Road surface state obtaining device and suspension system

• US 9,446,652 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2012
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Buma, Shuuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US14/417,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20150174981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 701/37, 701/36, 701/38, 701/48, 701/28, 701/91, 180/362, 340/937
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0165 to an external condition, e.g. rough road surface, side wind
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0182 involving parameter estimation, e.g. observer, Kalman filter
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/019 characterised by the type of sensor or the arrangement thereof B60G17/01941 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/02 Spring characteristics , e.g. mechanical springs and mechanical adjusting meansB60G17/005, B60G17/015 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/06 Characteristics of dampers , e.g. mechanical dampersB60G17/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/14 Photo or light sensitive means, e.g. Infrared
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/10 Damping action or damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/20 Spring action or springs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/00 General purpose image data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/521 from laser ranging, e.g. using interferometry; from the projection of structured light
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

An emitting device emits parallel light beams which impinge on a road surface, forming marks. An imaging device takes an image of an image pickup object containing the marks to obtain a picked-up image. A longitudinal distance between mark images respectively corresponding to the marks is detected. A larger gradient can be obtained in the case where the distance is long than in the case where the distance is short. While the gradient of the road surface is obtained based on the distance as described above, a relative positional relationship between the two mark images is not changed as long as the gradient of the road surface is the same even when the height position of an over-spring member provided with the emitting device and the imaging device is changed. Accordingly, the gradient of the road surface can be obtained without consideration of the displacement of the over-spring member.

Claims

1. A road surface state obtaining device, comprising:

an emitting device mounted on a vehicle body of a vehicle and configured to emit light such that a plurality of parallel light beams emitted from the emitting device impinge on a road surface to form a plurality of marks spaced apart from each other;

an imaging device mounted on the vehicle body and configured to form an image by taking an image of an image pickup object on a predetermined region containing the plurality of marks formed on the road surface; and

an inclination state obtainer configured to obtain an inclination state of the road surface based on a relative positional relationship between at least two mark images of a plurality of mark images on the image formed by the imaging device, the plurality of mark images respectively corresponding to the plurality of marks,

the inclination state obtainer comprising (a) a longitudinal distance obtainer configured to obtain a distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction as the relative positional relationship and (b) a gradient obtainer configured to obtain a magnitude of a gradient as the inclination state of the road surface based on the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer, and

the gradient obtainer comprising a gradient-determination-table storage device configured to store a relationship between the magnitude of the gradient of the road surface and the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer.

2. The road surface state obtaining device according to claim 1,

wherein the emitting device and the imaging device are mounted on the vehicle body in a relative positional relationship in which an emission angle of the light emitted from the emitting device with respect to a reference road surface of which normal line is a line extending in an up and down direction of the vehicle is greater than an inclination angle of an axis of the imaging device with respect to the reference road surface, and

wherein the gradient obtainer comprises a first gradient obtainer configured to obtain a greater gradient of the road surface when the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer is long than when the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer is short.

3. The road surface state obtaining device according to claim 2, wherein the inclination state obtainer comprises an inclination direction obtainer configured to obtain a positive value as an inclination angle of the road surface when the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer is greater than a set value and configured to obtain a negative value as the inclination angle of the road surface when the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction is less than the set value.

4. The road surface state obtaining device according to claim 1,

wherein the emitting device and the imaging device are mounted on the vehicle body in a relative positional relationship in which an emission angle of the light emitted from the emitting device with respect to a reference road surface of which normal line is a line extending in an up and down direction of the vehicle is less than an inclination angle of an axis of the imaging device with respect to the reference road surface, and

wherein the gradient obtainer comprises a second gradient obtainer configured to obtain a less gradient of the road surface when the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer is long than when the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction is short.

5. The road surface state obtaining device according to claim 4, wherein the emitting device and the imaging device are mounted on the vehicle body in a relative positional relationship in which an emission angle of the light emitted from the emitting device with respect to a reference road surface of which normal line is a line extending in an up and down direction of the vehicle is different from an inclination angle of an axis of the imaging device with respect to the reference road surface.

6. The road surface state obtaining device according to claim 1,

wherein the emitting device is mounted on the vehicle body in an attitude in which the light is emitted toward the road surface in a front and rear direction of the vehicle,

wherein the imaging device is mounted on the vehicle body in an attitude in which an axis of the imaging device extends in the front and rear direction of the vehicle, and

wherein the inclination state obtainer is configured to obtain an inclination state of the road surface in at least one of the front and rear direction and a right and left direction of the vehicle based on the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction.

7. The road surface state obtaining device according to claim 1,

wherein at least one of the plurality of marks has a polygonal shape, and

wherein the inclination state obtainer comprises an obtainer configured to obtain a magnitude of a gradient as the inclination state of the road surface based on a relative positional relationship between at least two points on at least mark image having the polygonal shape on the image formed by the imaging device, and the at least two points comprise at least one vertex of the polygonal shape.

8. The road surface state obtaining device according to claim 1, wherein two of the plurality of points are provided respectively on one end portion and another end portion of the one mark in a predetermined direction.

