METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MAPPING ENVIRONMENTS CONTAINING DYNAMIC OBSTACLES

• US 20100223007A1
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: James, Michael Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,108,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and system for mapping environments containing dynamic obstacles. In one embodiment, the present invention is a method for mapping an environment containing dynamic obstacles using a processor including the steps of forming a current instantaneous map of the environment, determining cells which are free space within the current instantaneous map, determining cells which are occupied space within the current instantaneous map, and integrating the current instantaneous map with an old integrated map of the environment to form a new integrated map of the environment.

Claims

1. A method for mapping an environment containing dynamic obstacles comprising the steps of:

forming a current instantaneous map of the environment using a processor;

determining free cells which are free space within the current instantaneous map using the processor;

determining occupied cells which are occupied space within the current instantaneous map using the processor; and

integrating the current instantaneous map with an old integrated map of the environment to form a new integrated map of the environment using the processor.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of marking cells in the new integrated map as free space or occupied space based on the corresponding cells in the current instantaneous map.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of marking, using the processor, unmarked cells in the new integrated map as free space which are below a first cell and above a second cell, have a same associated horizontal distance as the first cell, and which are located in a vertical line including the first cell that is substantially perpendicular to a ground plane.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first cell is a corresponding cell in the new integrated map which is marked as free space in the current instantaneous map and which is marked as occupied space in the old integrated map.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the second cell is part of the ground plane.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the first cell and the second cell are ends of an obstacle marked as occupied in the old integrated map, but having one or more cells marked as free space in the current instantaneous map.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of forming the current instantaneous map of the environment includes taking a union of at least two instantaneous maps of the environment.

8. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of marking, using the processor, the remaining unmarked cells in the new integrated map as free space, occupied space, or unknown-space based on the corresponding cells in the old integrated map.

9. A method for mapping an environment of an automobile containing dynamic obstacles comprising the steps of:

forming a current instantaneous map of the environment using a processor;

determining free cells which are free space within the current instantaneous map using the processor;

determining occupied cells which are occupied space within the current instantaneous map using the processor;

marking cells in a new integrated map as free space or occupied space based on the corresponding cells in the current instantaneous map using the processor; and

marking, using the processor, unmarked cells in the new integrated map as free space which are below a first cell and above a second cell, have a same associated horizontal distance as the first cell, and which are located in a vertical line including the first cell that is substantially perpendicular to a ground plane.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the first cell is a corresponding cell in the new integrated map which is marked as free space in the current instantaneous map and which is marked as occupied space in the old integrated map.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the second cell is part of the ground plane.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the first cell and the second cell are ends of an obstacle marked as occupied in the old integrated map, but having one or more cells marked as free space in the current instantaneous map.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of forming the current instantaneous map of the environment includes taking a union of at least two instantaneous maps of the environment.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of marking, using the processor, the remaining cells which are unmarked as free space, occupied space, or unknown-space based on the corresponding cells in the old integrated map.

15. A system in an automobile for mapping an environment containing dynamic obstacles comprising:

a sensor unit collecting environmental data;

a location unit connected to the sensor unit, the location unit outputting location data of the sensor in relation to the environment; and

a control unit connected to the sensor unit and the location unit, the control unit generating a new integrated map of the environment based on the environmental data and the location data of the sensor.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the control unit generates the new integrated map based on a current instantaneous map of the environment and an old integrated map of the environment, the current instantaneous map formed from the environmental data.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the control unit marks cells in the new integrated map as free space or occupied space based on the corresponding cells in the current instantaneous map.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the control unit marks unmarked cells in the new integrated map as free space which are below a first cell and above a second cell, have a same associated horizontal distance as the first cell, and which are located in a vertical line including the first cell that is substantially perpendicular to a ground plane.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the control unit marks the remaining cells which are unmarked as free space, occupied space, or unknown-space based on the corresponding cells in the old integrated map.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the current instantaneous map of the environment is a union of at least two instantaneous maps of the environment.