METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DRIVING HAZARD DETECTION

• US 20190041514A1
• Filed: 08/01/2017
• Published: 02/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: GARCIA SOLACHE, Alejandro Israel, GARCIA, Mauricio, VIDAURI, Jordi, RIVERA, Jose Manuel
• Application Number:
  US15/665,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20190041514A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/426 Scanning radar, e.g. 3D radar G01S13/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/935 for terrain-avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0253 extracting relative motion information from a plurality of images taken successively, e.g. visual odometry, optical flow determining position or orientation from images G06T7/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle

Abstract

A system includes an automotive-based processor configured to receive a road-scanning instruction. The processor is further configured to instruct a vehicle-mounted sonar to scan an upcoming section of terrain and receive scan data from the sonar, responsive to the instruction. The processor is additionally configured to convert the scan data to a visual display showing at least obstacles and elevations and present the visual display on an in-vehicle display.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an automotive-based processor configured to;

receive a road-scanning instruction;

instruct a vehicle-mounted sonar to scan an upcoming section of terrain;

receive scan data from the sonar, responsive to the instruction;

convert the scan data to a visual display showing at least obstacles and elevations; and

present the visual display on an in-vehicle display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

instruct a vehicle camera to take a picture of the upcoming section of terrain;

receive image data of the terrain from the vehicle camera; and

convert the scan data to the visual display by overlaying elevation and obstacle data, available from the scan data, onto the image data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the display showing the obstacles includes a digital representation of a physical obstruction on the upcoming terrain, hidden from view.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the display showing the obstacles includes a digital representation of a surface consistency deviation on the upcoming terrain.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display showing the elevations shows the elevations as depths of a liquid covering the upcoming terrain.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a vehicle engine failure likelihood, based on a vehicle traveling through a liquid covering the upcoming terrain, and at least on a liquid depth measured by the scan data; and

alert a vehicle occupant to the failure likelihood.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine that the failure likelihood is above a predetermined threshold and responsively prevent vehicle travel over the upcoming terrain through any region for which the failure likelihood is above the predetermined threshold.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a vehicle damage likelihood, based on a vehicle encountering an obstacle, identified by the scan data, on the upcoming terrain; and

alert a vehicle occupant to the vehicle damage likelihood.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a critical danger likelihood, based on the scan data, on the upcoming terrain, the critical danger likelihood representing at least one of a likely destruction of vehicle, health risk, or engine shut-down, above a predetermined threshold likelihood;

alert a vehicle occupant to the critical danger likelihood; and

prevent the vehicle from traveling over the terrain to which the critical danger likelihood corresponds based on the scan data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to highlight areas of risk, as determined from the scan data, on the visual display.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to provide a visual text or audible alert corresponding to the areas of risk, identifying the risk.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

scanning a section of road ahead of a vehicle using on-board sonar, responsive to an occupant scan instruction;

converting sonar scan data to a visual image, showing at least road-obstacles; and

presenting the visual image on an in-vehicle display.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the road-obstacles include a digital representation of a physical obstruction on the road, hidden from view.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the obstacles include a digital representation of a surface consistency deviation on the road.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising showing elevation lines representing depth of a substance covering the road.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the substance includes water.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

obtaining a photograph of the road from a vehicle camera; and

wherein the converting includes merging the photograph and the sonar scan data to produce the visual image, such that the visual image shows the photograph with the sonar scan data represented visually thereon.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a vehicle engine failure likelihood, based on a vehicle traveling through a substance covering the section of road ahead, and at least on a substance depth measured by the scan data; and

alerting a vehicle occupant to the failure likelihood.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining that the failure likelihood is above a predetermined threshold and responsively preventing vehicle travel over the section of road ahead through any region for which the failure likelihood is above the predetermined threshold.

20. A non-transitory storage medium, storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving sonar data from vehicle mounted sonar, and an image from a vehicle mounted camera, the sonar data and image both taken for a section of road ahead of a vehicle and responsive to an occupant instruction;

merging the sonar data and image into a digital representation showing the image with visual indications of obstacles and elevations, as measured by the sonar data, included therein; and

displaying the digital representation on an in-vehicle display.