Method for determining a road profile of a lane located in front of a vehicle

• US 8,676,508 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2010
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Schwarz, Tilo
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US13/133,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20110245995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/534, 701/535, 701/536, 342/70, 342/71
• US Class Current: 701/534
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

A method for determining a road profile of a lane located in front of a vehicle via sensed image data (1) and/or sensed inherent vehicle movement data (2). An estimating device (3) is provided, to which the sensed image data (1) and/or the sensed inherent vehicle movement data (2) are supplied. A road elevation profile (P) of the lane located in front of the vehicle is determined via the sensed image data (1) and/or the sensed inherent vehicle movement data (2).

Claims

1. A method for determining a road profile of a lane located in front of a vehicle via sensed image data (1) and sensed inherent vehicle movement data (2), comprising:

providing one or more image sensors,

using said one or more image sensors to sense the ground unevenness of each wheel path individually,

providing at least one sensor for sensing inherent vehicle movement data,

providing an estimating device (3),

supplying sensed image data (1) and sensed inherent vehicle movement data (2) to the estimating device (3),

determining the road elevation profile (P) including ground unevenness for each wheel path located in front of the vehicle on the basis of the sensed image data (1) and determining the vehicle location on the basis of the sensed inherent vehicle movement data (2),

successively composing in the estimating device (3) a continuous road elevation profile including ground unevenness for each wheel path, independent of the inherent vehicle movement, for road previously traveled over, and

regulating or controlling at least one chassis function, chassis control and/or chassis regulation of the vehicle in dependence on the determined road elevation profile (P) including the ground unevenness of each wheel path individually of the lane located in front of the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising regulating or controlling at least one chassis function, chassis control and/or chassis regulation of the vehicle in dependence on the determined road elevation profile (P) including the ground unevenness of each wheel path individually of the lane located in front of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising integrating the road elevation profile over time in such a manner that existing ground unevenness at the respective wheel positions of the vehicle can be determined, before they are driven over by the vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the road elevation profile is composed in a world coordinate system or inertial coordinate system.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said sensed vehicle data includes at least one of vehicle speed, yaw rate, steering angle, steering angle speed and wheel speed of the vehicle.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein one image recording unit is assigned to each wheel track.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein said one chassis function, chassis control and/or chassis regulation is at least one of a forward-looking active chassis regulation, a vehicle level regulation, active roll stabilization, adjustment damping, spring adjustment and steering mechanisms.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said regulating or controlling comprises:

adjusting the suspension according to the projected ground unevenness for each respective wheel path.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said projected ground unevenness is based on information including previous travel over the road.

15. The method according to claim 13, comprising regulating or controlling at least one chassis function, chassis control and/or chassis regulation of the vehicle in dependence on the determined road elevation profile (P) of the lane located in front of the vehicle including ground unevenness for each wheel path located in front of the vehicle, wherein chassis of the vehicle is regulated in such a manner that elevation movements of the chassis, which otherwise occur due to the ground unevenness, are avoided.

4. A device for actively controlling and/or regulating at least one chassis function, chassis control and/or chassis regulation, comprising:

one or more image recording units arranged at the vehicle for sensing the ground unevenness of each wheel path individually of a lane in front of the vehicle and supplying sensed image data (1) to an estimating device (3),

sensing units arranged at the vehicle for sensing an inherent vehicle movement and supplying inherent vehicle movement data (2) to the estimating device (3),

an estimating device (3), with which the sensed image data (1) and the inherent vehicle movement data (2) can be evaluated for determining a road elevation profile (P) including the ground unevenness of each wheel path individually of the lane located in front of the vehicle, and

a control unit to which the determined road elevation profile (P)) including the ground unevenness of each wheel path individually of the lane located in front of the vehicle can be supplied, which controls and/or regulates at least one chassis function, chassis control and/or chassis regulation of the vehicle in dependence on the road elevation profile (P).

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the estimating device (3) includes a predictor corrector unit.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein an uncertainty of the road elevation profile (P) and/or of inherent vehicle movement data is determined on the basis of the estimating device (3) in dependence on location and/or time.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein measuring algorithms are parameterized on the basis of the uncertainty of the road elevation profile and/or inherent vehicle movement data determined via the estimating device (3).

8. The device according to claim 4, wherein the estimating device (3) is a Kaiman filter.