9. A suspension system, comprising:

a road surface state obtaining device, the road surface state obtaining device comprising;

an emitting device mounted on a vehicle body of a vehicle and configured to emit light such that a plurality of parallel light beams emitted from the emitting device impinge on a road surface to form a plurality of marks spaced apart from each other;

an imaging device mounted on the vehicle body and configured to form an image by taking an image of an image pickup object on a predetermined region containing the plurality of marks formed on the road surface; and

an inclination state obtainer configure to obtain an inclination state of the road surface based on a relative positional relationship between at least two mark images of a plurality of mark images on the image formed by the imagining device, the plurality of mark images respectively corresponding to the plurality of mark,

the inclination state obtainer comprising (a) a longitude distance obtainer configured to obtain a distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction as the relative positional relationship and (b) a gradient obtainer configured to obtain a magnitude of a gradient as the inclination state of the road surface based on the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer, and

the gradient obtainer comprising a gradient-determination-table storage device configured to store a relationship between the magnitude of the gradient of the road surface and the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer; and

a suspension control device configured to control at least one suspension for at least one control target wheel based on the inclination state of the road surface which is obtained by the road surface state obtaining device,

the road surface state obtaining device comprising a front-side road-surface-state obtainer configured to obtain an inclination state of a portion of the road surface which is located in front of the at least one control target wheel.

10. The suspension system according to claim 9,

wherein a plurality of suspensions as the at least one suspension are provided respectively corresponding to front left and right and rear left and right wheels of the vehicle, and each of the plurality of suspensions comprises an actuator capable of controlling a vertical force acting on an under-spring member and an over-spring member, and

wherein the suspension control device comprises a preview controller configured to, when the at least one control target wheel passes through an inclination-state obtainment object that is a portion of the road surface on which an inclination state is obtained by the road surface state obtaining device, control the actuator at a timing when the suspension is actuated in accordance with an inclination state of the inclination-state obtainment object.

11. The suspension system according to claim 9, wherein the suspension control device comprises a vertical-vibration suppressing controller configured to, when the at least one control target wheel passes through an inclination-state obtainment object that is a portion of the road surface on which an inclination state is obtained by the road surface state obtaining device, control the at least one suspension at a timing when a vibration of the vehicle body in an up and down direction due to a change in height position of the road surface is suppressed.

12. The suspension system according to claim 9,

wherein the at least one control target wheel is a left wheel and a right wheel,

wherein the road surface state obtaining device comprises a road-surface left-and-right-difference obtainer configured to obtain a difference in height between a left road surface portion that is a portion of the road surface which is located in front of the left wheel and a right road surface portion that is a portion of the road surface which is located in front of the right wheel, and

wherein the suspension control device comprises a roll suppressing controller configured to, when the left wheel passes through the left road surface portion, and the right wheel passes through the right road surface portion, control one of the at least one suspension which corresponds to the left wheel and another of the at least one suspension which corresponds to the right wheel at a timing when a roll moment estimated to act due to the difference in height of the road surface which is obtained by the road-surface left-and-right-difference obtainer is suppressed.

13. A road surface state obtaining device, comprising:

an emitting device mounted on a vehicle body of a vehicle and configured to emit light such that a plurality of parallel light beams emitted from the emitting device impinge on a road surface to form a plurality of marks spaced apart from each other;

an imaging device mounted on the vehicle body and configured to form an image by taking an image of an image pickup object on a predetermined region containing the plurality of marks formed on the road surface; and

an inclination state obtainer configured to obtain an inclination state of the road surface based on a relative positional relationship between at least two mark images of a plurality of mark images on the image formed by the imaging device, the plurality of mark images respectively corresponding to the plurality of marks,

the inclination state obtainer comprising (a) a longitudinal distance obtainer configured to obtain a distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction as the relative positional relationship and (b) a gradient obtainer configured to obtain a magnitude of a gradient as the inclination state of the road surface based on the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer,

the emitting device and the imaging device being mounted on the vehicle body in a relative positional relationship in which an emission angle of the light emitted from the emitting device with respect to a reference road surface of which normal line is a line extending in an up and down direction of the vehicle is greater than an inclination angle of an axis of the imaging device with respect to the reference road surface, and

the gradient obtainer comprising a first gradient obtainer configured to obtain a greater gradient of the road surface when the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer is long than when the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer is short.

14. A road surface state obtaining device, comprising:

an emitting device mounted on a vehicle body of a vehicle and configured to emit light such that a plurality of parallel light beams emitted from the emitting device impinge on a road surface to form a plurality of marks spaced apart from each other;

an imaging device mounted on the vehicle body and configured to form an image by taking an image of an image pickup object on a predetermined region containing the plurality of marks formed on the road surface; and

an inclination state obtainer configured to obtain an inclination state of the road surface based on a relative positional relationship between at least two mark images of a plurality of mark images on the image formed by the imaging device, the plurality of mark images respectively corresponding to the plurality of marks,

the inclination state obtainer comprising (a) a longitudinal distance obtainer configured to obtain a distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction as the relative positional relationship and (b) a gradient obtainer configured to obtain a magnitude of a gradient as the inclination state of the road surface based on the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer,

the emitting device and the imaging device being mounted on the vehicle body in a relative positional relationship in which an emission angle of the light emitted from the emitting device with respect to a reference road surface of which normal line is a line extending in an up and down direction of the vehicle is less than an inclination angle of an axis of the imaging device with respect to the reference road surface, and

the gradient obtainer comprising a second gradient obtainer configured to obtain a less gradient of the road surface when the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction which distance is obtained by the longitudinal distance obtainer is long than when the distance between the at least two mark images in the longitudinal direction is short.