Combined Imaging and Distance Monitoring for Vehicular Applications

• US 20080150786A1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,796,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/53
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2863 backward facing
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• 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 2050/0071 Controller overrides driver automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0073 Driver overrides controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4042 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/04 related to roll-over prevention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18154 Approaching an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18159 Traversing an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 : Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 : with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 : of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 : Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 : for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 : of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 : Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 : Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 : Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/50 : whereby the position solution is constrained to lie upon a particular curve or surface, e.g. for locomotives on railway tracks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2007/4975 : of sensor obstruction by, e.g. dirt- or ice-coating, e.g. by reflection measurement on front-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 : Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 : combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 : Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 : Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 : Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 : Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 : using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 : in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 : in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93273 : on the top of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9329 : cooperating with reflectors or transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 : Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 : involving a learning process
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 : involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 : using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• 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 1/027 : comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 : using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 : using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 : Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 : involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 : Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 : for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• 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

Abstract

Vehicular arrangement for obtaining information about objects exterior to the vehicle includes at least one combined imaging and distance measuring system arranged along an edge or a side of the vehicle, each combined system including an infrared illuminator for directing infrared illumination outward from the vehicle, an imager sensitive to infrared illumination and visible light, the imager being arranged to form images of an environment around the vehicle and thereby enable identification of objects in the images, a radar or laser radar system arranged to simultaneously determine a distance between the vehicle and objects identified in images obtained by the imager with the identification of the objects in the images. A reactive system is arranged on the vehicle to consider both the identification of the objects and their distance from the vehicle and react accordingly.

Claims

1. A vehicular arrangement for obtaining information about objects exterior to the vehicle, comprising:

at least one combined imaging and distance measuring system arranged along an edge or a side of the vehicle, each of said at least one combined system including;

an infrared illuminator for directing infrared illumination outward from the vehicle;

an imager sensitive to infrared illumination and visible light, said imager being arranged to form images of an environment around the vehicle and thereby enable identification of objects in the images;

a radar or laser radar system arranged to simultaneously determine a distance between the vehicle and objects identified in images obtained by said imager with the identification of the objects in the images; and

a reactive system arranged on the vehicle to consider both the identification of the objects and their distance from the vehicle and react accordingly.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said radar or laser radar system comprise a plurality of laser radar and receiver units.

3. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein said laser radar and receiver units comprise a pin or avalanche diode.

4. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said radar or laser radar system is arranged to determine the distance by measuring the time of flight of a laser pulse or through modulation techniques including amplitude, phase, frequency, noise and pulse modulation.

5. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said radar or laser radar system comprises a scanning laser radar system.

6. The arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a cylindrical lens through which illumination is directed by said infrared illuminator and through which infrared illumination reflected from objects exterior of the vehicle is directed to said imager.

7. The arrangement of claim 6, wherein said lens is arranged to create a horizontal field of illumination of about 90 or about 180 degrees and a vertical field of illumination of about 10 degrees.

8. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said infrared illuminator is arranged to direct infrared illumination only in the absence of sufficient natural light.

9. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said reactive system is a system which limits the speed of the vehicle such that the speed of the vehicle can be limited in the presence of other vehicles within a threshold distance from the vehicle.

10. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said reactive system is a warning system for providing a warning to a driver of the vehicle about the objects exterior of the vehicle.

11. The arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a processor coupled to said combined imaging and distance measuring system for determining a velocity of objects exterior of the vehicle by analyzing multiple determinations of the distance between the vehicle and the same identified objects.

12. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said radar or laser radar system is arranged to provide a variable divergence angle of laser beams being emitted therefrom, the divergence angle varying based on a distance between the vehicle and objects exterior of the vehicle.

13. A vehicle, comprising:

the arrangement of claim 1 having four combined imaging and distance measuring systems, one arranged at each of the four corners of the vehicle, and which are coupled to one or more common reactive systems.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein at least one of said four combined imaging and distance measuring systems is located on or near a roof of the vehicle.

15. A vehicle, comprising:

at least one combined imaging and distance measuring system, each arranged at a respective corner of the vehicle, each of said at least one combined imaging and distance measuring system including;

an infrared illuminator for directing infrared illumination outward from the vehicle;

an imager sensitive to infrared illumination and visible light, said imager being arranged to form images of an environment around the vehicle and thereby enable identification of objects in the images;

a radar or laser radar system arranged to simultaneously determine a distance between the vehicle and objects identified in images obtained by said imager with the identification of the objects in the images; and

a common reactive system arranged on the vehicle and coupled to said at least one combined imaging and distance measuring system, said reactive system being arranged to consider both the identification of the objects and their distance from the vehicle and react accordingly.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein said reactive system is a system which limits the speed of the vehicle such that the speed of the vehicle can be limited in the presence of other vehicles within a threshold distance from the vehicle.

17. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein said reactive system is a warning system for providing a warning to a driver of the vehicle about the objects exterior of the vehicle.

18. A method for operating a vehicle in consideration of exterior to the vehicle, comprising:

arranging at least one combined imaging and distance measuring system arranged along an edge of the vehicle, each of the at least one combined system including an infrared illuminator for directing infrared illumination outward from the vehicle, an imager sensitive to infrared illumination and visible light and a laser radar system;

identifying objects in images obtained by the imager;

simultaneously determining a distance between the vehicle and objects identified in images obtained by the imager; and

monitoring the objects and their distance from the vehicle to undertake an action to prevent an accident between the vehicle and the object.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising limiting the speed of the vehicle in the presence of other vehicles determined to be within a threshold distance from the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing a warning to a driver of the vehicle about the objects exterior of the vehicle.