The Invention

As previously mentioned, I developed a system capable of detecting and avoiding obstacles autonomously, without human intervention, called The Ultrasonic Obstacle Detection and Avoidance System. This system is comparable to modern self-driving cars but with a key distinction: while traditional self-driving vehicles employ a variety of sensors, such as LiDAR, cameras, and computer vision, my invention utilizes solely ultrasonic sensors.

Traditional models often rely on sophisticated systems to manipulate the light from LiDAR for accurate 3D mapping of their surroundings, thereby increasing cost and complexity. In contrast, my system employs only three ultrasonic sensors, arranged in a trigonal configuration with one sensor at the front and two on either side. This simplicity significantly reduces both the complexity of the code and the overall production costs.

The algorithm in my invention uses data from the ultrasonic sensors to calculate the distance ahead of each sensor. When the distance in front of the primary sensor drops below a predefined safe threshold (22 cm for the prototype), the system halts and evaluates the distances to the left and right. It then turns in the direction offering more space and proceeds forward. If all three directions are blocked, the system moves backward incrementally until an opening is detected in either the left or right side. This streamlined approach reduces development time and production costs, resulting in a lower final price for consumers and retailers.