Method and apparatus for determining a location of a vehicle feature

• US 10,207,644 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2016
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Aptiv Technologies Limited (Aptiv PLC)
• Inventors: Kalms, Volker S., Busch, Mathias, Egbert, Peter, Vorwerk, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Talha M
• Application Number:
  US14/995,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20160207461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/002 specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle, e.g. for viewing tyres, bumpers or the like integrated in the windows B60R1/001; combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/307 virtually distinguishing relevant parts of a scene from the background of the scene
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/60 characterised by monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior scenes from a transformed perspective
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20221 Image fusion; Image merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A method for determining a location of a vehicle feature of a vehicle relative to an environmental feature located in an environmental zone of the vehicle feature includes: arranging a camera at the vehicle with a fixed orientation relative to the vehicle such that the vehicle feature and an environmental zone of the vehicle feature are disposed in the field of view of the camera; generating an index in the environmental zone of the vehicle feature for determining the location of the vehicle feature relative to an environmental feature located in the environmental zone; taking a measurement image that includes the vehicle feature, the index and an environmental feature located in the environmental zone of the vehicle feature; and determining the location of the vehicle feature relative to the environmental feature with reference to the position of the environmental feature relative to the index in the measurement image.

Claims

1. A method for determining a location of a vehicle feature (14) of a vehicle (10) relative to an environmental feature (20) located in an environmental zone of the vehicle feature (14), the method comprising the steps:

arranging a camera (12) at the vehicle (10) with a fixed orientation relative to the vehicle (10) such that the vehicle feature (14) and an environmental zone of the vehicle feature (14) are disposed in the field of view of the camera (12);

generating an index (25) in the environmental zone of the vehicle feature (14) for determining the location of the vehicle feature (14) relative to an environmental feature (20) located in the environmental zone;

taking at least one measurement image (30) during the travel of the vehicle by means of the camera (12) or generating at least one measurement image (30) from an image taken by the camera (12), wherein the measurement image (30) includes the vehicle feature (14), the index (25) and an environmental feature (20) located in the environmental zone of the vehicle feature (14); and

determining the location of the vehicle feature (14) relative to the environmental feature (20) with reference to the position of the environmental feature (20) relative to the index (25) in the measurement image (30), wherein the generating of the index (25) and the generating of the measurement image (30) comprise the steps;

placing a measuring scale (24) at the vehicle feature with a stationary vehicle (10);

taking a source image (22) by the camera including the vehicle feature (14) and the measuring scale (24);

removing the measuring scale (24) from the vehicle feature (14);

taking at least one intermediate image (28) by the camera (12) during a travel of the vehicle (10), wherein the intermediate image (28) includes the vehicle feature (14) and an environmental feature (20) located in the environmental zone of the vehicle feature (14); and

at least partly superposing the source image (22) and the intermediate image (28) on the measurement image (30) such that the measuring scale (24) is visible in the measurement image (30) at that point at which it was taken in the source image (22) and the environmental feature (20) taken with the intermediate image (28) is visible in the measurement image (30).

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the placing of the measuring scale (24) comprises a positioning of the measuring scale (24) on a base on which the vehicle (10) stands;

and/or in that the measuring scale (24) is placed substantially transversely, in particular perpendicular, to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle (10).

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the index (25), is projected, in particular by a laser system and/or by a projector, onto a base section in the environmental zone of the vehicle feature (14) and the measurement image (30) is an image taken by the camera (12).

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a spacing, in particular a spacing measured transversely and/or perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle (10), between the vehicle feature (14) and the environmental feature (20) is determined as the location.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the vehicle feature (14) is a tire of the vehicle (10);

and/or in that the environmental feature (20) is a road marking or a road boundary.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the intermediate image (28) and/or the measurement image (30) form frames of respective intermediate video sequences or measurement video sequences.