Acoustic warning signal detection for motor vehicles

• US 10,343,604 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2018
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Haupts, Volker, Hecke, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Foxx, Chico A
• Application Number:
  US15/876,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20180208113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/002 for parking purposes, e.g. for warning the driver that his vehicle has contacted or is about to contact an obstacle warning arrangements in garages E04H6/42
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2030/082 Vehicle operation after collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/06 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/932 for parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/00 Speech or voice analysis techniques not restricted to a single one of groups G10L15/00 - G10L21/00 muting semiconductor-based amplifiers when some special characteristics of a signal are sensed by a speech detector, e.g. sensing when no signal is present, H03G3/34

Abstract

A method for operating a motor vehicle having at least one sound sensor for detecting acoustic signals generated outside the vehicle includes the steps of detecting an acoustic signal by means of the sensor, classifying the detected acoustic signal as a warning signal if the detected signal has defined features, determining the speed of the vehicle, determining the steering angle of the vehicle, defining an action to be carried out by the motor vehicle in response to the detected warning signal, and carrying out the defined action if the speed of the motor vehicle undershoots a defined threshold value and the steering angle of the vehicle exceeds a defined threshold value. The defined action may be a steering and/or braking maneuver by the vehicle, and/or may be alerting a driver of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

operating a sound sensor mounted to a trunk lid of a motor vehicle to detect a road user knocking on an exterior panel of the vehicle, wherein the road user is one of a pedestrian and a cyclist; and

operating a driver assistance system of the vehicle to determine a speed and a steering angle of the vehicle, determine whether the speed undershoots a first value and the steering angle exceeds a second value, and carry out an automatic braking and/or steering intervention by the vehicle in response to the knocking.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the knocking is determined as having been performed by the road user by comparing an amplitude of the knocking with a threshold amplitude value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the threshold amplitude value is defined based upon an amplitude of ambient noises outside the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the knocking is determined as having been performed by the road user by comparing a frequency of the knocking with a threshold frequency value.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating a parking assistance sensor of the vehicle to determine a location of the road user relative to the vehicle; and

using the location to determine a nature of the automatic braking and/or steering intervention.

6. A method comprising:

operating a sound sensor mounted on a trunk lid of a motor vehicle to detect an impact on an exterior panel of the vehicle;

determining the impact was made by a road user knocking on the exterior panel, wherein the road user is one of a pedestrian and a cyclist;

determining a speed and a steering angle of the vehicle; and

operating a driver assistance system of the motor vehicle to output a warning message to a driver of the vehicle in response to the knocking if the speed undershoots a first value and the steering angle exceeds a second value.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising activating the driver assistance system to brake and/or steer the vehicle in response to the knocking if the speed undershoots the first value and the steering angle exceeds the second value.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining the impact is the road user knocking comprises:

comparing an amplitude of the impact with a threshold amplitude value; and

classifying the impact as the road user knocking if the amplitude exceeds the threshold amplitude value.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the threshold amplitude value is defined based upon an amplitude of ambient noises outside the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining the impact is the road user knocking comprises:

comparing a frequency of the impact with a threshold frequency value; and

classifying the impact as the road user knocking if the frequency exceeds the threshold frequency value.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

operating a parking assistance sensor of the vehicle to determine a location of the road user relative to the vehicle; and

using the location to determine the action to be carried out.

12. A motor vehicle comprising:

a sound sensor mounted to a trunk lid of the vehicle and operative to detect a sound made by an impact on an exterior panel of the vehicle;

a signal analysis module determining an amplitude and/or frequency of the sound and based on the amplitude and/or frequency determining that the impact was a knocking by a road user, wherein the road user is one of a pedestrian and a cyclist; and

a driver assistance system operative to monitor a speed and a steering angle of the vehicle and to carrying out an action by the motor vehicle in response to the knocking if the speed undershoots a first value and the steering angle exceeds a second value.

13. The motor vehicle of claim 12, further comprising:

a parking assistance sensor operative to determine a location of the road user relative to the vehicle, and the driver assistance system uses the location to determine the action to be carried out.

14. The motor vehicle of claim 13, wherein the signal analysis module is operative to compare the amplitude of the sound with a threshold amplitude value defined based upon an amplitude of ambient noises outside the vehicle.