SENSING SYSTEM AND DRIVING SUPPORT SYSTEM

• US 20170052257A1
• Filed: 11/09/2016
• Published: 02/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan (Winbond Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: ITO, JUNJI, TAKAHASHI, KAZUNARI, SHIMOMURA, KOUJI, FUKUSHIMA, SUSUMU
• Granted Patent: US 11,397,248 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/58 Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• 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 17/87 Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/894 3D imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a 2D array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4802 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/484 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4863 Detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates

Abstract

Provided is a sensing system that performs set control with high sensing accuracy. The sensing system that outputs an object signal includes a solid-state imaging device that senses a first physical target from an object and a second physical target different from the first physical target, and an arithmetic operation unit that calculates an object signal using a first signal from the first physical target and a second signal from the second physical target. The arithmetic operation unit calculates an object signal using a reference signal from a device mounted with the sensing system.

Claims

1. A driving support system comprising:

a sensing system including a light source for emitting light according to a light emission signal, a solid-state imaging device for outputting an imaging signal according to an exposure signal, and an arithmetic operation unit for calculating an object signal relating to an object using the imaging signal so as to output the object signal; and

a set controller,

wherein

the set controller controls driving of a transportation device mounted with the driving support system using the object signal transmitted from the sensing system.

2. The driving support system according to claim 1, wherein the sensing system performs sensing using at least one of reference signals representing position information of the transportation device, cloud information, and motion information or operation information of the transportation device, the reference signals being transmitted from the transportation device.

3. The driving support system according to claim 2, wherein the sensing system changes a sensing range depending on the at least one of the reference signals so as to perform the sensing about the object within the sensing range.

4. The driving support system according to claim 2, wherein the cloud information is at least one piece of information representing a map in a horizontal direction and/or a vertical direction, and successive environment of a travelling place or a scheduled travelling place.

5. The driving support system according to claim 2, wherein the motion information of the transportation device is at least one piece of information representing a travelling speed of the transportation device, a travelling acceleration of the transportation device, stop of the transportation device, and a load balance of the transportation device.

6. The driving support system according to claim 5, wherein the operation information of the transportation device is at least one piece of information representing stepping on an accelerator pedal of the transportation device, stepping on a brake pedal of the transportation device, and a gear position of a transmission of the transportation device.

7. The driving support system according to claim 1, wherein the sensing system selectively outputs the object signal to the set controller.

8. The driving support system according to claim 7, wherein when the sensing system does not output the object signal to the set controller, the sensing system deletes, or temporarily records or stores the object signal.

9. The driving support system according to claim 7, further comprising a plurality of the sensing systems including at least a first sensing system that outputs a first object signal, and a second sensing system that outputs a second object signal.

10. The driving support system according to claim 9, wherein

the second sensing system outputs an output determination signal to the first sensing system when the second object signal is output from the second sensing system to the set controller, and

the first sensing system determines that the first object signal is output to the set controller using the output determination signal.

11. The driving support system according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic operation unit performs at least one object operation of detection of the object, recognition of the object, a distance up to the object, a dimension of the object, a shape of the object, and a speed of the object, and outputs the object signal.

12. The driving support system according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic operation unit executes at least one signal process of a noise subtracting process, a super-resolution process, a high-dynamic range synthesizing process, and a compression process.

13. The driving support system according to claim 12, wherein

the arithmetic operation unit performs at least one object operation of a distance up to the object, a dimension of the object, a shape of the object, and a speed of the object, and

when the compression process is executed, the arithmetic operation unit executes the object operation and the signal process in this order so as to output the object signal.

14. The driving support system according to claim 12, wherein

the arithmetic operation unit executes at least one object operation of a distance up to the object, a dimension of the object, a shape of the object, and a speed of the object, and

when the at least one signal process of the noise subtracting process, the super-resolution process, the high-dynamic range synthesizing process, and the compression process is executed, the arithmetic operation unit executes the signal process and the object operation in this order so as to output the object signal.

15. The driving support system according to claim 12, wherein the arithmetic operation unit executes at least one object operation of a distance up to the object, a dimension of the object, a shape of the object, and a speed of the object, and executes the signal process and the object operation repeatedly so as to output the object signal.

16. The driving support system according to claim 1, wherein

the solid-state imaging device outputs, as the imaging signal, a first imaging signal obtained by receiving visible light and a second imaging signal obtained by receiving infrared light, and

the sensing system selects the first imaging signal or the second imaging signal, or corrects one of the first imaging signal and the second imaging signal using another of the first signal and the second imaging signal, so as to perform at least one object operation of a distance up to the object, a dimension of the object, a shape of the object, and a speed of the object.

17. The driving support system according to claim 16, wherein the object operation is performed using the second imaging signal according to time-of-flight operation.

18. The driving support system according to claim 16, wherein

the object operation is performed using the second imaging signal according to time-of-flight operation, and

the object operation is performed by comparison of a current frame with a previous frame using the first imaging signal.

19. The driving support system according to claim 16, wherein a distance image is generated using the second imaging signal.

20. The driving support system according to claim 16, wherein

the solid-state imaging device is a single-plate solid-state imaging device, and

the first imaging signal is generated from at least one pixel of R, G, B and BW, and the second imaging signal is generated from an IR pixel.