Methods and systems for navigating a vehicle including a novel fiducial marker system

• US 10,591,605 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2018
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Semiconductor Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Smits, Gerard Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Tissot, Adam D
• Application Number:
  US16/165,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20190120967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/00 Resilient suspensions having means for adjusting the spring or vibration-damper characteristics, for regulating the distance between a supporting surface and a sprung part of vehicle or for locking suspension during use to meet varying vehicular or surface conditions, e.g. due to speed or load levelling or stabilising systems for tippers B60P1/045
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0165 to an external condition, e.g. rough road surface, side wind
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/019 characterised by the type of sensor or the arrangement thereof B60G17/01941 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/60 Load
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/821 Uneven, rough road sensing affecting vehicle body vibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/84 Atmospheric conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/841 Wind
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/842 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/843 Humidity; Rainfall
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/142 Visual Display Camera, e.g. LCD
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/16 GPS track data
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/174 Radar
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/30 Height or ground clearance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0231 using optical position detecting means position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 : in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 : specially adapted for 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

Abstract

Methods and systems for navigating a vehicle along a surface employ a scanner to scan a light beam over the surface; employ light reflected by one or more fiducial markers on the surface onto pixels of a receiver to determine a spatial arrangement of the fiducial markers on the surface; and compare the spatial arrangement of the fiducial markers with a predetermined map of the fiducial markers to determine a location of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for navigating a vehicle along a surface, the method comprising:

employing a scanner to scan a strobed light beam over the surface, wherein the strobed light beam provides strobed illumination of a plurality of lines across the surface to reduce motion blur, and wherein a stripe is formed by at least a portion of the plurality of lines having a width and a length across a field of view on a portion of the surface that is directly ahead of the vehicle;

employing light reflected by one or more fiducial markers on the surface onto pixels of a receiver to determine a spatial arrangement of the fiducial markers on the surface;

comparing the spatial arrangement of the fiducial markers with a predetermined map of the fiducial markers to determine a location of the vehicle; and

detecting a reflection of the stripe from the portion of the surface with the receiver, wherein the stripe'"'"'s reflection is employed to determine three-dimensional spatial information and visual contrast information that is added in real time to the predetermined map for the portion of the surface that is directly ahead of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein employing the scanner comprises employing the scanner to sequentially scan the light beam along a line or region of the surface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the scanner is configured to simultaneously illuminate a line across the surface with the light beam, wherein employing the scanner comprises employing the scanner to sequentially scan a series of lines on the surface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the fiducial markers has one of a plurality of different colors, wherein employing light reflected by one or more fiducial markers comprises determining a color of each of the one or more fiducial markers using the reflected light.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing light reflected from an additional object on the surface onto pixels of the receiver to determine a position of, or to identify, the additional object.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining a path to avoid the additional object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing light reflected from the surface onto pixels of the receiver to determine condition of the surface.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising adjusting operation of the vehicle in view of the determined condition of the surface.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising adjusting a suspension system in view of the determined condition of the surface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein employing light comprises sequentially observing subsets of the pixels of the receiver in coordination with the scanning of the light beam.

11. A system to navigate a vehicle along a surface, comprising:

a scanner configured to scan light over a field of view;

a receiver that comprises a plurality of pixels configured to detect light;

one or more memory devices that store instructions; and

one or more processor devices that execute the stored instructions to perform actions, including;

employing a scanner to scan a strobed light beam over the surface, wherein the strobed light beam provides strobed illumination of a plurality of lines across the surface to reduce motion blur, and wherein a stripe is formed by at least a portion of the plurality of lines having a width and a length across a field of view on a portion of the surface that is directly ahead of the vehicle;

employing light reflected by one or more fiducial markers on the surface onto pixels of a receiver to determine a spatial arrangement of the fiducial markers on the surface;

comparing the spatial arrangement of the fiducial markers with a predetermined map of the fiducial markers to determine a location of the vehicle; and

detecting a reflection of the stripe from the portion of the surface with the receiver, wherein the stripe'"'"'s reflection is employed to determine three-dimensional spatial information and visual contrast information that is added in real time to the predetermined map for the portion of the surface that is directly ahead of the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein employing the scanner comprises employing the scanner to sequentially scan the light beam along a line or region of the surface.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the scanner is configured to simultaneously illuminate a line across the surface with the light beam, wherein employing the scanner comprises employing the scanner to sequentially scan a series of lines on the surface.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the fiducial markers has one of a plurality of different colors, wherein employing light reflected by one or more fiducial markers comprises determining a color of each of the one or more fiducial markers using the reflected light.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the actions further comprise employing light reflected from an additional object on the surface onto pixels of the receiver to determine a position of, or to identify, the additional object.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the actions further comprise determining a path to avoid the additional object.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the actions further comprise employing light reflected from the surface onto pixels of the receiver to determine condition of the surface.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the actions further comprise adjusting operation of the vehicle in view of the determined condition of the surface.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the actions further comprise adjusting a suspension system in view of the determined condition of the surface.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein employing light comprises sequentially observing subsets of the pixels of the receiver in coordination with the scanning of the light beam.

21. A non-transitory processor readable storage media that includes instructions for navigating a vehicle along a surface, wherein execution of the instructions by one or more processor devices cause the one or more processor devices to perform actions, comprising:

employing a scanner to scan a strobed light beam over the surface, wherein the strobed light beam provides strobed illumination of a plurality of lines across the surface to reduce motion blur, and wherein a stripe is formed by at least a portion of the plurality of lines having a width and a length across a field of view on a portion of the surface that is directly ahead of the vehicle;

employing light reflected by one or more fiducial markers on the surface onto pixels of a receiver to determine a spatial arrangement of the fiducial markers on the surface;

comparing the spatial arrangement of the fiducial markers with a predetermined map of the fiducial markers to determine a location of the vehicle; and

detecting a reflection of the stripe from the portion of the surface with the receiver, wherein the stripe'"'"'s reflection is employed to determine three-dimensional spatial information and visual contrast information that is added in real time to the predetermined map for the portion of the surface that is directly ahead of the vehicle.

22. The non-transitory processor readable storage media of claim 21, wherein employing the scanner comprises employing the scanner to sequentially scan the light beam along a line or region of the surface.

23. The non-transitory processor readable storage media of claim 21, wherein the scanner is configured to simultaneously illuminate a line across the surface with the light beam, wherein employing the scanner comprises employing the scanner to sequentially scan a series of lines on the surface.

24. The non-transitory processor readable storage media of claim 21, wherein each of the fiducial markers has one of a plurality of different colors, wherein employing light reflected by one or more fiducial markers comprises determining a color of each of the one or more fiducial markers using the reflected light.

25. The non-transitory processor readable storage media of claim 21, wherein the actions further comprise employing light reflected from an additional object on the surface onto pixels of the receiver to determine a position of, or to identify, the additional object.

26. The non-transitory processor readable storage media of claim 25, wherein the actions further comprise determining a path to avoid the additional object.

27. The non-transitory processor readable storage media of claim 21, wherein the actions further comprise employing light reflected from the surface onto pixels of the receiver to determine condition of the surface.

28. The non-transitory processor readable storage media of claim 27, wherein the actions further comprise adjusting operation of the vehicle in view of the determined condition of the surface.

29. The non-transitory processor readable storage media of claim 27, wherein the actions further comprise adjusting a suspension system in view of the determined condition of the surface.

30. The non-transitory processor readable storage media of claim 21, wherein employing light comprises sequentially observing subsets of the pixels of the receiver in coordination with the scanning of the light beam.