CONFIDENCE LEVEL DETERMINATION FOR ESTIMATED ROAD GEOMETRIES

• US 20150375752A1
• Filed: 06/19/2015
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Inventors: SORSTEDT, Joakim, CARLSSON, Niklas
• Granted Patent: US 10,300,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/20 Static objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/20 Data confidence level
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/768 using context analysis, e.g. recognition aided by known co-occurring patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to estimated road geometries used in vehicles, and in particular to a method and a control unit in a vehicle for determining a confidence level of an estimated road geometry. A method for determining a confidence level of an estimated road geometry is disclosed, the road geometry being estimated at least partly based on a position of a road object. The method comprises obtaining a reference position of the road object relative to the vehicle, updating a reach of a confidence zone of the vehicle, wherein a part of the estimated road geometry comprised within the confidence zone is associated with one or more reference confidence levels, and determining the confidence level of the estimated road geometry based on whether the reference position is comprised in the confidence zone.

Claims

1. A method performed in a vehicle for determining a confidence level of an estimated road geometry, the road geometry being estimated at least partly based on a position of a road object relative to the vehicle, wherein the road object constitutes a further vehicle, the method comprising:

obtaining a reference position of the further vehicle relative to the vehicle, wherein the reference position is a location of the further vehicle relative to the vehicle

tracking the further vehicle, wherein the relative position of the further vehicle in relation to the vehicle is monitored;

updating a reach of a confidence zone of the vehicle, wherein a part of the estimated road geometry comprised within the confidence zone is associated with one or more reference confidence levels; and

determining the confidence level of the estimated road geometry based on whether the reference position is comprised in the confidence zone,

wherein, if the reference position of the further vehicle is comprised in the confidence zone, the confidence zone is updated to comprise the road geometry up to the current position of the further vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein updating further comprises sensing, by one or more on-board road boundary sensors of the vehicle, a road boundary in a proximity zone of the vehicle, and updating the reach of the confidence zone to comprise the proximity zone.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein updating further comprises obtaining information related to the reach of the confidence zone, via wireless transmission from an external road entity, and/or from a memory unit comprised in the vehicle, and updating the reach of the confidence zone to reflect the received information.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein obtaining further comprises sensing the reference position by one or more on-board reference position sensing sensors of the vehicle, and/or receiving the reference position via wireless transmission from the road object and/or from an external road entity.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the road object constitutes one or more units of fixed road infrastructure, and wherein the obtaining further comprises obtaining the reference position as a location of the one or more units of fixed road infrastructure relative to the vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises determining the confidence level of a section of the estimated road geometry as having known error magnitude in case the section of the estimated road geometry is comprised within the confidence zone, and as having unknown error magnitude otherwise.

7. The method according to claim 6, the section of the estimated road geometry stretching in a forward direction of the vehicle, from a boundary of the confidence zone and at least partway to the road object.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises determining the confidence level of the estimated road geometry based on an elapsed time duration measured from the obtaining of the reference position to the determining of the confidence level.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of predicting a future reach of the confidence zone corresponding to a reach of the confidence zone at a future time instant, the prediction being based on the reference position and on a current position of the road object (110).

10. A non-transitory storage medium having computer program code stored therein, wherein the computer program code, when executed in a vehicle, enables the vehicle to execute a method according to claim 1.

11. A control unit configured to determine a confidence level of an estimated road geometry, the road geometry being estimated at least partly based on a position of a further vehicle external to a vehicle, the control unit comprising;

a processor; and

a memory storing computer program code which, when run in the processor, causes the control unit to

obtain a reference position of the further vehicle relative to the vehicle, wherein the reference position is a location of the further vehicle relative to the vehicle,

track the further vehicle, wherein the relative position of the further vehicle in relation to the vehicle is monitored,

update a reach of a confidence zone of the vehicle, wherein a part of the estimated road geometry comprised within the confidence zone is associated with one or more reference confidence levels, and

determine the confidence level of the estimated road geometry based on whether the reference position is comprised in the confidence zone,

wherein, if the reference position of the further vehicle is comprised in the confidence zone, the confidence zone is updated to comprise the road geometry up to the current position of the further vehicle.

12. The control unit according to claim 11 further configured to sense a lane marking in a proximity zone of the vehicle by one or more on-board lane marking sensors of the vehicle, wherein the computer program code, when run in the processor, further causes the control unit to

update the reach of the confidence zone to comprise the proximity zone, and

determine the confidence level of a section of the estimated road geometry located outside of the confidence zone as reliable in case the reference position is comprised in the confidence zone and as unreliable otherwise.

13. The control unit according to claim 12, the section of the estimated road geometry stretching along the estimated road geometry in a forward direction of the vehicle, from a boundary of the confidence zone and at least partway to the road object.

14. A vehicle comprising the control unit according to claim 11.