Virtual Camera View Adjustment for Autonomous Vehicle Destination Approach
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles lack effective communication of their surroundings and destination approach information to passengers, leading to uncertainty and anxiety as they near their final destination.
Innovation Solution
The system generates and displays a video from the perspective of a virtual camera, adjusting its position and pitch to provide a top-down view as the vehicle approaches its destination, overlaying messages to inform passengers of the approach and pullover location, and offering a trip summary and walking path to their final destination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a fixed virtual camera position is used throughout the trip, then the display provides consistent and simple visual information, but the passenger cannot understand the vehicle's surroundings and destination approach effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual camera position and pitch are dynamically adjusted based on the vehicle's proximity to the destination. As the vehicle approaches the destination, the camera transitions from a default position to a top-down position directly above the vehicle, providing passengers with evolving visual context about the surroundings and approach to the destination without requiring multiple physical cameras
2Loss of information
If the virtual camera position is adjusted dynamically, then the passenger receives comprehensive visual information about surroundings and destination approach, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A virtual camera serves as an intermediary that synthesizes data from multiple sensors (lasers, sonar, radar, cameras) into a unified visual representation. This virtual camera can be positioned anywhere in 3D space, allowing the system to provide comprehensive visual information about the vehicle's surroundings and destination approach without requiring additional physical cameras or complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are used to detect objects, then the vehicle can detect objects and their characteristics accurately, but the processing and display of this information becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges data from multiple sensors (lasers, sonar, radar, cameras) into a unified virtual camera view. By combining the detection capabilities of these sensors, the system achieves accurate object detection and characterization while presenting the information through a single virtual camera interface, simplifying the display architecture compared to showing multiple separate sensor feeds
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the disclosure relate to providing an end of trip sequence when a vehicle is nearing its destination. One or more computing devices may generate and display a video indicating a projected trajectory of the vehicle and objects detected by sensors on the vehicle, on a map corresponding to a route the vehicle is currently following, where the video is generated from a perspective of a virtual camera at a default position and default pitch A determination that the vehicle has reached a threshold relative to the route of the vehicle may be made and the position and pitch of the virtual camera may be adjusted to an updated position above the vehicle and a perspective which looks downwards towards a roof of the vehicle. The video may then be generated and displayed from the perspective of the virtual camera at the updated position.