Systems and methods for adaptive vehicle sensing systems

• US 9,230,442 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bowers, Jeffrey A., Deane, Geoffrey F., Hannigan, Russell J., Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Kundtz, Nathan, Myhrvold, Nathan P., Smith, David R., Sullivan, Philip A., Tegreene, Clarence T., Tuckerman, David B., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Jack K
• Application Number:
  US13/956,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20150035662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 340/436, 340/901, 340/439
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An adaptive sensing system is configured to acquire sensor data pertaining to objects in the vicinity of a land vehicle. The adaptive sensing system may be configured to identify objects that are at least partially obscured by other objects and, in response, the adaptive sensing system may be configured to modify the configuration of one or more sensors to obtain additional information pertaining to the obscured objects. The adaptive sensing system may comprise and/or be communicatively coupled to a collision detection module, which may use the sensor data acquired by the adaptive sensing system to detect potential collisions.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

acquiring first electronic sensor data at a computing device comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the first electronic sensor data is acquired from a sensing system of a land vehicle, the sensing system comprising one or more sensor devices, including a particular sensor device configured to capture electronic sensor data pertaining to a coverage area;

using the processor to identify an obscured area that is not covered by the first electronic sensor data acquired from the sensing system, including electronic sensor data captured by the particular sensor device;

modifying a configuration of the particular sensor device of the sensing system in response to identifying the obscured area, wherein modifying the configuration of the particular sensor device comprises configuring the particular sensor device to capture electronic sensor data pertaining to a different coverage area that covers at least a portion of the obscured area; and

acquiring second electronic sensor data at the computing device by use of the sensing system, the second electronic sensor data comprising electronic sensor data captured by the particular sensor device in the modified configuration that pertains to the second sensor coverage area and that covers at least a portion of the obscured area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the obscured area that is not being captured by the first electronic sensor data comprises determining that the obscured area obscured by a first object detected in the first electronic sensor data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining that the obscured area obscured by the first object based on kinematics of the first object determined from the first electronic sensor data.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining that the obscured area is obscured by the first object based on an orientation of the first object determined from the first electronic sensor data.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining that the obscured area is obscured by the first object based on a configuration of the first object determined from the first electronic sensor data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the configuration of the first object comprises one or more of a size of the first object, a position of the first object, and an orientation of the first object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the obscured area is obscured by a first object, the method further comprising detecting a second object that is within the obscured area.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a first portion of the second object is within the obscured area, and a second portion of the second object is outside of the obscured area.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first electronic sensor data comprises electronic sensor data pertaining to the second portion of the second object.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising inferring data pertaining to the first portion of the second object from the first electronic sensor data.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining that at least a portion of the second object is within the obscured area in response to acquiring the first electronic sensor data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the configuration of the particular sensor device comprises changing a position of the particular sensor device on the land vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the configuration of the particular sensor device comprises repositioning one or more of a signal emitter of the particular sensor device and a signal receiver of the particular sensor device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining kinematic information for a first object that is blocking coverage of the obscured area in the first electronic sensor data;

determining kinematic information for a second object that is at least partially obscured by the first object in the first electronic sensor data; and

distinguishing the second object from the first object in the first electronic sensor data based on the kinematic information determined for the first and second objects.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a second object within the obscured area that by use of electronic sensor data acquired from another land vehicle.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the configuration of the particular sensor device comprises directing the particular sensor device to the obscured area.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein directing the particular sensor device to the obscured area comprises adjusting a detector of the particular sensor device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the configuration of the particular sensor device comprises configuring the particular sensor device to direct a sensing signal emitted by the particular sensor device to the obscured area.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein configuring the particular sensor device to direct the sensing signal emitted by the particular sensor device to the obscured area comprises configuring the particular sensor device to direct the emitted a sensing signal under an object detected in the first electronic sensor data.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein configuring the particular sensor device to direct the sensing signal emitted by the particular sensor device to the obscured area comprises configuring the particular sensor device to direct the emitted sensing signal over an object detected in the first electronic sensor data.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein configuring the particular sensor device to direct the sensing signal emitted by the particular sensor device to the obscured area comprises configuring the particular sensor device to direct the emitted sensing signal around an object detected in the first electronic sensor data.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the obscured area is obscured by a first object detected in the first electronic sensor data, and wherein configuring the particular sensor device to direct the sensing signal emitted by the particular sensor device to the obscured area comprises configuring the particular sensor device to direct the emitted sensing signal under a second object detected in the first electronic sensor data.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the obscured area is obscured by a first object, and wherein configuring the particular sensor device to direct the sensing signal emitted by the particular sensor device to the obscured area comprises configuring the particular sensor device to direct the emitted a sensing signal over a second object detected in the first electronic sensor data.

