METHOD FOR THE AUTONOMOUS LOCALIZATION OF A DRIVERLESS, MOTORIZED VEHICLE

• US 20130325243A1
• Filed: 02/06/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Lipkowski, Merten, Wsch, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,134,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/25
• 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: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A range-measuring sensor is arranged on a vehicle. The direction of measurement or plane of measurement of the sensor can be altered by driving a sensor motor. A map of the environment is produced by using natural landmarks. A predetermined route along which the vehicle is intended to move is stipulated. Landmarks which can serve as a localization aid along the predetermined route are determined. The environment is scanned at different times by using the sensor in order to detect the previously determined landmarks while the vehicle is moving along the predetermined route. The vehicle is localized by comparing the detected landmarks with the landmarks recorded on the map. The sensor motor is actively controlled, at least in areas of the environment with only a few previously determined landmarks, such that the sensor is oriented to these landmarks in order to ensure that they are detected.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A method for the autonomous localization of a driverless motorized vehicle within a known environment, comprising:

using a sensor arranged on the vehicle for range-measuring;

changing at least one of a measurement direction and a measurement plane of the sensor by controlling a sensor motor;

obtaining a map of the environment, the map having natural landmarks recorded thereon, the map having a densely populated area with more natural landmarks and a sparsely populated area with fewer natural landmarks;

stipulating a pre-determined route along which the vehicle is to move;

identifying landmarks along the pre-determined route, to serve as localization aids;

scanning the environment at different points in time, while the vehicle is moving along the pre-determined route, the environment being scanned using the sensor to detect the landmarks along the pre-determined route; and

localizing the vehicle by comparing the landmarks identified along the pre-determined route with the landmarks recorded on the map;

actively controlling a speed and/or a rotation direction of the sensor motor at least while the vehicle is moving in the sparsely populate area such that the sensor is oriented toward the landmarks in the sparsely populated area, in order to ensure detection of the landmarks in the sparsely populated area.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein

the sensor is a laser scanner which measures in one measurement plane, and

the measurement plane is pivoted by controlling the sensor motor.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein

the sensor is a single-beam laser, and

the single-beam laser is mounted on the sensor motor to be rotatable about two pivot axes.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein

the sensor is a single-beam laser,

the single-beam laser has a measuring beam deflected by a mirror, and

the mirror is fastened to the sensor motor and rotatable about two pivot axes.

11. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein

during localization of the vehicle, a vehicle speed is detected by a speed detector, and

the vehicle speed is taken into account in controlling the speed and/or the rotation direction of the sensor motor.

12. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein

the sensor motor is controlled such that the sensor more intensively scans for landmarks in the sparsely populated area than in the densely populated area.

13. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein

the scanner scans for landmarks over time at an average scanning intensity, and

the scanner scans for landmarks in the sparsely populated area with a scanning intensity greater than the average scanning intensity.

14. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein

the map has a non-populated area with no natural landmarks,

the method further comprises actively controlling the speed and/or the rotation direction of the sensor motor such that the sensor does not scan for landmarks in the non-populated area.

15. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein

the pre-determined route is bordered by a barrier, and

the method further comprises controlling the speed and/or the rotation direction of the sensor motor such that the sensor scans more intensively for the barrier in the densely populated area than in the sparsely populated area.

16. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein

the sensor motor has an average scanning speed,

the scanning speed is increased above the average scanning speed when approaching landmarks in the sparsely populated area,

the scanning speed is decreased below average scanning speed after locating landmarks in the sparsely populated area, and

after locating landmarks in the sparsely populated area, the sensor is focused on the landmarks in the sparsely populated area.