Vehicle collision avoidance

• US 10,289,121 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2017
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Turpin, Matthew Hyatt, Chaves, Stephen Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Sweeney, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US15/607,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20180136669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 701301
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/935 for terrain-avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933

Abstract

Embodiments include devices and methods for vehicle collision avoidance. A processor of the vehicle may receive sensor data comprising one or more points. The processor may determine a distance and a direction from the vehicle to the one or more points. The processor may determine a velocity constraint for each of the one or more points based on the determined distance and direction from the vehicle to the one or more points. Based on a navigation instruction, the processor may determine one or more velocity solutions that satisfy the one or more velocity constraints. The processor may select a velocity solution from the determined one or more velocity solutions based on the navigation instruction, and may adjust a vehicle velocity based on the selected velocity solution.

Claims

1. A method of vehicle collision avoidance, comprising:

receiving camera data comprising one or more points, wherein each point corresponds to a pixel in an image;

determining a distance and a direction from a vehicle to the one or more points;

determining a velocity constraint for each of the one or more points based on the determined distance and direction from the vehicle to each of the one or more points;

determining one or more velocity solutions that satisfy the determined velocity constraints based on a vehicle navigation instruction;

selecting a velocity solution from the determined one or more velocity solutions based on the vehicle navigation instruction; and

adjusting a vehicle velocity based on the selected velocity solution.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving camera data comprises receiving unprocessed camera data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the velocity constraint for each of the one or more points comprises a velocity inequality constraint.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the distance and the direction from the vehicle to the one or more points comprises:

determining a distance and a direction from the vehicle to an obstacle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the obstacle comprises an obstacle represented by the one or more points.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a velocity constraint for each of the one or more points based on the determined distance and direction from the vehicle to each of the one or more points comprises:

determining a velocity constraint for each of the one or more points based on the determined distance and direction from the vehicle to an obstacle represented by the one or more points.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein the vehicle navigation instruction includes a direction component, and

wherein selecting the velocity solution from the determined one or more velocity solutions based on the vehicle navigation instruction comprises selecting the velocity solution having a direction component that most closely matches the direction component of the vehicle navigation instruction.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the vehicle navigation instruction includes a speed component, and

wherein selecting the velocity solution from the determined one or more velocity solutions based on the vehicle navigation instruction comprises selecting the velocity solution having a speed component that most closely matches the speed component of the vehicle navigation instruction.

9. A vehicle, comprising:

a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to;

receive camera data comprising one or more points, wherein each point corresponds to a pixel in an image;

determine a distance and a direction from the vehicle to the one or more points;

determine a velocity constraint for each of the one or more points based on the determined distance and direction from the vehicle to each of the one or more points;

determine one or more velocity solutions that satisfy the determined velocity constraints based on a vehicle navigation instruction;

select a velocity solution from the determined one or more velocity solutions based on the vehicle navigation instruction; and

adjust a vehicle velocity based on the selected velocity solution.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to receive camera-data comprising unprocessed camera data.

11. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions such that the velocity constraint for each of the one or more points comprises a velocity inequality constraint.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

determine a distance and a direction from the vehicle to an obstacle.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions such that the obstacle comprises an obstacle represented by the one or more points.

14. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

determine a velocity constraint for each of the one or more points based on the determined distance and direction from the vehicle to an obstacle represented by the one or more points.

15. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions such that the vehicle navigation instruction includes a direction component, and

wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to select the velocity solution having a direction component that most closely matches the direction component of the vehicle navigation instruction.

16. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions such that the vehicle navigation instruction includes a speed component, and

wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to select the velocity solution based on the vehicle navigation instruction by selecting the velocity solution having a speed component that most closely matches the speed component of the vehicle navigation instruction.

17. A vehicle, comprising:

means for receiving camera data comprising one or more points, wherein each point corresponds to a pixel in an image;

means for determining a distance and a direction from the vehicle to the one or more points;

means for determining a velocity constraint for each of the one or more points based on the determined distance and direction from the vehicle to each of the one or more points;

means for determining one or more velocity solutions that satisfy the determined velocity constraints based on a vehicle navigation instruction;

means for selecting a velocity solution from the determined one or more velocity solutions based on the vehicle navigation instruction; and

means for adjusting a vehicle velocity based on the selected velocity solution.

18. A non-transitory processor readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a vehicle to perform operations comprising:

receiving camera data comprising one or more points, wherein each point corresponds to a pixel in an image;

determining a distance and a direction from the vehicle to the one or more points;

determining a velocity constraint for each of the one or more points based on the determined distance and direction from the vehicle to each of the one or more points;

determining one or more velocity solutions that satisfy the determined velocity constraints based on a vehicle navigation instruction;

selecting a velocity solution from the determined one or more velocity solutions based on the vehicle navigation instruction; and

adjusting a vehicle velocity based on the selected velocity solution.

19. The non-transitory processor readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause the processor of the vehicle to perform operations such that receiving camera data comprises receiving unprocessed camera data.

20. The non-transitory processor readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause the processor of the vehicle to perform operations such that the velocity constraint for each of the one or more points comprises a velocity inequality constraint.

21. The non-transitory processor readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause the processor of the vehicle to perform operations such that determining the distance and the direction from the vehicle to the one or more points comprises:

determining a distance and a direction from the vehicle to an obstacle.

22. The non-transitory processor readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause the processor of the vehicle to perform operations such that the obstacle comprises an obstacle represented by the one or more points.

23. The non-transitory processor readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause the processor of the vehicle to perform operations such that determining a velocity constraint for each of the one or more points based on the determined distance and direction from the vehicle to each of the one or more points comprises:

determining a velocity constraint for each of the one or more points based on the determined distance and direction from the vehicle to an obstacle represented by the one or more points.

24. The non-transitory processor readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause the processor of the vehicle to perform operations such that:

the vehicle navigation instruction includes a direction component, and

selecting the velocity solution from the determined one or more velocity solutions based on the vehicle navigation instruction comprises selecting the velocity solution having a direction component that most closely matches the direction component of the vehicle navigation instruction.

25. The non-transitory processor readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause the processor of the vehicle to perform operations such that:

the vehicle navigation instruction includes a speed component, and

selecting the velocity solution from the determined one or more velocity solutions based on the vehicle navigation instruction comprises selecting the velocity solution having a speed component that most closely matches the speed component of the vehicle navigation instruction.