Controlling vehicle dynamics through the use of an image sensor system

• US 8,108,097 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2003
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Mattes, Bernhard, Herrmann, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US10/534,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20070095588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,008 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/35, 701/36, 701/37, 701/38, 701/45, 701/48, 701 70- 72, 340/901, 340/435, 340/436, 340/438, 340/440, 356/623, 356/631, 356/614, 382/104, 382/106, 382/107
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17551 determining control parameters related to vehicle stability used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10012 Stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods

Abstract

A method for controlling vehicle dynamics in a motor vehicle, at least one sensor recording at least one measured value; at least one actuator for controlling vehicle dynamics being driven as a function of the at least one measured value; at least one image sensor system generating image information from the motor-vehicle surround for controlling vehicle dynamics; at least two image sensors being provided which essentially record the same scene.

Claims

1. A method for controlling vehicle dynamics in a motor vehicle, comprising:

generating, by at least two image sensor systems, image information from surroundings of a motor-vehicle to control the vehicle dynamics, each image sensor system including at least two image sensors to record a same scene for the image information, a first one of the at least two image sensor systems being oriented along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle and a second one of the at least two image sensor systems being oriented along a transverse axis of the vehicle;

for each image sensor;

determining at least one fixed image point from the generated image information, each image point corresponding to a stationary object;

determining image coordinates of at least one fixed image point in at least two images of one image sequence;

determining a sampling vector drawn from a zero coordinate point of the image sensor to the at least one fixed image point; and

determining x, y and z component values of the sampling vector;

determining at least one measured value as a function of a variation in the sampling vector component values from one image in a respective image sequence to a subsequent image in the respective image sequence, of each of the image sensors, the measured value being used for vehicle dynamics control; and

controlling, by at least one actuator, vehicle dynamics as a function of the at least one measured value and the image information.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each image sensor system is a stereo camera.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least two images of one image sequence are successive.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, as a measured value, at least one of:

i) a rotational vector of the motor vehicle and ii) at least one motion vector of the motor vehicle, are determined from the generated image information.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one measured value is at least one of a yaw rate, a yaw angle, and a lateral acceleration of the motor vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a viewing direction of the first one of the at least two image sensor systems is oriented towards a direction of travel and a viewing direction of a third one of the at least two image sensor systems is oriented towards a direction opposite to the direction of travel.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining the existence of a yawing motion when the variation involves;

a change in the value of x-components of the sampling vectors from the longitudinally oriented image sensor system, in different directions relative to a vehicle-fixed coordinate system in which the x-direction is along a longitudinal vehicle axis, and

a change in the value of y-components of the sampling vectors from the longitudinally-oriented image sensor system, in the same direction relative to the vehicle-fixed coordinate system; and

responsive to determining the existence of the yawing motion;

determining a yaw rate as a function of the rate of change in the x- and y-components, and

determining a yaw angle as a function of an integrated yaw rate.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining the existence of a rolling motion when the variation involves;

a change in the value of z-components of the sampling vectors of from the longitudinally oriented image sensor system, in different directions and to a different extent relative to a vehicle-fixed coordinate system in which the x-direction is along a longitudinal vehicle axis, and

a change in the value of x-components of the sampling vectors from the longitudinally-oriented image sensor system to the same extent relative to the vehicle-fixed coordinate system; and

responsive to determining the existence of the rolling motion;

determining a roll rate as a function of the rate of change in the z- and x-components, and

determining a roll angle as a function of an integrated roll rate.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining the existence of a pitching motion when the variation involves;

a change in the value of z-components of the sampling vectors of an image from the longitudinally oriented image sensor system, in the same direction and to the same extent relative to a vehicle-fixed coordinate system in which the x-direction is along a longitudinal vehicle axis, and

a change in the value of x-components of the sampling vectors of the image from the longitudinally-oriented image sensor system, to the same extent relative to the vehicle-fixed coordinate system; and

responsive to determining the existence of the pitching motion;

determining a pitch rate as a function of the rate of change in the z- and x-components, and

determining a pitch angle as a function of an integrated pitch rate.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining a velocity vector as a function of a change in one of an x-component, a y-component and a z-component of the sampling vectors from one of the at least two image sensor systems; and

correcting the velocity vector determination by taking into account any influence by roll, pitch and yaw.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one measured value is at least one of a rotational vector, a rotational angle and a velocity vector.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least two image sensor systems include a third image sensor system oriented in a direction opposite to the first one of the at least two image sensor systems and a fourth image sensor system oriented in a direction opposite to the second one of the at least two image sensor systems, the method further comprising:

redundantly determining a motion of the vehicle using information from all four image sensor systems.

