Method and apparatus for decide turn condition using sensor

• US 8,296,015 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Thinkware Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Park, Yong Kwan, Lee, Kwon Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Application Number:
  US12/599,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20100222956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,947 Days
• Field of Search: 701/41, 701/70, 180/97, 180/445, 340/465
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0162 mainly during a motion involving steering operation, e.g. cornering, overtaking B60G17/0164 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/01908 Acceleration or inclination sensors characterised by the use of gyroscopes B60G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/106 longitudinal with regard to vehicle, e.g. braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/16 GPS track data
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/902 the sensor being an xy axis sensor
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/02 Retarders, delaying means, dead zones, threshold values, cut-off frequency, timer interruption
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/16 Running
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/24 Steering, cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/702 Improving accuracy of a sensor signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/912 Attitude Control; levelling control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/36 Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/045 Improving turning performance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration

Abstract

A method and apparatus of determining a straight-driving state or a turning state of a moving object using an acceleration sensor are provided. The method of determining a turning state using a sensor includes: reading sensor output signals of different axes from an acceleration sensor while a moving object is being driven wherein the acceleration sensor is an at least two axes acceleration sensor and detects an acceleration of the moving object; and comparing the read sensor output signals of the different axes and determining whether the moving object is in a straight-driving state or in a turning state.

Claims

1. A method of determining a driving state using a sensor, the method comprising:

reading sensor output signals of different axes from an acceleration sensor while a moving object is being driven, wherein the acceleration sensor is an at least two axes acceleration sensor and detects an acceleration of the moving object, wherein one axis of the at least two aces of the acceleration sensor outputs an acceleration sensor signal Y with respect to a driving direction of the moving object, and another axis of the acceleration sensor outputs an acceleration signal X with respect to a left/right direction of the moving object; and

comparing the read sensor output signals of the different axes and determining whether the moving object is in a straight-driving state or in a turning state, wherein the comparing and the determining comprises;

calculating an absolute value |Y| of the acceleration sensor signal Y with respect to the driving direction and an absolute value |X| of the acceleration sensor signal X with respect to the left/right direction; and

determining whether the moving object is in the straight-driving state or in the turning state based on a size comparison between the calculated absolute values |Y| and |X|.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reading of the sensor output signals comprises:

periodically reading the acceleration sensor signal Y with respect to the driving direction while the moving object is being driven; and

being synchronized with the acceleration sensor signal Y with respect to the driving direction and thereby reading the acceleration sensor signal X with respect to the left/right direction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the moving object is in the straight-driving state or in the turning state comprises:

determining the moving object is in the straight-driving state when the absolute value |Y| of the acceleration sensor signal Y with respect to the driving direction is greater than the absolute value |X| of the acceleration sensor signal X with respect to the left/right direction; and

determining the moving object is in the turning state when the absolute value |X| of the acceleration sensor signal X with respect to the left/right direction is greater than the absolute value |Y| of the acceleration sensor signal Y with respect to the driving direction, and determining the turning state of the moving object by using a level difference value X−

Y between the acceleration sensor signals X and Y.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining the turning state of the moving object comprises:

determining whether the moving object is in a right-turning state or in a left-turning state depending on whether the level difference value is a positive number or a negative number.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining whether the moving object is in the right-turning state or in the left-turning state comprises:

determining the moving object is in the right-turning state when the level difference value has a positive value; and

determining the moving object is in the left-turning state when the level difference value has a negative value.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for implementing a method of determining a driving state using a sensor, the program comprising instructions for:

reading sensor output signals of different axes from an acceleration sensor while a moving object is being driven, wherein the acceleration sensor is an at least two axes acceleration sensor and detects an acceleration of the moving object, wherein one axis of the at least two axes of the acceleration sensor outputs an acceleration sensor signal Y with respect to a driving direction of the moving object, and another axis of the acceleration sensor outputs an acceleration signal X with respect to a left/right direction of the moving object; and

comparing the read sensor output signals of the different axes and determining whether the moving object is in a straight-driving state or in a turning state, wherein the comparing and the determining comprises;

calculating an absolute value |Y| of the acceleration sensor signal Y with respect to the driving direction and an absolute value |X| of the acceleration sensor signal X with respect to the left/right direction; and

determining whether the moving object is in the straight-driving state or in the turning state based on a size comparison between the calculated absolute values |Y| and |X|.

7. An apparatus for determining a turning state using a sensor, the apparatus comprising:

an acceleration sensor including at least two axes to detect an acceleration according to a driving direction of a moving object and outputting sensor output signals of different axes while the moving object is being driven, wherein one axis of the at least two axes of the acceleration sensor outputs an acceleration sensor signal Y with respect to a driving direction of the moving object and another axis of the acceleration sensor outputs an acceleration sensor signal X with respect to a left/right direction of the moving object; and

a determination unit comparing the sensor output signals of the different axes, output from the acceleration sensor, and determining whether the moving object is in a straight-driving state or in a left-turning state or in a right-turning state,

wherein the determination unit determines whether the moving object is in the straight-driving state or in the turning state based on a size comparison between an absolute value |Y| of the acceleration sensor signal Y with respect to the driving direction, and an absolute value |X| of the acceleration sensor signal X with respect to the left/right direction, and determines whether the moving object is in a right-turning state or in a left-turning state by using a level difference value X−

Y between the acceleration sensor signals X and Y.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, when the acceleration sensor is a three-axis acceleration sensor including X, Y, and Z axes, the acceleration sensor uses only an acceleration sensor signal corresponding to each of axes with respect to the driving direction of the moving object and the left/right direction of the moving object among the three axes.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a signal processing unit converting the sensor output signal into a signal, and outputting the converted sensor output signal to the determination unit, wherein the signal is recognizable by the determination unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the signal processing unit is an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter converting the sensor output signal into a digital signal which is in a range recognizable by the determination unit.