SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING ACTIVE MEASUREMENTS IN 3-DIMENSIONAL MAP GENERATION

• US 20160291155A1
• Filed: 05/12/2016
• Published: 10/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vayavision Sensing Ltd. (LeddarTech, Inc.), VayaVision, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: VayaVision, Ltd.
• Inventors: NEHMADI, Youval, UR, Shmuel, COHEN, Ronny
• Granted Patent: US 10,444,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/08 Use of electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• 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: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/497 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10217 parameter settings controlling the transmission power of the interrogator
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10584 Source control
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/04 involving 3D image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10012 Stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10052 : Images from lightfield camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30236 : Traffic on road, railway or crossing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30261 : Obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 : Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 : Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/751 : Comparing pixel values or logical combinations thereof, or feature values having positional relevance, e.g. template matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 : exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 : Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 : of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 : Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 : Mobile robot

Abstract

A method and control system for optimizing active measurements are presented. In an embodiment, the method includes emitting at least one active signal in at least one direction; determining whether a return signal is detected for each of the at least one active signal; upon detecting at least one return signal for the at least one active signal: measuring a strength of each return signal; comparing the measured strength of each return signal to at least one optimal return signal strength; and determining, based on the comparison, an optimized configuration for active measurement emissions in one or more directions.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing active measurements, comprising:

emitting at least one active signal in at least one direction;

determining whether a return signal is detected for each of the at least one active signal;

upon detecting at least one return signal for the at least one active signal;

measuring a strength of each return signal;

comparing the measured strength of each return signal to at least one optimal return signal strength; and

determining, based on the comparison, an optimized configuration for active measurement emissions in one or more directions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimized configuration includes at least one of:

an optimized energy level, a selection of at least one active sensor, and an optimized path.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the optimized energy level of an active measurement emission is based on at least one of:

a pulse power level, and a pulse length.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an energy level of each of the at least one emitted active signal is a predetermined default energy level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an energy level of each of the at least one active emitted signal is based on a maximum range of active signals in the at least one direction.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the maximum range of active signals in the at least one direction is based on a predetermined model of a scene.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

emitting another active signal in the at least one direction, when it is determined that a return signal is not detected for an unreturned active signal of the at least one active signal, wherein an energy level of the other active signal is higher than an energy level of the unreturned active signal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the optimized configuration for active measurement emissions based on a passively measured distance to each of at least one target object.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

generating a reflection score for the object based on passive sensor information, wherein the passively measured distance is further based on the reflection score.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the optimized configuration for active measurement emissions based on an estimated distance to at least one target object, wherein the estimated distance is based on a predetermined model of a scene.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processing units to execute the method according to claim 1.

12. An apparatus for optimizing active measurements, comprising:

an active sensor;

a control circuit configured to;

control the active sensor to emit at least one active signal in at least one direction;

determine whether a return signal is detected for each of the at least one active signal;

upon detecting at least one return signal for the at least one active signal,

measure a strength of each return signal;

compare the strength of each measure return signal to at least one optimal return signal strength;

determine based on the comparison, an optimized configuration for active measurement emissions in one or more directions; and

configure the active sensor with the optimized configuration.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the optimized configuration includes at least one of:

an optimized energy level, a selection of at least one active sensor, and an optimized path.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the optimized energy level of an active measurement emission is based on at least one of:

pulse power, and pulse length.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein an energy level of each of the at least one emitted active signal is a predetermined default energy level.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein an energy level of each of the at least one active emitted signal is based on a maximum range of active signals in the at least one direction.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the maximum range of active signals in the at least one direction is based on a predetermined model of a scene.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further configured to:

emit another active signal in the at least one direction, when it is determined that a return signal is not detected for an unreturned active signal of the at least one active signal, wherein an energy level of the other active signal is higher than an energy level of the unreturned active signal.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further configured to:

determine the optimized configuration for active measurement emissions based on a passively measured distance to each of at least one target object.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus is further configured to:

generate a reflection score for the object based on passive sensor information, wherein the passively measured distance is further based on the reflection score.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus is further configured to:

determine the optimized configuration for active measurement emissions based an estimated distance to at least one target object, wherein the estimated distance is based on a predetermined model of a scene.

22. A control circuit for controlling optimized active measurements, wherein the control circuit is configured to:

cause at least one active sensor to emit at least one active signal in at least one direction;

determine whether a return signal is detected by the at least one active sensor for each of the at least one active signal;

upon detecting at least one return signal for the at least one active signal;

measure a strength of each detected at least one return signal;

compare the strength of each measure return signal to at least one optimal return signal strength; and

determine, based on the comparison, an optimized configuration for active measurement emissions in one or more directions.

23. A method for optimizing active measurements, comprising:

receiving an image of a scene captured by a passive sensor;

analyzing the received image to estimate a distance to at least one object in the scene;

determining, based on the estimated distance, an optimized configuration for active measurement emissions in one or more directions; and

setting an active sensor to perform the active measurement emissions based on the optimized configuration.