Trailer dimension estimation with two dimensional radar and camera

• US 10,481,255 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2016
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Aptiv Technologies Limited (Aptiv PLC)
• Inventors: Prasad, Premchand Krishna, Cashler, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Timothy X
• Application Number:
  US15/232,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20180045823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 342 52
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S13/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/72 for two-dimensional tracking, e.g. combination of angle and range tracking, track-while-scan radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/411 Identification of targets based on measurements of radar reflectivity G01S7/415 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A trailer-detection system includes a radar-sensor, a camera, and a controller. The radar-sensor is used to determine a range, and an azimuth-angle, of a radar-signal reflected by a feature of trailer towed by a host-vehicle. The camera is used to capture an image of the trailer. The controller is in communication with the radar-sensor and the camera. The controller is configured to determine a position in the image of a viewable-feature of the trailer, determine a trailer-width and a trailer-height of the trailer based on the position and a range and azimuth-angle to the viewable-feature indicated by the radar-sensor, and optionally determine the trailer-length based on the range and azimuth-angle of the radar-signal reflected by a hidden-feature.

Claims

1. A trailer-detection system configured to determine a dimension of a trailer towed by a host-vehicle, said system comprising:

a radar-sensor used to determine a range and an azimuth-angle of a radar-signal reflected by a feature of a trailer towed by a host-vehicle;

a camera used to capture an image of the trailer towed by the host-vehicle; and

a controller in communication with the radar-sensor and the camera, said controller configured to;

determine a position in the image of at least a first viewable-feature and a second viewable-feature of a front of the trailer towed by the host-vehicle;

wherein the first viewable-feature comprises a top-horizontal-edge of the front of the trailer and the second viewable-feature comprises a bottom-horizontal-edge of the front of the trailer; and

determine a trailer-height of the trailer based on the position and a range and azimuth-angle to the first viewable-feature and the second viewable-feature indicated by the radar-sensor.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the trailer-length based on the range and azimuth-angle of the radar-signal reflected by a hidden-feature.

3. The system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the hidden-feature includes a left-corner of a rear of the trailer.

4. The system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the viewable-feature includes a right-corner of a rear of the trailer.

5. The system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the viewable-feature includes a bottom-horizontal-edge of a rear of the trailer.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the trailer-length is further determined based on the range and azimuth-angle of the viewable-feature.

7. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the radar-sensor comprises a left-sensor and a right-sensor.

8. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the left-sensor and the right-sensor are located at rear corners of the host-vehicle.

9. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a position in the image of at least a third viewable-feature and a fourth viewable-feature of a front of the trailer towed by the host-vehicle;

wherein the third viewable-feature comprises a left-vertical-edge of the front of the trailer and the fourth viewable-feature comprises a right-vertical-edge of the front of the trailer; and

determine a trailer-width of the trailer based on the position and a range and azimuth-angle to the third viewable-feature and the fourth viewable-feature indicated by the radar-sensor.

10. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the trailer-width is a width of the front of the trailer.

11. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the trailer-height is a height of the front of the trailer.

12. A trailer-detection method configured to determine a dimension of a trailer towed by a host-vehicle, said method comprising:

determining, with a radar-sensor, a range and an azimuth-angle of a radar-signal reflected by a feature of a trailer towed by a host-vehicle;

capturing an image of the trailer towed by the host-vehicle with a camera;

determining, with a controller in communication with the radar-sensor and the camera, a position in the image of at least a first viewable-feature and a second viewable-feature of a front of the trailer towed by the host-vehicle;

wherein

the first viewable-feature comprises a top-horizontal-edge of the front of the trailer and the second viewable-feature comprises a bottom-horizontal-edge of the front of the trailer; and

determining, with the controller, a trailer-height of the trailer based on the position, a range, and azimuth-angle to the first viewable-feature and the second viewable-feature indicated by the radar-sensor.

13. The method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the trailer-length based on the range and the azimuth-angle of the radar-signal reflected by a hidden-feature.

14. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the hidden-feature includes a left-corner of a rear of the trailer.

15. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the hidden-feature includes a right-corner of a rear of the trailer.

16. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the hidden-feature includes a bottom-horizontal-edge of a rear of the trailer.

17. The method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the trailer-length is further determined based on the range and the azimuth-angle of the viewable-feature.

18. The method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the radar-sensor comprises a left-sensor and a right-sensor.

19. The method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the left-sensor and the right-sensor are located at rear corners of the host-vehicle.

20. The method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a position in the image of at least a third viewable-feature and a fourth viewable-feature of a front of the trailer towed by the host-vehicle;

wherein the third viewable-feature comprises a left-vertical-edge of the front of the trailer and the fourth viewable-feature comprises a right-vertical-edge of the front of the front of the trailer; and

determine a trailer-width of the trailer based on the position and a range and azimuth-angle to the third viewable-feature and the fourth viewable-feature indicated by the radar-sensor.

21. The method in accordance with claim 20, wherein the trailer-width is a width of the front of the trailer.

22. The method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the trailer-height is a height of the front of the trailer.