METHOD FOR DETERMINING POSITION DATA FOR USE DURING THE OPERATION OF A VEHICLE SYSTEM OF A MOTOR VEHICLE, AND POSITION-DATA DETERMINING AND DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM

• US 20180151072A1
• Filed: 04/24/2015
• Published: 05/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: ALTINGER, Harald, SCHULLER, Florian, IBISCH, Andre
• Granted Patent: US 10,157,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A method for determining positional data for use in the operation of a vehicle system (3) of a motor vehicle (2), wherein image data of at least one surveillance camera (9, 10, 11) recording at least a portion of the surroundings of the motor vehicle (2) and/or the motor vehicle (2), provided externally to the motor vehicle (2) for determining the positional data of at least one recorded object (13) are evaluated and made at least partially available to the vehicle system (3).

Claims

1. A method for determining positional data for use in the operation of a vehicle system of a motor vehicle, wherein image data of at least one surveillance camera recording at least a portion of the surroundings of the motor vehicle and/or the motor vehicle, provided externally to the motor vehicle for determining the positional data of at least one recorded object, are evaluated and made at least partially available to the vehicle system, wherein, for every surveillance camera and/or by combining positional data related to identical objects for all surveillance cameras, position lists are created, containing the positional data for moved objects tracked by at least one surveillance camera, and wherein, in the event of a transmission of positional data objects not corresponding to the motor vehicle as a position list to the motor vehicle, a position list filtered for the motor vehicle using at least one relevance criterion is transferred.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle system a vehicle system designed for at least partially automatic operation of the motor vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein positional data of the motor vehicle itself are determined and transmitted to it.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the motor vehicle is identified outside of the motor vehicle with the assistance of a distance traveled and/or a further existing position information item, in particular sent from the motor vehicle and/or with the assistance of at least one external feature of the motor vehicle, in particular a license plate and/or a model designation badge, in the image data of at least one of the at least one surveillance cameras.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein the positional data of the motor vehicle itself are used as redundant information for further positional data of the motor vehicle itself determined by the motor vehicle, in particular for determination of final position information from the positional data and the further positional data and/or for the review of further positional data and/or position information derived from it.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein positional data of at least one object not corresponding to the motor vehicle are considered for determining a collision probability with the object and/or at least a future trajectory of the motor vehicle and/or in the creation of an environmental model of the surroundings of the motor vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the in particular at least partially evaluated image data and/or the positional data are transmitted to the motor vehicle in particular for further evaluation.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the at least one surveillance camera is connected to a control device allocated to a driven area, said control device communicating with the motor vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one object information item associated with the positional data of the object is also determined for the objects detected by the at least one surveillance camera and at least partially transmitted to the motor vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein an object information item is determined as an object class and/or an identification information item and/or a speed and/or a movement history and/or a movement prediction.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein a relevance criterion considering a future driving path of the motor vehicle transmitted to the filtering device of the motor vehicle and/or predicted is used.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein positional data of an object are transmitted to the motor vehicle when it is in the driving path, if necessary extended by a safety zone and/or at a point in time corresponding to the passing of the motor vehicle with a probability exceeding a probability threshold.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein as part of the positional data, an orientation of the object to which they relate is determined by evaluation of external features of the object.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein external features such as a license plate of the motor vehicle and/or the exterior mirror of the motor vehicle are detected and analyzed in the image data for determination of an orientation of a motor vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 1 wherein absolute positions in a geodetic and/or a coordinate system related to a traveled area are determined as positional data.

16. The method according to claim 1 wherein in a first step of image processing, image data relating to a non-moved, static, acquired background are withdrawn from further consideration.

17. The method according to claim 1 wherein objects can be detected in the image data that has had the background removed through clustering.

18. The method according to claim 1 wherein tracking of a detected object can take place in image data recorded at different times using a Kalman filter.

19. The method according to claim 1 wherein the evaluation, in particular a determination of position lists, takes place at least partially on the part of the surveillance camera and/or a or the control device allocated to a driven area that is connected to the surveillance camera.

20. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method is implemented in a parking environment having several parking spaces, in particular a parking garage, to which the surveillance cameras are allocated.

21. The method according to claim 1 wherein the surveillance cameras serve the purpose of at least one further function, in particular a safety function.

22. A positional data determination and distribution system, having at least one surveillance camera, a communications device, a control device and an evaluation device;

designed for the evaluation of image data of the surveillance camera for the determination of the positional data of at least one recorded object;

wherein the communications device is designed to transmit at least a portion of the positional data to a motor vehicle, which the surveillance camera records or at least partially records its surroundings;

wherein each surveillance camera is allocated an image processing unit designed for the creation of surveillance camera-specific position lists and/or the control device his designed for the creation of position lists by summarization of positional data related to identical objects for all surveillance cameras;

wherein the position lists contain the positional data for moved objects tracked by at least one surveillance camera;

wherein the control device is designed to transmit a position list filtered for the motor vehicle using at least one relevance criterion in the event of a transmission of positional data of objects not corresponding to the motor vehicle as a position list to the motor vehicle.