SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADAPTIVE VEHICLE SENSING SYSTEMS

• US 20150035662A1
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bowers, Jeffrey A., Deane, Geoffrey F., Hannigan, Russell J., Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Kundtz, Nathan, Myhrvold, Nathan P., Smith, David R., Sullivan, Philip A., Tegreene, Clarence T., Tuckerman, David B., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,230,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• 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

Abstract

An adaptive sensing system is configured to acquire sensor data pertaining to objects in the vicinity of a land vehicle. The adaptive sensing system may be configured to identify objects that are at least partially obscured by other objects and, in response, the adaptive sensing system may be configured to modify the configuration of one or more sensors to obtain additional information pertaining to the obscured objects. The adaptive sensing system may comprise and/or be communicatively coupled to a collision detection module, which may use the sensor data acquired by the adaptive sensing system to detect potential collisions.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

modifying a configuration of a sensing system of a land vehicle from a first configuration to a second configuration in response to identifying an area that is at least partially obscured by a first object during operation of the sensing system in the first configuration; and

acquiring sensor data pertaining to the area by use of the sensing system in the second configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the area that is at least partially obscured by the first object based on a position of the first object.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the area that is at least partially obscured by the first object based on kinematics of the first object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the area that is at least partially obscured by the first object based on an orientation of the first object.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the area that is at least partially obscured by the first object based on a configuration of the first object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the configuration of the first object comprises one or more of a size of the first object, a position of the first object, and an orientation of the first object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising acquiring sensor data pertaining to a second object that is within the area that is at least partially obscured by the first object by use of the sensing system in the first configuration.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a first portion of the second object is within the area that is at least partially obscured by the first object, and a second portion of the second object is outside the area.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor data pertaining to the second object pertains to the second portion.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein data pertaining to the first portion is inferred from the sensor data pertaining to the second portion.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining that at least a portion of the second object is within the area in response to acquiring the sensor data by use of the sensing system in the first configuration.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising designating a portion of the area which is not occupied by the second object as an uncharacterized region.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising acquiring sensor data pertaining to the uncharacterized region by use of the sensing system in the second configuration.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising distinguishing the second object from the first object by comparing kinematics of the first object and the second object by use of the sensor data acquired by use of the sensing system in the first configuration.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a second object within the area that is at least partially obscured by the first object in response to sensor data acquired by use of a sensing system of another land vehicle.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the configuration of the sensing system comprises directing the sensing system to the area that is at least partially obscured by the first object.

41. The method of claim 32, wherein directing the sensing system to the area comprises configuring a detector of the sensing system.

46. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the configuration of the sensing system comprises directing a sensing signal of the sensing system to the area.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein directing the sensing system to the area comprises configuring the sensing system to direct a sensing signal under the first object.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein directing the sensing system to the area comprises configuring the sensing system to direct a sensing signal over the first object.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein directing the sensing system to the area comprises configuring the sensing system to direct a sensing signal around the first object.

50. The method of claim 46, wherein directing the sensing system to the area comprises configuring the sensing system to direct a sensing signal under a third object.

51. The method of claim 46, wherein directing the sensing system to the area comprises directing a sensing signal over a third object.

15-22. -22. (canceled)

24-31. -31. (canceled)

33-40. -40. (canceled)

42-45. -45. (canceled)

52-145. -145. (canceled)

146. An apparatus, comprising:

a sensor management module configured to modify a configuration of one or more sensors of a land vehicle to acquire sensor data pertaining to an area that is at least partially obscured by a first object; and

a data acquisition module configured to acquire sensor data pertaining to the area by use of the one or more sensors in the modified configuration.

152. The apparatus of claim 146, wherein the data acquisition module is configured to acquire sensor data pertaining to a second object that is within the area that is at least partially obscured by the first object by use of the one or more sensors in an unmodified configuration.

153. The apparatus of claim 152, wherein a first portion of the second object is within the area that is at least partially obscured by the first object, and a second portion of the second object is outside of the area.

154. The apparatus of claim 153, wherein the sensor data pertaining to the second object pertains to the second portion.

155. The apparatus of claim 154, further comprising a processing module configured to infer data pertaining to the first portion from the sensor data pertaining to the second portion.

156. The apparatus of claim 152, further comprising a processing module configured to determine that the second object is within the area in response to acquiring the sensor data by use of the one or more sensors in the unmodified configuration.

157. The apparatus of claim 156, wherein the processing module is further configured to designate a portion of the area which is not occupied by the second object as an uncharacterized region.

158. The apparatus of claim 157, wherein the data acquisition module is configured to acquire sensor data pertaining to the uncharacterized region by use of the sensing system in the second configuration.

159. The apparatus of claim 156, wherein the processing module is configured to distinguish the second object from the first object by comparing kinematics of the first object and the second object by use of the sensor data acquired by use of the one or more sensors in the unmodified configuration.

160. The apparatus of claim 152, further comprising a processing module configured to determine one or more of a differential velocity and differential acceleration between the first object and the second object.

161. The apparatus of claim 152, further comprising a processing module configured to determine a differential position between the first object and the second object.

238. The apparatus of claim 146, wherein modifying the configuration of the one or more sensors comprises directing a sensing signal to and/or from the area by use of a third object.

258. The apparatus of claim 146, further comprising a processing module configured to generate a collision detection model by use of sensor data acquired by use of the one or more sensors.

288. The apparatus of claim 146, wherein the first object is one of a land vehicle, truck, trailer, recreational vehicle, motorcycle, cargo, pedestrian, animal, and road hazard.

289. The apparatus of claim 146, wherein the one or more sensors of the land vehicle comprises one of an electro-optical sensor, a stereoscopic sensor, a LIDAR, an acoustic sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an imaging sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, a magnetic sensor, and a capacitive sensor.

147-151. -151. (canceled)

162-237. -237. (canceled)

239-257. -257. (canceled)

259-287. -287. (canceled)