24. An apparatus, comprising:

a computing device of a land vehicle comprising a processor and memory, the computing device comprising,

an acquisition module operating on the processor of the computing device configured to acquire first electronic sensor data from a sensing system of a land vehicle, the sensing system comprising one or more sensor devices configured to capture electronic sensor data covering respective regions,

a processing module operating on the processor of the computing device configured to identify a blind region that is not covered by the first electronic sensor data acquired from the sensing system, and

a sensor management module operating on the processor of the computing device configured to modify a configuration of a selected one of the one or more sensor devices of the sensing system to configure the selected sensor device to capture a region that includes at least a portion of the identified blind region,

wherein the acquisition module is configured to acquire second electronic sensor data in response to modifying the configuration of the selected sensor device, and

a wherein the processing module is configured to detect potential collisions using electronic sensor data acquired from the sensing system, including the second electronic sensor data acquired by the selected sensor device in the modified configuration that covers at least a portion of the identified blind region.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the processing module is configured to detect an object by use of the first electronic sensor data, wherein at least a portion of the detected object is within the identified blind region.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein a first portion of the detected object is within the identified blind region, and a second portion of the detected object is outside of the identified blind region.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first electronic sensor data comprises electronic sensor data pertaining to the second portion of the detected object.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the processing module is configured to infer data pertaining to the first portion of the object from the first electronic sensor data pertaining to the second portion of the detected object.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processing module is configured to determine that at least a portion of the detected object is within the identified blind region in response to the first electronic sensor data.

30. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the sensor management module is configured to modify the configuration of the selected sensor device by changing a position of the selected sensor device on the land vehicle.

31. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the sensor management module is configured to modify the configuration of the selected sensor device by changing an orientation of one or more of a signal emitter of the selected sensor device and a signal receiver of the selected sensor device.

32. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the identified blind region is blocked from being captured by the first electronic sensor data by a blocking object, wherein the processing module is configured to detect an object that is at least partially within the identified blind region by use of the first electronic sensor data, and wherein the processing module is further configured to distinguish the detected object from the blocking object by determining respective kinematic information for the blocking object and the detected object using the first electronic sensor data.

33. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the identified blind region is at least partially obscured in the first electronic sensor data by a blocking object, wherein the processing module is configured to detect an object that is at least partially within the identified blind region by use of the first electronic sensor data, and wherein the processing module is further configured to determine one or more of a differential velocity and differential acceleration between the blocking object and the detected object.

34. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the identified blind region is at least partially obscured in the first electronic sensor data by a blocking object, wherein the processing module is configured to detect an object that that is at least partially within the identified blind region by use of the first electronic sensor data, and wherein the processing module is further configured to determine respective positions of the blocking object and the detected object.

35. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein modifying the configuration of the selected sensor device comprises directing a sensing signal to and/or from the identified blind region by use of an object external to the land vehicle.

36. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the identified blind region is blocked by a first object in the first electronic sensor data, and wherein the first object is one of a land vehicle, truck, trailer, recreational vehicle, motorcycle, cargo, pedestrian, animal, and road hazard.

37. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the selected sensor device comprises one of an electro-optical sensor, a stereoscopic sensor, a LIDAR, an acoustic sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an imaging sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, a magnetic sensor, and a capacitive sensor.