Vehicular Sensor Network for Extended Detection Range
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles have limited situational awareness due to the limitations of their onboard sensors, which can result in a delayed reaction to events not immediately detectable, such as pedestrians or hazards beyond their sensor range.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a vehicle communication system that allows vehicles to connect with each other when within a certain distance and share detection alerts, enabling operational modifications based on received event data from other vehicles, even when the reporting vehicle is in a low-power mode.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a vehicle uses only its own onboard sensors to detect events, then the vehicle maintains operational independence and simple system architecture, but the vehicle has limited situational awareness and cannot detect events beyond its sensor range
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges sensor data from multiple vehicles into a shared situational awareness system. Vehicles combine their individual sensor detections through communication networks to create a collective understanding of the environment that exceeds what any single vehicle could detect alone, directly addressing the limited situational awareness problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication system serves multiple functions: it enables information sharing about detected events, allows vehicles to alert others about hazards beyond their range, and facilitates coordinated responses. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by providing comprehensive situational awareness while maintaining reasonable system complexity through a versatile platform.
2Loss of information
If a vehicle continuously activates its sensors to monitor the environment, then the vehicle maintains constant situational awareness, but the vehicle consumes excessive energy
Solution Approach 1:
Vehicles perform preliminary detection and alert other vehicles about events they detect, even when in low-power mode. This preliminary action allows the detecting vehicle to conserve energy while still contributing to collective situational awareness, as other vehicles can then take appropriate actions based on the alert without needing to continuously activate their own sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows vehicles to serve each other's detection needs. When one vehicle detects an event, it automatically alerts others in the network, enabling those vehicles to remain in low-power mode while still maintaining awareness of relevant events through the alerts received, thus reducing overall energy consumption while preserving detection capability.
3Loss of time
If a vehicle reacts only to events detected by its own sensors, then the vehicle maintains simple decision-making logic, but the vehicle has delayed reaction time to events beyond its detection range
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback loops where vehicles receive alerts about events detected by others and automatically adjust their operations accordingly. This feedback mechanism enables faster reaction times to remote events while maintaining relatively simple decision-making logic through predefined response rules based on received alerts.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication network acts as an intermediary that transmits event information from detecting vehicles to vehicles that need to react. This intermediary system enables faster reaction times by providing early warning of events beyond a vehicle's own sensor range, while keeping individual vehicle decision-making systems relatively simple by relying on the intermediary to deliver relevant information.
4Loss of information
If vehicles establish communication connections with nearby vehicles, then the vehicle gains access to detection alerts from other vehicles, but the vehicle increases communication overhead and potential interference
Solution Approach 1:
The communication system segments information transmission by having vehicles broadcast only relevant detection alerts rather than continuous data streams. This segmentation reduces communication overhead by transmitting only essential event information while maintaining access to critical event data from other vehicles, balancing information access with reduced communication burden.
Data Source
AI summary
Vehicles and methods for utilizing a vehicle sensor network are provided. A subject vehicle may include a communication component configured to establish a connection with a connectable vehicle when a distance to the connectable vehicle falls below a threshold. The communication component may be further configured to receive a detection alert from the connectable vehicle detecting that an event is or will be occurring. The subject vehicle may further include an operational component configured to modify operation of the subject vehicle based on the detection alert.