI summary
Among other things, techniques are described for receiving, from at least one sensor of a vehicle, a sensor measurement indicative of at least one of a sound or a vibration associated with a road element; identifying the road element based on a pattern in the sensor measurement; determining, based on the road element, a vehicle behavior for the vehicle; and controlling the vehicle to operate according to vehicle behavior.