Virtual Towing Guidance for Perception-Impaired Autonomous Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles with impaired vision or perception systems cannot safely operate, leading to the need for physical towing or technician intervention, which is labor-intensive and costly.
Innovation Solution
A virtual towing system where a helping vehicle provides waypoint and speed information to an impaired vehicle, allowing it to navigate to a repair center without physical connection, using shared data to substitute perception and planning assistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If physical towing or technician intervention is used for impaired autonomous vehicles, then the vehicle can be transported to a repair center, but labor intensity and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical towing system (physical connection between towing and towed vehicles) with an information-based control system. The helping vehicle transmits waypoint and speed information to the impaired vehicle, which then autonomously navigates to the repair center using its own propulsion system, eliminating the need for mechanical coupling and manual intervention.
2Ease of operation
If the impaired vehicle uses its own propulsion system with virtual towing guidance, then labor and operational costs are reduced, but the vehicle must rely on external guidance information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces waypoint information and speed information as intermediary elements between the helping vehicle and the impaired vehicle. These information intermediaries enable the impaired vehicle to navigate reliably to the repair center without direct mechanical connection or continuous manual control, bridging the gap between autonomous capability and external guidance.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are devices, methods, and systems for providing virtual towing services from a towing vehicle to a towed vehicle. The device transmits a message indicating an offer to provide virtual towing services to the towed vehicle. The device activates a virtual towing mode based on acceptance of the offer. In the virtual towing mode, the device determines a pathway to a repair destination for the towing vehicle together with towed vehicle. The device determines a waypoint and a speed for the towing vehicle along the pathway based on a joint safety assessment of the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle and controls its movements accordingly. The device determines waypoint information and speed information for the towed vehicle based on a transformation of the waypoint and the speed from a first coordinate system of the towing vehicle to a second coordinate system of the towed vehicle.