Autonomous vehicle with improved visual detection ability
First Claim
1. An autonomous vehicle, comprising:
- at least one camera configured to produce images for computer vision used to control the autonomous vehicle, the at least one camera having a variable and movable pitch in relation to the direction of travel that is configured to be controlled, the pitch of the at least one camera being configured to be changed to maximize camera image clarity and/or resolution as said autonomous vehicle moves,wherein at least one image from the variable pitch camera is configured to be used in controlling the movement of the autonomous vehicle,the at least one variable pitch camera is configured to be used in pedestrian detection, andthe variable pitch of the camera is controlled based on a speed of the vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention provides an autonomous vehicle capable of driving independently through a path of intense traffic and transporting objects or people, even on rough surfaces, while ensuring safety of the vehicle and general road safety. The autonomous vehicle includes at least one variable pitch camera for producing images to be used for a computer vision to control the autonomous vehicle. The invention facilitates changing the pitch of the variable pitch camera to maximize camera image clarity and/or resolution as the autonomous vehicle moves. The images can be used for lane detection, pedestrian detection, three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of an environment and/or pothole detection. With the invention, at least one image from the variable pitch camera is used in controlling the movement and/or the trajectory of the autonomous vehicle.
154 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An autonomous vehicle, comprising:
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at least one camera configured to produce images for computer vision used to control the autonomous vehicle, the at least one camera having a variable and movable pitch in relation to the direction of travel that is configured to be controlled, the pitch of the at least one camera being configured to be changed to maximize camera image clarity and/or resolution as said autonomous vehicle moves, wherein at least one image from the variable pitch camera is configured to be used in controlling the movement of the autonomous vehicle, the at least one variable pitch camera is configured to be used in pedestrian detection, and the variable pitch of the camera is controlled based on a speed of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for controlling an autonomous vehicle including at least one camera configured to produce images for computer vision used to control the autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:
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providing at least one said camera having a variable and movable pitch in relation to the direction of travel that is controlled; changing the pitch of the at least one camera to maximize camera image clarity and/or resolution as said autonomous vehicle moves; and controlling the movement of the autonomous vehicle using at least one image from the variable pitch camera, wherein the at least one variable pitch camera is configured to be used in pedestrian detection, and the variable pitch of the camera is controlled based on a speed of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A software program product stored on a non-transient memory medium for controlling an autonomous vehicle, comprising:
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at least one camera software for at least one camera configured to produce images for computer vision software used to control the autonomous vehicle, wherein the at least one camera has a variable and movable pitch in relation to the direction of travel that is configured to be controlled, the pitch of the at least one camera is configured to be changed to maximize camera image clarity and/or resolution as said autonomous vehicle moves, at least one image from the variable pitch camera is configured to be used in controlling the movement of the autonomous vehicle, the at least one variable pitch camera is configured to be used in pedestrian detection, and the variable pitch of the camera is controlled based on a speed of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification