Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2023 - 12

TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS
Creating a virtual fence
In conjunction with a researcher at
Mälardalen University, CrossControl
experts developed a test application for
the i.MX 8X-based display computing
platform that can help to create situational
awareness for work vehicles by
utilizing surveillance cameras and object
detection. The test application runs
on COTS products, V1000 and V1200. In
the first method of supporting operating
awareness, researcher Gustav
Alexandersson built an application that
could create a virtual fence between
cones placed around the vehicle to create
a work area of any size or shape.
The virtual fence splits the image into
By determining if a detected person or object is in a dangerous area, the application can alert the
operator with an alarm or an on-screen warning.
two areas: a dangerous area close to
the vehicle and a safe area outside the
dangerous zone. By determining if a
detected person is in a dangerous area,
the application can alert the operator
with an alarm or an on-screen warning.
The area is dynamically updated if a
cone is moved. To validate the concept,
the team tested three algorithms for
calculating the virtual fence with the
placement of up to 10,000 detectable
simulated objects. The results showed
that with a fence made of 10 cones and
1,000 visible people, the system could
detect if someone was at risk 1,000
times a second.
With the use of the platform's more
The larger CCpilot V1000 and V1200 displays, with a higher rate of detections and application
processor headroom, can deliver simultaneous deployment of multiple applications.
shown when the filling reaches a defined
point, or an alternative-tasks trigger
is reached to give the operator visual
confirmation.
Advanced object detection
A more advanced version of this deployment
employs a combination of the
NXP i.MX 8QuadXPlus and quad-core
Arm Cortex-A35 application processor.
This setup offers exceptional graphical
performance and utilizes the device's
internal mini PCIE port equipped with
an AI acceleration module to deliver
more than 45 detections per second
even using advanced models trained to
12 April 2023
recognize more than 90 different classes
of objects.
The greater performance of the larger
CCpilot V1000 and V1200 displays
allows for the system to be used for
productivity, awareness and safety solutions.
The higher rate of detections and
application processor headroom can
deliver simultaneous deployment of
multiple applications. For example, task
guidance with AI support, object detection
within the video feed (to offer additional
situational awareness to the
driver), and general machine information,
with all three applications shown
concurrently on a single display.
powerful architecture supported by the
onboard mini PCIE AI accelerator, the
three examined algorithms don't affect
the possibility to analyze the area at
least 30 times a second (once for each
frame of video), even when integrated
with a complete HMI application. This is
sufficient, for example, to alert the driver
of a hazard in the area before an excavator
arm can enter the same zone,
though some performed more efficiently
than others.
The same single camera and onboard
display setup also can create a virtual
fence without cones to set a predefined
work area and utilize the same humandetection
model to serve hazard warnings
to an operator. An operator could
even draw on the display to set a work
area and be notified when a person
enters it, but cones offer the added
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
BOTH IMAGES: CROSSCONTROL

Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2023