Autonomous lane detection

• US 10,248,871 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Ramasamy, Bala
• Primary Examiner(s): Goldman, Richard A
• Application Number:
  US15/080,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20170277960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23, 701117, 701119, 701300, 701400, 701408, 701469, 701514, 701518, 701532, 702 94
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0269 Inferred or constrained positioning, e.g. employing knowledge of the physical or electromagnetic environment, state of motion or other contextual information to infer or constrain a position
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• 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

Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for autonomous lane detection are presented. One example method includes the steps of receiving a signal from a first device; responsive to a comparison of a measured received frequency of the signal to a source frequency of the signal and to one or more thresholds, determining a distance to the first device; and determining a lane in which the vehicle is operating based on the distance and a lane map. Another example method further includes the steps of determining a location and a heading of the first vehicle; and outputting, to a crowdsourcing server, the location, the heading, and the distance to the first device.

Claims

1. A method of lane detection for a vehicle, comprising:

receiving, via a wireless receiver of the vehicle, a signal from a first device;

determining, by a processor disposed within the vehicle and in communication with the wireless receiver, a time of the vehicle passing the first device at which a path of the received signal is approximately orthogonal to a direction of travel of the vehicle based on a comparison of a measured received frequency of the received signal to a source frequency of the received signal and to one or more thresholds;

determining, by the processor disposed within the vehicle and in communication with the wireless receiver, a distance from the vehicle to the first device based on at least one of a time of arrival (“

TOA”

) or a round trip time (“

RTT”

) of the received signal at or near the determined time of the vehicle passing the first device at which the path of the received signal is approximately orthogonal to the direction of travel of the vehicle; and

determining, by the processor disposed within the vehicle and in communication with the wireless receiver, a lane in which the vehicle is operating based on the determined distance and a lane map.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the lane is further based on a direction of travel of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the lane is further based on an angle of attack from an antenna of the vehicle to the first device, the antenna in communication with the wireless receiver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises an infrastructure wireless access point.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a first vehicle and the first device comprises a wireless device disposed within a second vehicle different from the first vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, a location and a heading of the first vehicle; and

outputting, via the wireless receiver, to a crowdsourcing server, the location, the heading, and the determined distance to the first device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the lane map is received from a crowdsourcing server.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code, the program code configured to be executable by a processor and to cause the processor to:

receive, via a wireless receiver of a vehicle, a signal from a first device;

determine, by a processor disposed within the vehicle and in communication with the wireless receiver, a time of the vehicle passing the first device at which a path of the received signal is approximately orthogonal to a direction of travel of the vehicle based on a comparison of a measured received frequency of the received signal to a source frequency of the received signal and to one or more thresholds;

determine, by the processor in communication with the wireless receiver, a distance from the vehicle to the first device based on at least one of a time of arrival (“

TOA”

) or a round trip time (“

RTT”

) of the received signal at or near the determined time of the vehicle passing the first device at which the path of the received signal is approximately orthogonal to the direction of travel of the vehicle; and

determine, by the processor disposed within the vehicle and in communication with the wireless receiver, a lane in which the vehicle is operating based on the determined distance and a lane map.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the program code is further configured to cause the processor to determine the lane based on a direction of travel of the vehicle.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the program code is further configured to cause the processor to determine the lane based on an angle of attack from an antenna of the vehicle to the first device, the antenna in communication with the wireless receiver.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first device comprises an infrastructure wireless access point.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the vehicle is a first vehicle and the first device comprises a wireless device disposed within a second vehicle different from the first vehicle.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the program code is further configured to cause the processor to:

determine, by the processor, a location and a heading of the first vehicle; and

output, via the wireless receiver, to a crowdsourcing server, the location, the heading, and the determined distance to the first device.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the lane map is received from a crowdsourcing server.

15. A system configured to be mounted in a vehicle comprising:

an antenna;

a wireless receiver in communication with the antenna;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

a processor disposed within the vehicle and in communication with the wireless receiver and the non-transitory computer-readable medium and configured to execute program code stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium and to;

receive, via the wireless receiver of the vehicle, a signal from a first device;

determine a time of the vehicle passing the first device at which a path of the received signal is approximately orthogonal to a direction of travel of the vehicle based on a comparison of a measured received frequency of the received signal to a source frequency of the received signal and to one or more thresholds;

determine a distance from the vehicle to the first device based on at least one of a time of arrival (“

TOA”

) or a round trip time (“

RTT”

) of the received signal at or near the determined time of the vehicle passing the first device at which the path of the received signal is approximately orthogonal to the direction of travel of the vehicle; and

determine a lane in which the vehicle is operating based on the determined distance and a lane map.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the processor to determine the lane based on a direction of travel of the vehicle.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the processor to determine the lane based on an angle of attack from the antenna to the first device.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first device comprises an infrastructure wireless access point.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the vehicle is a first vehicle and the first device comprises a wireless device disposed within a second vehicle different from the first vehicle.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the processor to:

determine a location and a heading of the first vehicle; and

output, to a crowdsourcing server, the location, the heading, and the determined distance to the first device.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the lane map is received from a crowdsourcing server.

22. A system configured to be mounted in a vehicle comprising:

means for receiving a signal from a first device;

means, disposed within the vehicle and in communication with the means for receiving the signal, for;

determining a time of the vehicle passing the first device at which a path of the received signal is approximately orthogonal to a direction of travel of the vehicle based on a comparison of a measured received frequency of the received signal to a source frequency of the received signal and to one or more thresholds;

determining a distance from the vehicle to the first device based on at least one of a time of arrival (“

TOA”

) or a round trip time (“

RTT”

) of the received signal at or near the determined time of the vehicle passing the first device at which the path of the received signal is approximately orthogonal to the direction of travel of the vehicle; and

determining a lane in which the vehicle is operating based on the determined distance and a lane map.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the means for determining a lane is further configured to determine the lane based on a direction of travel of the vehicle.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the means for determining a lane is further configured to determine the lane based on a height of the first device.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein system further comprises:

means for determining a location and a heading of the first device; and

means for outputting, to a crowdsourcing server, the location, the heading, and the determined distance to the first device.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the lane map is received from a crowdsourcing server.