METHOD FOR DETERMINING FREE SPACES IN THE VICINITY OF A MOTOR VEHICLE, IN PARTICULAR IN THE VICINITY RELEVANT TO THE VEHICLE OPERATION

• US 20090299547A1
• Filed: 04/28/2009
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: GRABE, Baerbel, BECKER, JAN-CARSTEN, HOETTER, Michael, SIMON, Andreas, IKE, Thorsten
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• 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: B62D 15/0265 Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means

Abstract

A method and system for determining free spaces in the vicinity of a motor vehicle, in particular a vicinity relevant to the vehicle operation, is provided. A method and system for determining an evasion trajectory for a driver assistance system of the motor vehicle is provided in which information from at least one object detection sensor of the motor vehicle about at least one detected object is used while taking the characteristics of the physical measuring principle of the at least one object detection sensor into account. A method and system is provided in which it is taken into account that the at least one object detection sensor has the capability of directly detecting a plurality of objects by a single measurement.

Claims

1. A method for determining free spaces in the vicinity of a motor vehicle, comprising:

obtaining information from at least one object detection sensor of the motor vehicle;

using the information from the at least one object detection sensor while taking at least one characteristic of a physical measuring principle of the at least one object detection sensor into account; and

taking into account that the at least one object detection sensor has the capability of directly detecting a plurality of objects by a single measurement.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining an estimation for the fact that the information about at least one free space included in a single measurement of the object detection sensor is adversely affected by any object lying between the at least one object detection sensor and the respective free space.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

taking into account a system-controlled detection capacity of the at least one object detection sensor.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one object detection sensor is a lidar sensor.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one object detection sensor is a video sensor.

6. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

assigning individual probability values for the non-occupied state of the particular space to the at least one free space in vicinity of motor vehicle.

7. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

subdividing the at least one free space in the vicinity of the motor vehicle into individual cells; and

assigning an individual probability value for the non-occupied state of the particular individual cell for each of the individual cells.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the vicinity of the motor vehicle is the vicinity relevant to the vehicle operation.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an evasion trajectory for a driver assistance system of the motor vehicle is determined.

8. A method for collision avoidance for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a driving maneuver of the motor vehicle for evasion purposes is implemented autonomously or semi-autonomously or suggested in response to the approach of an obstacle during the ride,

wherein the driving maneuver is based on a collision-avoiding evasion trajectory, which is determined while taking into account free spaces determined with the aid of the method for determining free spaces in the vicinity of the motor vehicle including;

obtaining information from at least one object detection sensor of the motor vehicle;

using the information from the at least one object detection sensor while taking at least one characteristic of a physical measuring principle of the at least one object detection sensor into account; and

taking into account that the at least one object detection sensor has the capability of directly detecting a plurality of objects by a single measurement.

9. A computer program having program code means, comprising:

if the program is executed on a microprocessor of a microcomputer, then carrying out a method obtaining information from at least one object detection sensor of the motor vehicle, including;

obtaining information from at least one object detection sensor of the motor vehicle;

using the information from the at least one object detection sensor while taking at least one characteristic of a physical measuring principle of the at least one object detection sensor into account; and

taking into account that the at least one object detection sensor has the capability of directly detecting a plurality of objects by a single measurement.

14. The computer program as recited in claim 9, wherein the program is executed on a control device of a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle.

10. A computer program product having program code means, comprising:

if the program, stored on a processor-readable data carrier, is executed on a microprocessor of a microcomputer, then carrying out a method obtaining information from at least one object detection sensor of the motor vehicle, including;

obtaining information from at least one object detection sensor of the motor vehicle;

using the information from the at least one object detection sensor while taking at least one characteristic of a physical measuring principle of the at least one object detection sensor into account; and

taking into account that the at least one object detection sensor has the capability of directly detecting a plurality of objects by a single measurement.

15. The computer program product as recited in claim 10, wherein the program is executed on a control device of a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle.

11. A device, in particular a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle, comprising:

at least one object detection sensor for detecting at least one object and obstacle in a vicinity of the motor vehicle; and

a control device which is connected to the at least one object detection sensor and which is designed to execute a computer program on a microprocessor of a microcomputer,

wherein the device implements a method for obtaining information from at least one object detection sensor of the motor vehicle, including;

obtaining information from at least one object detection sensor of the motor vehicle;

using the information from the at least one object detection sensor while taking at least one characteristic of a physical measuring principle of the at least one object detection sensor into account; and

taking into account that the at least one object detection sensor has the capability of directly detecting a plurality of objects by a single measurement.