Vehicular Component Control Methods Based on Blind Spot Monitoring

• US 20070182528A1
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Breed, David, DuVall, Wilbur, Johnson, Wendell
• Granted Patent: US 7,852,462 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/12 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/48 Active triangulation systems, i.e. using the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• 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 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/417 involving the use of neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4802 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

Method for controlling a vehicular system based on the presence of an object in an environment around a vehicle with one goals being to prevent collisions between the vehicle and any objects. Infrared light is emitted from the vehicle into a portion of the environment around the vehicle and received by a sensor on the vehicle. Distance between the vehicle and an object from which the infrared light is reflected is determined based on the emission of the infrared light and reception of the infrared light. The presence of and an identification of the object from which light is reflected is/are determined based at least in part on the received infrared light. The vehicular system is controlled or adjusted based on the determination of the presence of an object in the environment around the vehicle and the identification of the object and the distance between the object and the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a vehicular system based on the presence of an object in an environment around a vehicle, comprising:

emitting infrared light from the vehicle into a portion of the environment around the vehicle;

receiving infrared light from the portion of environment around the vehicle;

measuring distance between the vehicle and an object from which the infrared light is reflected based on the emission of the infrared light and reception of the infrared light;

determining the presence of and an identification of the object from which light is reflected based at least in part on the received infrared light; and

controlling or adjusting a vehicular system based on the determination of the presence of an object in the environment around the vehicle and the identification of the object and the distance between the object and the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining velocity of the object; and

controlling or adjusting the vehicular system based on the determination of the presence of an object in the environment around the vehicle, the identification of the object, the distance between the object and the vehicle and the velocity of the object.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the expected future path of the vehicle based on multiple position measurements; and

providing a warning when the expected future path of the vehicle approaches within a threshold distance of an identified object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the distance is measured by one of the following procedures:

using structured light, measuring time of flight of the infrared light, modulating the infrared light and measuring the phase shift between the modulated and received infrared light, emitting noise, pseudonoise or code modulated infrared light in combination with a correlation technique, focusing the received infrared light, receiving infrared light at multiple locations or stereographically, range-gating the emitted and received infrared light and using triangulation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein infrared light is emitted by a continuous laser beam directing infrared light to scan in a line, further comprising controlling the scanning laser beam of infrared light such that the infrared light traverses a volume of space near the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising arranging a single pixel receptor on the vehicle to receive the reflected infrared light.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising arranging at least one of a CCD array, a CMOS array and an HDRC camera, a dynamic pixel camera and an active pixel camera on the vehicle to receive the reflected infrared light.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification of each object is determined using a trained pattern recognition technique or a neural network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming at least one image of the environment around the vehicle, the determination of the identification of each object being based on analysis of the at least one image and on the measured distance.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising processing the at least one image in combination with the distance between the vehicle and the object from which the infrared light is reflected to determine the identification of the object.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicular system is a display visible to a driver of the vehicle, further comprising:

creating a three-dimensional representation of the portion of the environment around the vehicle from which infrared light is received based on the measured time and the determined identification of the object; and

displaying on the display icons representative of the objects and their position relative to the vehicle based on the three-dimensional representation.

12. A method for controlling a vehicular system based on the presence of an object in an environment around a vehicle, comprising:

emitting infrared light from the vehicle into a portion of the environment around the vehicle;

receiving infrared light from the portion of environment around the vehicle;

determining the position and velocity of an object in the environment around the vehicle and from which infrared light is reflected based on the emission of the infrared light and reception of the infrared light;

classifying the object from which light is reflected based on the reception of the infrared light; and

controlling or adjusting a vehicular system based on the classification of the object and the position and velocity of the object.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

monitoring the expected future path of the vehicle based on the position and velocity measurements; and

providing a warning when the expected future path of the vehicle approaches within a threshold distance of an identified object.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the position and velocity are measured by one of the following procedures:

using structured light, measuring time of flight of the infrared light, modulating the infrared light and measuring the phase shift between the modulated and received infrared light, emitting noise, pseudonoise or code modulated infrared light in combination with a correlation technique, focusing the received infrared light, receiving infrared light at multiple locations or stereographically, range-gating the emitted and received infrared light and using triangulation.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein infrared light is emitted by a continuous laser beam directing infrared light to scan in a line, further comprising controlling the scanning laser beam of infrared light such that the infrared light traverses a volume of space near the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising arranging a single pixel receptor on the vehicle to receive the reflected infrared light.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising arranging at least one of a CCD array, a CMOS array and an HDRC camera, a dynamic pixel camera and an active pixel camera on the vehicle to receive the reflected infrared light.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the classification of each object is determined using a trained pattern recognition technique or a neural network.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising forming at least one image of the environment around the vehicle, the classification of each object being based on analysis of the at least one image and on the determined position and velocity.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the vehicular system is a display visible to a driver of the vehicle, further comprising:

creating a three-dimensional representation of the portion of the environment around the vehicle from which infrared light is received based on the measured time and the classification of the object; and

displaying on the display icons representative of the objects and their position relative to the vehicle based on the three-dimensional representation.