APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING OBSTACLE ADAPTIVELY TO VEHICLE SPEED

• US 20140214271A1
• Filed: 10/22/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: CHOI, Hyun-Kyun, SUNG, Kyung-Bok, KWAK, Dong-Yong, LIM, Dong-Sun
• Granted Patent: US 9,352,690 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/002 specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle, e.g. for viewing tyres, bumpers or the like integrated in the windows B60R1/001; combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an apparatus and method for detecting an obstacle adaptively to vehicle speed. The apparatus includes a control unit, a speed-adaptive camera sensor, a speed-adaptive laser scanner sensor, and a detection data integration unit. The control unit receives information about the speed of a vehicle and a Pulse Per Second (PPS) signal from a Global Positioning System (GPS) module. The speed-adaptive camera sensor adjusts the range of a detection region based on the information about the speed of the vehicle, and generates first detection data on an object. The speed-adaptive laser scanner sensor adjusts the range of the angle of the field of view of a laser scanner based on the information about the speed of the vehicle, and generates second detection data on the object. The detection data integration unit outputs obstacle detection data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting an obstacle adaptively to vehicle speed, comprising:

a control unit configured to receive information about a speed of a vehicle and a Pulse Per Second (PPS) signal from a Global Positioning System (GPS) module;

a speed-adaptive camera sensor configured to adjust a range of a detection region on an image of an area around the vehicle captured by a camera based on the information about the speed of the vehicle, and to generate first detection data on the object within the range of the detection region using the PPS signal as a synchronization signal;

a speed-adaptive laser scanner sensor configured to adjust a range of an angle of a field of view of a laser scanner for detecting an object around the vehicle based on the information about the speed of the vehicle, and to generate second detection data on the object within the range of the angle of the field of view using the PPS signal as a synchronization signal; and

a detection data integration unit configured to output obstacle detection data obtained by integrating the first detection data and the second detection data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the speed-adaptive camera sensor increases sensing response speed by decreasing the range of the detection region in response to an increase in the speed of the vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the speed-adaptive camera sensor generates a first PPS delay signal indicative of a sensing time of the first detection data delayed compared to the PPS signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the speed-adaptive laser scanner sensor increases the sensing response speed by decreasing a left and right range of the angle of the field of view in response to the increase in the speed of the vehicle.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the speed-adaptive laser scanner sensor generates a second PPS delay signal indicative of a sensing time of the second detection data delayed compared to the PPS signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the detection data integration unit generates the obstacle detection data by integrating the first detection data and the second detection data based on the first PPS delay signal and the second PPS delay signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the speed-adaptive laser scanner sensor increases the laser light radiation angle of the laser scanner upwards in response to the increase in the speed of the vehicle.

8. A method of detecting an obstacle adaptively to vehicle speed, comprising:

receiving, by a control unit, information about a speed of a vehicle and a Pulse Per Second (PPS) signal from a GPS module;

adjusting, by a speed-adaptive camera sensor, a range of a detection region on an image of an area around the vehicle captured by a camera based on the information about the speed of the vehicle;

generating, by the speed-adaptive camera sensor, first detection data on the object within the range of the detection region using the PPS signal as a synchronization signal;

adjusting, by a speed-adaptive laser scanner sensor, a range of an angle of a field of view of a laser scanner for detecting an object around the vehicle based on the information about the speed of the vehicle;

generating, by the speed-adaptive laser scanner sensor, second detection data on the object within the angle of the field of view using the PPS signal as a synchronization signal; and

outputting, by a detection data integration unit, obstacle detection data obtained by integrating the first detection data and the second detection data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the range of the detection region comprises decreasing the range of the detection region in response to an increase in the speed of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the first detection data on the object within the range of the detection region comprises generating a first PPS delay signal indicative of a sensing time of the first detection data delayed compared to the PPS signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein adjusting the range of the angle of the field of view of the laser scanner comprises decreasing a left and right range of the field of view in response to the increase in the speed of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating the second detection data on the object within the angle of the field of view comprises generating a second PPS delay signal indicative of a sensing time of the second detection data delayed compared to the PPS signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein outputting the obstacle detection data comprises generating the obstacle detection data by integrating the first detection data and the second detection data based on the first PPS delay signal and the second PPS delay signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting the range of the angle of the field of view of the laser scanner comprises increasing the laser light radiation angle of the laser scanner upwards in response to the increase in the speed of the vehicle.