Systems and methods for adaptive vehicle sensing systems

• US 9,269,268 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• 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): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US13/956,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20150035687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/933, 340/943, 340/937, 340/942, 342/70, 701/300, 701/301
• 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:

detecting a first object that is at least partially obscured by a second object in first sensor data captured by a sensing system of a land vehicle, the sensing system comprising one or more sensor devices, including a particular sensor device configured to capture sensor data pertaining to a coverage area;

modifying a configuration of the particular sensor device to acquire sensor data pertaining to the first object that is at least partially obscured by the second object, wherein modifying the configuration of the particular sensor device comprises modifying the coverage area of the sensor data the particular sensor device is configured to capture, the modified coverage area including an obscured portion of the first object; and

acquiring second sensor data from the sensing system, the second sensor data comprising sensor data pertaining to the obscured portion of the first object captured by the particular sensor device in the modified configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising acquiring the first sensor data from the sensing system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining that the first object is at least partially obscured by the second object by use of the first sensor data.

4. The method of claim 3, determining that the first object is at least partially obscured by the second object in response to comparing kinematics of the first object and the second object by use of the first sensor data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising distinguishing, in the first sensor data, sensor data pertaining to the first object from sensor data pertaining to the second object.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising distinguishing, in the first sensor data, sensor data pertaining to the first object from sensor data pertaining to the second object based on time-of-flight of the first sensor data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising distinguishing, in the first sensor data, sensor data pertaining to the first object from sensor data pertaining to the second object based on Doppler characteristics of the first sensor data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising distinguishing, in the first sensor data, sensor data pertaining to the first object from sensor data pertaining to the second object based on kinematics of the first object and the second object derived from the first sensor data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising distinguishing, in the first sensor data, sensor data pertaining to the first object from sensor data pertaining to the second object based on a differential position of the first object and the second object determined by use of the first sensor data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the configuration of the particular sensor device comprises directing the particular sensor device to the first object.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the configuration of the particular sensor device comprises modifying a sensing signal generated by the particular sensor device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying the sensing signal comprises modifying a wavelength of the sensing signal.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying the sensing signal comprises modifying a phase of the sensing signal.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying the sensing signal comprises modifying a polarization of the sensing signal.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying the sensing signal comprises modifying an amplitude of the sensing signal.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying the sensing signal comprises modifying a power of the sensing signal.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein directing the particular sensor device to the first object comprises determining a signal path to the first object.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the determined signal path passes through a portion of the second object.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring the sensing signal in accordance with the portion of the second object that the signal path is configured to pass through.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein configuring the sensing signal in accordance with the portion of the second object that the signal path is configured to pass through comprises configuring a phase of the sensing signal.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein configuring the sensing signal in accordance with the portion of the second object that the signal path is configured to pass through comprises configuring a frequency of the sensing signal.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein configuring the sensing signal in accordance with the portion of the second object that the signal path is configured to pass through comprises configuring a wavelength of the sensing signal.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein configuring the sensing signal in accordance with the portion of the second object that the signal path is configured to pass through comprises configuring an amplitude of the sensing signal.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein configuring the sensing signal in accordance with the portion of the second object that the signal path is configured to pass through comprises configuring a power of the sensing signal.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the signal path comprises scanning portions of the second object.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising scanning portions of the second object by use of the sensing system.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein determining the signal path further comprises determining reflectance of portions of the second object in response to scanning the second object.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein determining the signal path further comprises determining signal transmission through portions of the second object in response to scanning the second object.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein determining the signal path further comprises determining signal attenuation through portions of the second object in response to scanning the second object.

30. An apparatus, comprising:

a processing module configured to detect a first object that is at least partially obscured by a second object in first sensor data captured by a sensing system of a land vehicle, the sensing system comprising one or more sensor devices configured to capture sensor data pertaining to respective coverage regions;

a sensor management module configured to modify a configuration of a selected one of the one or more sensor devices to acquire sensor data pertaining to an obscured portion of the first object, wherein modifying the configuration of the selected sensor device comprises adapting the coverage region sensor data the selected sensor device is configured to capture to include the obscured portion of the first object; and

a data acquisition module configured to acquire sensor data pertaining to the first object by use of the one or more sensors in the modified configuration.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the data acquisition module is configured to acquire the first sensor data from the sensing system.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the sensor management module is configured to modify the configuration of the selected sensor device by directing the sensor device to the first object.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein directing the selected sensor device to the first object comprises configuring the selected sensor device to direct a sensing signal around a third object to the first object.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the processing module is configured to determine a signal path from the selected sensor device to the obscured portion of the first object, and wherein the determined signal path contacts a portion of a third object detected in the first sensor data.

35. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein modifying the configuration of the selected sensor device comprises configuring the selected sensor device to direct a sensing signal to and/or from the first object by use of a third object.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the processing module is configured to determine a configuration of the third object.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein determining the configuration of the third object comprises scanning the third object by use of the one or more sensors.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein determining the configuration of the third object comprises acquiring an image of the third object.

39. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the processing module is configured to determine a path on which to direct the sensing signal to and/or from the first object by use of the third object based on the determined configuration of the third object.

40. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the processing module is configured to determine kinematics of the third object relative to the land vehicle by use of sensor data acquired by use of the one or more sensors.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the processing module is configured to determine a path on which to direct the sensing signal to and/or from the first object by use of the third object based on the determined kinematics of the third object relative to the land vehicle.

42. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the sensor management module is configured to configure the sensing signal generated by the selected sensing device in response to properties of the third object.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the sensor management module is configured to configure one or more of a phase, frequency, wavelength, polarization, amplitude, and power of the sensing signal generated by the selected sensor device in response to properties of the third object.

44. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the processing module is configured to estimate a signal attenuation of a signal path between the one or more sensors and the first object.