METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR ENTERING A PRECEDING VEHICLE AUTONOMOUS FOLLOWING MODE

• US 20130231829A1
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volvo Lastvagnar AB (AB Volvo)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Lastvagnar AB (AB Volvo)
• Inventors: Gerdt, Philip
• Granted Patent: US 9,187,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• 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 2556/00 Input parameters relating to data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• 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: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking

Abstract

A method for entering a preceding vehicle autonomous following mode includes the steps of registering and identifying at least one preceding vehicle in front of a host vehicle by at least a first and a second sensor device, comparing the preceding vehicle with vehicle data in a remote database system, and upon a match establishing a communication channel between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle, identifying to an operator of the host vehicle preceding vehicles with which the communication channel has been established, and obtaining from the operator a selection of a target vehicles to engage following of. Finally, autonomous following mode of the target vehicle is engaged, wherein a vehicle control system automatically controls at least the following three main functions of the host vehicle: forward propulsion, steering, and braking.

Claims

1. A method for entering a preceding vehicle autonomous following mode comprising the steps of:

registering at least one preceding vehicle in front of a host vehicle by means of at least a first and a second sensor device;

identifying the at least one preceding vehicle;

comparing the at least one preceding vehicle with vehicle data in a remote database system, and upon match establishing a communication channel between the at least one preceding vehicle and the host vehicle;

identifying to an operator of the host vehicle preceding vehicles with which the communication channel has been established;

obtaining from the operator a selection of a target vehicle to engage following of; and

engaging autonomous following mode of the target vehicle, wherein a vehicle control system automatically controls at least the following three main functions of the host vehicle;

forward propulsion, steering, and braking.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor device is an image sensor adapted for object detection identification, and where the second sensor device (4) is range sensor, such as a RADAR or LIDAR device, that is adapted to measure at least the range to the at least one preceding vehicle from the host vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying the at least one preceding vehicle comprises recognising an identifier of a license plate or other type of unique marking of the at least one preceding vehicle, or estimating a position of the at least one preceding vehicle, such that a unique identity of the at least one preceding vehicle can be determined.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein estimating a position of the at least one preceding vehicle is based on at least measured relative position thereof, and knowledge of at least position of host vehicle, wherein at least the position of the host vehicle is provided by means a GPS-device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein at least the measured relative position and/or measured relative speed is obtained by fusing information received from the at least first and second sensor devices.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the remote database system is a stationary database system connected to at least one wireless communication device for establishing communication channels with vehicles registered in the database system, wherein the communication channels is based on wireless telecommunication.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the database system comprises a collection of vehicle data representing a plurality of unique vehicle identities, which vehicle data comprises identifiers of license plates or other type of unique vehicle markings, or position information provided by the vehicles.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a communication channel between the at least one preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is implemented by means of communication routing via the database system, or by means of an external cellular communication without routing via the database system, or by means of a direct wireless point-to-point communication channel.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying to the operator of the host vehicle preceding vehicles with which the communication channel has been established, is realized by means of a suitable human-machine interface, preferably in form of a digital screen displaying a real time image of ahead of the host vehicle, wherein status information is provided to the operator indicating with which of the preceding vehicles the communication channel has been established.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the status information is realized by at least one frame displayed on the digital screen and substantially surrounding the preceding vehicles with which the communication channel is established.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said the status information is realized by at least on frame having at least a first colour and a second colour, wherein each of the preceding vehicles with which the communication channel has been established is indicated with a frame having first colour, and each of the registered vehicles with which no communication channel has been established is indicated with a frame having a second colour.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining from the operator of the host vehicle a target vehicle to engage following of comprises obtaining from the operator selection information indicating, a unique preceding vehicle by means of an input device, which preferably is realised by implementing the digital screen as a touch screen.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of obtaining from the operator a preferred range gap between the host vehicle and the target vehicle, which preferred range gap is adopted as a reference gap by the vehicle control system during operation of the autonomous following mode.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the range gap is set such that the range between the target vehicle and the host vehicle during operating autonomous following mode at speeds above 50 km/h, preferably above 70 km/h, is less than 30 metres, preferably less than 15 metres, and more preferably less than 5 metres.

15. An arrangement for entering and operating a preceding vehicle autonomous following mode, comprising

at least a first and a second sensor device for registering at least one preceding vehicle in front of a host vehicle;

a vehicle control system for identifying the at least one preceding vehicle;

a remote database system comprising vehicle data with which the at least one preceding vehicle is compared, such that a communication channel is established upon match between the at least one preceding vehicle and the host vehicle;

an identifying device for identifying to an operator of host vehicle those preceding vehicles with which the communication channel has been established;

an obtaining part for obtaining from the operator a selection of a target vehicle to engage following of; and

a vehicle control system which controls at least the following three main functions of the host vehicle;

forward propulsion, steering, and braking, for operation of the host vehicle in an autonomous following mode.