Method and apparatus for detection and ranging fault detection and recovery

• US 10,203,408 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2017
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faraday & Future Inc.
• Original Assignee: Faraday & Future Inc.
• Inventors: Sun, Xinghui
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Curtis
• Application Number:
  US15/662,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20180196133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 340435, 340903, 340905, 348148, 348149
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/40 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/497 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads

Abstract

A system for vehicular detection and ranging fault detection, notification, and recovery is provided. The system may include at least one detection and ranging device, at least one camera, and at least one physical processing unit configured with program instructions. The processing unit may be configured to analyze detection and ranging data of an object from the detection and ranging device, analyze image data received of the object from the at least one camera and, based on a comparison, detect a detection and ranging fault.

Claims

1. A system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a vehicle detection and ranging device;

a vehicle camera; and

one or more physical processors programmed by computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more physical processors to;

receive detection and ranging data of an object from the vehicle detection and ranging device;

receive image data of the object from the vehicle camera;

analyze the detection and ranging data received from the vehicle detection and ranging device;

analyze the image data received from the vehicle camera; and

determine a detection and ranging device fault based on a comparison between the analyzed image data and the analyzed detection and ranging data.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a notification unit configured to receive the detection and ranging fault notification signal and alert a user of the detection and ranging fault.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein to analyze the detection and ranging data, the one or more physical processors are further caused to determine a detection-and-ranging-computed distance between the vehicle and the object;

and

wherein to analyze the image data, the one or more physical processors are further caused to determine an image-computed distance between the vehicle and the object.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein to determine a detection and ranging device fault based on a comparison between analyzing results of the image data and the detection and ranging data, the one or more physical processors are further caused to compare the image-computed distance and the detection-and-ranging-computed distance.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein to determine a detection and ranging device fault based on a comparison between analyzing results of the image data and the detection and ranging data, the one or more physical processors are further configured to compare a known size of the object with a detection-and-ranging-captured size of the object.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to query a size database to determine the known size of the object.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured to query the size database to determine the known size of at least one of:

a vehicle length, a vehicle width, a vehicle height, or a license plate.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle detection and ranging device comprises a Lidar device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle detection and ranging device comprises a Radar device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured to augment detection and ranging data received from the fault detection and ranging device with image data from the vehicle camera.

11. A computer implemented method for a vehicle, the method being implemented on a computer system having one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions to perform the method, the method comprising:

receiving, via the computer system, detection and ranging data of an object from a vehicle detection and ranging device;

receiving, via the computer system, image data of the object from a vehicle camera;

analyzing, via the computer system, the detection and ranging data received from the vehicle detection and ranging device;

analyzing, via the computer system, the image data received from the vehicle camera; and

determining, via the computer system, a detection and ranging device fault based on a comparison between the analyzed image data and the analyzed detection and ranging data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein analyzing the detection and ranging data further comprises determining a detection-and-ranging-computed distance between the vehicle and the object;

and

wherein analyzing the image data further comprises determining an image-computed distance between the vehicle and the object.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining, via the computer system, a detection and ranging device fault based on a comparison between analyzing results of the image data and the detection and ranging data comprises comparing, by the computer system, the image-computed distance and the detection-and-ranging-computed distance.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein determining, via the computer system, a detection and ranging device fault based on a comparison between analyzing results of the image data and the detection and ranging data comprises comparing a known size of the object with a detection-and-ranging-captured size of the object.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising querying, by the computer system, a size database to determine the known size of the object.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising querying, by the computer system, the size database to determine the known size of at least one of:

a vehicle length, a vehicle width, a vehicle height, or a license plate.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle detection and ranging device comprises a Lidar device.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle detection and ranging device comprises a Radar device.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising augmenting detection and ranging data received from the fault detection and ranging device with image data from the vehicle camera.

20. A computer implemented method for a vehicle, the method being implemented on a computer system having one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions to perform the method, the method comprising:

receiving, via the computer system, detection and ranging data of an object from a vehicle detection and ranging device;

receiving, via the computer system, image data of the object from a vehicle camera;

analyzing, via the computer system, the detection and ranging data received from the vehicle detection and ranging device, to determine a detection-and-ranging-computed distance between the vehicle and the object;

analyzing, via the computer system, the image data received from the vehicle camera, to determine an image-computed distance between the vehicle and the object;

comparing, via the computer system, the detection-and-ranging-computed distance with the image-computed distance; and

determining, via the computer system, a detection and ranging device fault if the difference between detection-and-ranging-computed distance and the image-computed distance is above a threshold.