13. A device for vehicle dynamics control in a motor vehicle, comprising:

at least two image sensor systems, each image sensor system including at least two image sensors, the at least two image sensors configured to record a same scene, a first one of the at least two image sensor systems being oriented along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle and a second one of the at least two image sensor systems being oriented along a transverse axis of the vehicle; and

at least one actuator which is driven by a processing unit/control unit as a function of at least one measured value for vehicle dynamics control and the image information,

wherein the processing unit/control unit includes an arrangement configured to;

for each image sensor;

determine fixed image points from the generated image information, each image point corresponding to a stationary object,

determine image coordinates of the at least one fixed image point in at least two images of one image sequence,

determine a sampling vector drawn from a zero coordinate point of the image sensor to each fixed image point, and

determine x, y and z component values of each sampling vector; and

determine the measured value as a function of a variation in the sampling vector component values from one image in a respective image sequence to a subsequent image in the respective image sequence, of each of the image sensors, the measured value being used for vehicle dynamics control.

14. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein each image sensor is a stereo camera.

15. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the at least two images are successive.

16. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the processing unit/control unit includes an arrangement configured to determine at least one of i) a rotational vector of the motor vehicle, and ii) at least one motion vector of the motor vehicle, from the generated image information.

17. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the processing unit/control unit includes an arrangement configured to determine at least one of:

i) a yaw rate, ii) a yaw angle, and iii) a lateral acceleration of the motor vehicle, from the generated image information.

18. The device as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

an arrangement configured to determine at least one rotational vector of the motor vehicle, as a function of a variation in component values of corresponding sampling vectors across the sequence of images, the at least one rotational vector being, at least one of a yaw rate and a yaw angle.

19. The device as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

an arrangement configured to determine at least one motion vector of the motor vehicle as a function of a variation in component values of corresponding sampling vectors across the sequence of images, the at least one motion vector being a lateral acceleration.

20. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the at least two image sensor systems further include a third image sensor system oriented in a direction opposite to the first one of the at least two image sensor systems and a fourth image sensor system oriented in a direction opposite to the second one of the at least two image sensor systems, and image information received from all four image sensor systems is usable to redundantly determine a motion of the vehicle.

21. A storage medium storing a computer program, which is executable by a computer, comprising:

a program code arrangement having program code for performing the following;

processing image information from at least two image sensor systems, each image sensor system including at least two image sensors which record a same scene for the image information, a first one of the at least two image sensor systems being oriented along a longitudinal axis of a motor vehicle and a second one of the at least two image sensor systems being oriented along a transverse axis of the vehicle;

for each image sensor;

determining at least one fixed image point from the generated image information, each image point corresponding to a stationary object;

determining image coordinates of at least one fixed image point in at least two images of one image sequence;

determining a sampling vector drawn from a zero coordinate point of the image sensor to the at least one fixed image point; and

determining x, y and z component values of each sampling vector;

determining at least one measured value as a function of a variation in the sampling vector component values from one image in a respective image sequence to a subsequent image in the respective image sequence, of each of the image sensors; and

controlling at least one actuator for vehicle dynamics control based on the at least one measured value and the image information.

22. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein the at least two image sensor systems further include a third image sensor system oriented in a direction opposite to the first one of the at least two image sensor systems and a fourth image sensor system oriented in a direction opposite to the second one of the at least two image sensor systems, wherein the program code also performs the following:

redundantly determining a motion of the vehicle using information from all four image sensor systems.