Tags:Computer Vision, Driver Guidance, Human-Computer Interaction, Pose Estimation and Visualization
Abstract:
Air pollution is a problem in many cities. Although it is possible to mitigate this problem by replacing combustion with electric engines, at the time of writing, electric vehicles are still a rarity in European cities. Reasons for not buying an electric vehicle are not only the high purchase costs but also the uncomfortable initiation of the charging process. A more convenient alternative is wireless charging, which is enabled by integrating an induction plate into the floor and installing a charging interface at the vehicle. To maximize efficiency, the vehicle’s charging interface must be positioned accurately above the induction plate which is integrated into the floor. Since the driver cannot perceive the region below the vehicle, it is difficult to precisely align the position of the charging interface by maneuvering the vehicle. In this paper, we first discuss the requirements for driver guidance systems that help drivers to accurately position their vehicle and thus, enables them to maximize the charging efficiency. Thereafter, we present a prototypical implementation of such a system. To minimize the deployment cost for charging station operators, our prototype uses an inexpensive off-the-shelf camera system to localize the vehicles that are approaching the station. To simplify the retrofitting of existing vehicles, the prototype uses a smartphone app to generate navigation visualizations. To validate the approach, we present several experiments indicating that, despite its low cost, the prototype can technically achieve the necessary precision and usability.
A Driver Guidance System to Support the Stationary Wireless Charging of Electric Vehicles