SURROGATE FOR METAL GUARDRAIL

• US 20190309490A1
• Filed: 09/27/2018
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indiana University, Ohio State Innovation Foundation (Ohio State University), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Indiana University, Ohio State Innovation Foundation (Ohio State University), Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Sherony, Rini, Chien, Stanley Yung-Ping, Yi, Qiang, Lin, Jun, Saha, Abir, Chen, Yaobin, Chen, Chi-Chih
• Granted Patent: US 10,689,818 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 13/02 free-standing; portable, e.g. for guarding open manholes E01F9/688 takes precedence; Portable signs or signals specially adapted for fitting to portable barriers
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 15/0438 Spacers between rails and posts, e.g. energy-absorbing means E01F15/0415 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 15/0446 Concrete rails E01F15/0476 takes precedence; safety kerbs or walls E01F15/08
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 15/0461 Supports, e.g. posts roadside posts in general E01F9/60
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 15/0476 Foundations
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 15/086 using plastic, rubber or synthetic materials
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 9/669 for fastening to safety barriers or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1793 Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4813 Housing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence

Abstract

Surrogates for roadside objects, such as metal guardrails, can be used for vehicle testing. A surrogate for a metal guardrail can have substantially the same size and/or shape as the metal guardrail that the surrogate is mimicking. The surrogate can be configured to exhibit substantially the same characteristics as their actual counterpart metal guardrail when sensed by one or more vehicle sensors (e.g., cameras, radar sensors, and/or LIDAR sensors). Such surrogates can be used to test autonomous vehicles, one or more vehicle sensors, a vehicle sensor system, and/or one or more vehicle system (e.g., a road departure mitigation system). The surrogates can be configured to withstand being crashed into by a test vehicle without being damaged and without damaging the test vehicle.

Claims

1. A metal guardrail surrogate comprising:

a main body, the main body being substantially the same size and shape as a main body of a metal guardrail, the main body including a core and a skin attached to the core, the skin covering at least a portion of the core, the skin being configured to exhibit substantially the same characteristics as the main body of the metal guardrail relative to one or more vehicle sensors.

2. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 1, wherein the main body is made of a plurality of main body segments, and wherein the main body segments are operatively connected in an end to end manner.

3. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicle sensors include a camera sensor, a LIDAR sensor, or a radar sensor.

4. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 1, wherein the core is made of a foam material.

5. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 1, wherein the skin is made of a plurality of layers.

6. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 5, wherein an outermost layer of the plurality of layers is configured to exhibit substantially the same characteristics as a metal guardrail relative to a camera or a LIDAR sensor.

7. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 5, wherein the plurality of layers is configured to collectively exhibit substantially the same characteristics as a metal guardrail relative to a RADAR sensor.

8. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 5, wherein at least one layer of the plurality of layers is a polycarbonate film.

9. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 8, wherein the polycarbonate film defines an outermost layer of the plurality of layers.

10. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 5, wherein at least one layer of the plurality of layers includes zinc.

11. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 5, wherein at least one layer of the plurality of layers of includes aluminum.

12. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 1, further including one or more posts operatively connected to the main body, whereby the one or more posts support the main body at an elevational position above a surface.

13. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 12, wherein the one or more posts include a core and a skin attached to the core, the skin covering at least a portion of the core, the skin being configured to exhibit substantially the same characteristics as a post of the metal guardrail relative to one or more vehicle sensors.

14. A metal guardrail surrogate comprising:

a main body, the main body including a core and a skin attached to the core, the skin covering at least a portion of the core, the skin is made of a plurality of layers, the main body being configured to exhibit substantially the same characteristics of a metal guardrail relative to one or more vehicle sensors;

one or more posts operatively connected to the main body, whereby the one or more posts support the main body at an elevational position above a surface; and

one or more base elements operatively connected to the posts, whereby the one or more posts stabilize the metal guardrail surrogate on the surface,

the main body, the one or more posts, and the one or more base elements being separable from each other.

15. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 14, wherein a first layer of the plurality of layers is a polycarbonate film, and wherein a second layer of the plurality of layers includes zinc.

16. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 15, further including a third layer defining an innermost layer of the skin, wherein the first layer defines an outermost layer of the skin, and wherein the second layer defines an intermediate layer between the first layer and the second layer.

17. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 16, wherein the innermost layer includes aluminum.

18. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 14, wherein the main body is made of a plurality of main body segments, and wherein the main body segments are operatively connected in an end to end manner.

19. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 14, wherein the skin is configured to exhibit substantially the same radar cross-section as a main body of a metal guardrail for at least one of 24 GHz radar or for 77 GHz radar.

20. The metal guardrail surrogate of claim 14, wherein the skin is configured to exhibit substantially the same infrared reflectivity as a main body of a metal guardrail at a reflectance angle of from substantially 20 degrees to substantially 70 degrees.