Vehicle Trunk Entrapment Detection via Sensor Fusion

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Autonomous vehicles lack the capability to detect and respond to living beings within enclosed compartments, such as cargo areas, without a human driver, posing safety and operational challenges.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method and system that utilize vehicle sensors, including cameras and machine learning models, to detect the presence of living beings, determine their type, and initiate automated response measures based on their health parameters and environmental conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If autonomous vehicles operate without a human driver, then productivity and automation are improved, but the ability to detect and respond to living beings in enclosed compartments deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautonomous vehicle operationVSAvoiddetection and response capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The autonomous vehicle performs self-monitoring of enclosed compartments using onboard sensors (cameras, microphones, gas sensors) to detect living beings and assess their condition, enabling the system to serve itself in monitoring tasks that would traditionally require human attention

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously captures sensor data from enclosed compartments, analyzes it through machine learning models to detect living beings and assess their health status, and automatically initiates response measures based on the analysis results, creating a closed-loop feedback system that maintains reliability without human drivers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Measurement precision

If sensors and machine learning models are deployed to detect living beings, then detection capability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveliving being detection accuracyVSAvoidsensor and processing system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The detection system is divided into specialized sensor modules (camera, microphone, gas sensors) each optimized for specific detection tasks, with separate machine learning models processing different sensor data types independently before integrating results for comprehensive living being detection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A single sensor suite serves multiple functions: detecting presence of living beings, identifying their type (human, animal, infant), assessing health status through breathing and heart rate analysis, and monitoring environmental conditions, replacing what would traditionally require multiple specialized systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS11590980B2Automated responses to vehicle trunk entrapment

Publication Date: 2023.02.28 PONY AI INC

AI summary

Described herein are systems, methods, and computer readable media for capturing sensor data relating to an enclosed compartment of a vehicle (e.g., a cargo area of the vehicle) via one or more vehicle sensors; analyzing the sensor data to determine whether it is indicative of a living being present in the enclosed compartment; performing an object detection analysis on at least a portion of the sensor data to determine a type of living being detected; and initiating one or more automated vehicle response measures based on the type of living being.