Onboard perception system

• US 9,315,174 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2012
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polestar Performance AB (Polestar Automotive Holding UK Plc)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Inventors: Braennstroem, Mattias, Backhouse, Andrew, Hammarstrand, Lars, Applehult, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH-STEWART, DEMETRA R
• Application Number:
  US13/367,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20120203436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/024 Collision mitigation systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision

Abstract

An onboard perception system of a vehicle is contemplated. The system may include a state assessment unit adapted to at least assess a state of a first external object located in a vicinity of the vehicle hosting the onboard perception system, at least a first sensor assembly for assessing sound information, and an evaluation means adapted to evaluate a change in the state of the first external object by using the assessed sound information.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating a reason of a detected change in dynamic state of an object located in a vicinity of a vehicle hosting an onboard perception system, said method comprising:

assessing audible sound information originating from a source other than a collision involving said host vehicle using a sound sensor assembly;

analyzing said sound information to evaluate the reason of said detected change in dynamic state of the object; and

controlling an action of the vehicle based on the evaluation of said reason of said detected change in state.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising controlling the action such that the vehicle is braked in order to avoid a collision with the object.

3. An onboard perception system for a vehicle comprising:

a sensor assembly assessing a dynamic state of an object in a vicinity of the vehicle;

a sound sensor assembly receiving and assessing audible sound information originating from a source other than a collision involving the vehicle;

an evaluation unit detecting a change in the dynamic state of the object and analyzing the sound information in combination with information from the sensor assembly to assess a reason for the change in the dynamic state; and

wherein an action of the vehicle is controlled based on the assessed reason for the change in the dynamic state of the object.

4. The onboard perception system according to claim 3, wherein the dynamic state of the object is at least one of a position, velocity, acceleration, heading angle, yaw rate, roll angle, roll rate, pitch angle, and pitch rate of the object or combinations thereof.

5. The onboard perception system according to claim 3, wherein said evaluation unit is adapted to detect a collision between the object and a second object, said collision at least contributing to said change in the state of the object.

6. The onboard perception system according to claim 3, wherein said sensor assembly comprises at least one of:

a radar sensor, a lidar sensor, a camera, a stereo-camera, an ultra-sonic sensor and an IR sensor.

7. The onboard perception system according to claim 3, wherein said sound sensor assembly comprises a plurality of sensors positioned at separate locations on the vehicle.

8. The onboard perception system according to claim 3, wherein the evaluation unit is further operative to consider a first and a second traffic situation hypothesis for said vicinity of said vehicle, the first hypothesis being a normal traffic situation and the second hypothesis being a collision situation involving the object and a second object, and is further operative to select one of said hypotheses based on said assessed sound information and said assessed dynamic state of the object.

9. The onboard perception system according to claim 3, wherein an output from said onboard perception system comprises a determination that the object was subjected to a safety influencing incident.

10. The onboard perception system of claim 3 wherein the sensor assembly and the evaluation unit are included within a vehicular collision avoidance system.

11. The onboard perception system of claim 3 wherein outputs from the evaluation unit are communicated to an action system operable to execute an action of the vehicle based on the change in the state of the object determined by the evaluation unit.

12. The onboard perception system of claim 11 wherein said action includes braking the vehicle to avoid a collision with the object.

13. A method for operating a safety system of a vehicle comprising:

operating a sensor assembly to assess a dynamic state of an object in a vicinity of the vehicle;

detecting a change in the dynamic state of the object;

operating a sound sensor assembly to receive and assess audible sound information originating from a source other than a collision involving the vehicle;

analyzing the sound information in combination with information from the sensor assembly to assess a reason for the change in the dynamic state; and

controlling an action of the vehicle based on the assessed reason for the change in the dynamic state.

14. The method according to claim 13 further comprising:

considering a first and a second traffic situation hypothesis for said vicinity, the first hypothesis being a normal traffic situation and the second hypothesis being a collision situation involving the object and a second object, and

selecting one of said hypotheses based on the analysis of the sound information in combination with the assessed state of said object.

15. The method according to claim 14 further comprising controlling an action of said vehicle to avoid a collision with the object, execution of the action being based at least in part on said selected one of said hypotheses.