Method and device for the exchange and processing of data into fusion data

• US 7,340,380 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2002
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Klotz, Albrecht, Staempfle, Martin, Uhler, Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): WACHSMAN, HAL D
• Application Number:
  US10/484,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,097 Days
• Field of Search: 702/189, 702/182, 702/116, 702/81, 702 94- 96, 702/104, 702/124, 702/126, 702/127, 702/142, 702/149, 702/150, 702/152, 702/178, 702/179, 702/181, 702/187, 702/190, 702/197, 702/198
• US Class Current: 702/189
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/726 Multiple target tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08

Abstract

A method and a device for the exchange and the processing in common of object data between sensors and a processing unit, position data and/or speed data and/or additional object attributes (size, identification, markings) of sensor objects and fusion objects being transmitted and processed between or among the various component parts of the device.

Claims

1. A method for processing sensor data into fusion data, comprising:

causing at least one sensor to generate the sensor data;

performing an association step in which one of the following is performed;

(i) assigning the sensor data to existing fusion data found in a fusion element, and (ii) generating new fusion data in a fusion element from the sensor;

performing a subsequent fusion step in which fusion data additional to that of the association step is formed from an algorithmically-determined combination of the fusion data existing at the end of the association step; and

performing a merging step subsequent to the fusion step in which a first fusion piece of data produced from a fusion step is merged with a second fusion piece of data produced from a fusion step to generate a third fusion piece of data.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

in the subsequent fusion step, weighting the sensor data as a function of a quality measure of the sensor data.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein:

for the weighting of the sensor data, one of a statistical standard deviation and a statistical variance thereof is used.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

in the merging step, the merging is performed if a difference between the first fusion piece of data and the second fusion piece of data undershoots at least one threshold value.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

performing an evaluation step in which a plausibility measure is assigned to one of the first fusion piece of data and the second fusion piece of data.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

performing an evaluation step in which a priority measure is assigned to one of the first fusion piece of data and the second fusion piece of data.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

performing a processing step in which for one of the first fusion piece of data and the second fusion piece of data an object size attribute is calculated, the object size attribute representing a size of a detected object.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

performing a processing step in which, on the basis of at least one of the first fusion piece of data and the second fusion piece of data, at least one of the following is recognized;

that an object is moving out of a detection range of the at least one sensor into a detection gap,

that the object is present in a detection gap, and

that the object is moving out of a detection gap into a detection range of the at least one sensor.

9. A method for exchanging data between a first sensor and a processing unit and between a second sensor and the processing unit, comprising:

transmitting first sensor data and second sensor data to the processing unit;

causing the processing unit to transmit acknowledgment data to at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor, wherein;

the sensor data includes at least one of position data and speed data of an object relative to the first sensor and the second sensor, and

the acknowledgment data includes information proportions feedback data of at least one of;

(1) the first sensor data, if it is available, and second sensor data if it is available; and

(2) a fusion data computed by the processor from said first or second sensor data.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein:

the first sensor data and second data sensor data includes sensor objects and time data.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein:

the acknowledgment data is used for at least one of alertness control and a preconditioning of the first sensor, the second sensor, and a third sensor.

12. A device for processing sensor data to fusion data, comprising:

a plurality of sensors for generating sensor data; and

a processing unit for receiving the sensor data, the processing unit;

performing an association step in which one of the following is performed;

(i) assigning the sensor data to existing fusion data found in a fusion element, and (ii) generating new fusion data in a fusion element from the sensor data,

performing a subsequent fusion step in which fusion data additional to that of the association step is formed from an algorithmically-determined combination of the fusion data existing at the end of the association step; and

performing a merging step subsequent to the fusion step in which a first fusion piece of data produced from a fusion step is merged with a second fusion piece of data produced from a fusion step to generate a third fusion piece of data.

13. The device as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

in the subsequent fusion step, weighting the sensor data according to a quality measure of the sensor data.

14. The device as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

assigning a plausibility measure to at least one of the first fusion piece of data and the second fusion piece of data.