ALL WEATHER AUTONOMOUSLY DRIVEN VEHICLES

• US 20150253775A1
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cybernet Systems Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cybernet Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Jacobus, Charles J., Haanpaa, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 9,989,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4808 Evaluating distance, position or velocity data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/487 Extracting wanted echo signals , e.g. pulse detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/497 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• 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

Autonomously driven vehicles operate in rain, snow and other adverse weather conditions. An on-board vehicle sensor has a beam with a diameter that is only intermittently blocked by rain, snow, dustor other obscurant particles. This allows an obstacle detection processor is to tell the difference between obstacles, terrain variations and obscurant particles, thereby enabling the vehicle driving control unit to disregard the presence of obscurant particles along the route taken by the vehicle. The sensor may form part of a LADAR or RADAR system or a video camera. The obstacle detection processor may receive time-spaced frames divided into cells or pixels, whereby groups of connected cells or pixels and/or cells or pixels that persist over longer periods of time are interpreted to be obstacles or terrain variations. The system may further including an input for receiving weather-specific configuration parameters to adjust the operation of the obstacle detection processor.

Claims

1. An all-weather autonomously driven vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of environmental sensors disposed on the vehicle;

an obstacle detection processor receiving signals from the sensors to determine the presence of obstacles and terrain variations along a route taken by the vehicle;

a vehicle driving control unit operative to steer or adjust the speed of the vehicle in accordance with the route and the obstacles and the terrain variations;

wherein one of the sensors has a beam with a diameter that is only intermittently blocked by rain, snow, dust or other obscurant particles; and

wherein the obstacle detection processor is operative to discern the difference between obstacles, terrain variations and obscurant particles, thereby enabling the vehicle driving control unit to disregard the presence of obscurant particles along the route taken by the vehicle.

2. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 1, wherein the sensor having a beam that is only intermittently blocked by obscurant particles forms part of a laser detection and ranging (LADAR) system.

3. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 1, wherein the sensor having a beam that is only intermittently blocked by obscurant particles forms part of a radio detection and ranging (RADAR) system.

4. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 1, wherein the sensor having a beam that is only intermittently blocked by obscurant particles forms part of a video camera.

5. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the obstacle detection processor receives information in the form of time-spaced frames divided into cells or pixels; and

groups of connected cells or pixels are interpreted to be obstacles or terrain variations.

6. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the obstacle detection processor receives information in the form of time-spaced frames divided into cells or pixels; and

cells or pixels that persist over longer periods of time are interpreted to be obstacles or terrain variations.

7. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 1, further including an input for receiving weather-specific configuration parameters to adjust the operation of the obstacle detection processor.

8. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 7, wherein the weather-specific configuration parameters are manually supplied.

9. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 7, wherein the weather-specific configuration parameters are made available for selection by a driver.

10. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 7, wherein the weather-specific configuration parameters are automatically detected by measuring temperature, precipitation, atmospheric clarity or other ambient conditions.

11. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 1, further including a terrain grading system to determine physical characteristics associated with positive and negative obstacles that the vehicle is allowed to traverse without invoking obstacle avoidance behavior.

12. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 11, wherein the physical characteristics include an obstacle depth and width threshold, d and w.

13. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 12, further including an input for receiving weather-specific configuration parameters to adjust d and w based upon weather conditions or soil type.

14. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle driving control unit is further operative to adjust vehicle stopping distance as a function of weather-based reduced tire-terrain surface friction.

15. The all-weather autonomously driven vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle driving control unit is further operative to steer or adjust the speed of the vehicle as a function of visibility due to obscurant density.