Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) has improved an algorithm for autonomous vehicles to detect drop-offs and other large negative obstacles often found in the environments in which automated off-road vehicles operate.
“ASI has developed a method for mapping point cloud occlusions in real-time,” said Taylor Bybee, Perception Tech Lead at ASI. “Which provides additional accuracy and safety when integrated into an autonomous vehicle obstacle detection and avoidance system.”
For safe navigation through an environment, autonomous ground vehicles rely on sensor data representing 3D space surrounding the vehicle. Often this data is obscured by objects or terrain, producing gaps in the sensor field of view. These gaps, or occlusions, can indicate the presence of obstacles, negative obstacles, or rough terrain.
Occlusions can be defined as a blockage which prevents a sensor from gathering data in a location. For example, occlusions can be seen as shadows in LiDAR data.
Because sensors receive no data in these occlusions, sensor data provides no explicit information about what might be found in the occluded areas. Information about the occlusions must be inferred from using an occlusion mapping algorithm to provide the navigation system with a more complete model of the environment.
“While sensor data itself doesn’t tell us what’s in the occluded areas, occlusions can represent negative obstacles like drop-offs or areas behind large obstacles,” said Jeff Ferrin, CTO at ASI. “It’s important to identify these areas for obstacle detection and avoidance to work properly.”
Application of this new technology can be useful in settings with dump edges at mine sites, steep road edges, canals, ditches, hills or stairs for indoor or urban environments.
The occlusion mapping algorithm has three main components.
The first is a sensor field of view (FOV) model that describes what obstacles the sensors are expected to detect. This component is designed for point cloud sensors such as 3D LiDAR, Flash LiDAR, Structured Light, and Stereo Cameras.
Second, an occlusion map is maintained and updated using the sensor FOV model and current sensor data to provide a probabilistic estimate on areas that have not been detected within the sensor FOV.
The third component is the integration of the occlusion map into an autonomous vehicle navigation system. It is designed to work with and complement existing obstacle detection and avoidance systems.
Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) is a world leader in industrial vehicle automation. ASI serves clients across the world in the mining, agriculture, automotive, government, and manufacturing industries with remote control, teleoperation, and fully automated solutions from its headquarters and 100-acre proving ground in northern Utah.
Autonomous Solutions proving ground management solution has been adopted by many of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers including Ford, Toyota and other major manufacturers. These global leaders from the US, Europe, and Asia leverage ASI’s Mobius command and control solution as their proving ground management platform to drastically increase efficiency and productivity while improving the accuracy of their test results and ultimately the safety of their proving grounds.
“My favorite part of the Autonomous Solutions technology is working with ASI,” says Crystal Mink, senior engineer for Toyota Motors North America.
ASI is a leader in automotive durability and misuse testing offering flexible solutions to fit its customers’ needs while helping its customers achieve competitive advantages. When new vehicles are being developed by these automakers, they must be rigorously tested for safety and durability to meet high standard set by regulatory bodies before they are sold to the general public.
“My favorite part of the Autonomous Solutions technology is working with ASI,” says Crystal Mink, senior engineer for Toyota Motors North America. “Seeing how systematic they are – and they’re giving us great capability through that thorough process.”
Traditionally, driving tests were carried out by human drivers, however, driverless robots have proven to be safer, more accurate, and more efficient. By using robotic drivers, these manufacturers are no longer restricted by stringent regulations which limit driver time to under 2 hours on these tracks in many cases.
These tests that auto manufacturers must put their vehicles through to prove them out are extremely rough and hazardous to human health. Drivers are often injured and sent to hospitals. These tracks and tests are so rough and must be executed so precisely, even professional drivers can struggle to pass them. ASI driverless robots, utilizing the latest in driverless technology, are able to consistently stay on course and follow the track test instructions precisely. This means less errors, better test results, and lower costs.
“The Mobius platform is very beneficial because it allows us to run all the vehicles from one location,” says Jeff Bledsoe, durability technical specialist for Ford Motor Company.
How is the technology integrated into various types of vehicles? ASI’s technology is OEM agnostic and can be put into nearly any vehicle, make, model, or year. Whether the vehicle has electronic or mechanical controls, ASI’s driverless robotic kits are installed and integrated into a vehicle. It can be moved from one vehicle to another quite easily and also allows a human driver to sit in the driver seat and drive the vehicle manually when needed.
Some infrastructure is required on site for communications between the vehicles on the track and a control room where operators oversee the operation.
“The Mobius platform is very beneficial because it allows us to run all the vehicles from one location,” says Jeff Bledsoe, durability technical specialist for Ford Motor Company.
Vehicles are tasked to execute the prescribed tests from here. These tests are setup within Mobius and a single operator can oversee multiple vehicles from the control room.
Contact ASI today to learn how this technology can revolutionize your proving ground and bring the benefits of automation to your automotive testing.
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