Navigation of on-road vehicle based on vertical elements

• US 8,825,371 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2012
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Prokhorov, Danil V., Uehara, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US13/720,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20140172290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/2, 701/300, 701/408, 701/411, 701/412, 701/540, 340/435, 340/436
• US Class Current: 701/408
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera

Abstract

A vehicle can include a navigation unit configured to determine a position of the vehicle. A detection unit can be configured to recognize position and features of objects external to the vehicle. An identification unit can be configured to identify objects expected to be detected based on a determined position of the vehicle, by comparing the recognized features to feature data of object reference data stored in a local database. When the identification unit is unable to identify an object, the identification unit can compare recognized or stored object features to the additional feature data received from a remote database. A navigation unit can update the position of the vehicle based on position data of identified objects and more accurate and safe autonomous operation of a vehicle can be achieved.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

a navigation unit configured to determine a position of the vehicle;

a detection unit configured to detect first objects that are external to the vehicle, and to recognize features of the first objects;

a filter unit configured to filter a portion of the first objects which include features elevated above a road by a minimum elevation as second objects that are to be identified;

a local database configured to store object reference data, the object reference data including feature data and position data identifying positions of expected objects that are expected to be detected;

an identification unit configured to identify the expected objects from the second objects based on a determined position of the vehicle by comparing features of the second objects that are recognized by the detection unit to the feature data of the expected objects stored in the local database; and

a transceiver configured to communicate with a remote database and access additional object reference data stored by the remote database, the additional object reference data including additional feature data and corresponding position data identifying positions of respective objects, wherein

the identification unit determines a third object cannot be identified and the transceiver is configured to communicate with the remote database to access the additional object reference data, and the identification unit is configured to compare features of the third object to the additional feature data to identify the third object,

the identification unit is configured to update the object reference data with updated position data in response to the identification unit determining;

the third object is one of the expected objects, and

the one of the expected objects has moved from a position previously identified by position data included in the object reference data, and

the navigation unit is further configured to update the position of the vehicle based on position data of identified objects.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

in response to the identification unit determining the third object cannot be identified, the identification unit is further configured to compare respective feature data between the local database and the remote database, for each of the expected objects based on the determined position of the vehicle, and update the local database to reflect additional information included in the remote database.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the additional information includes updated position or feature data.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the identification unit is configured to compare the recognized features of the first objects to feature data of the one of the expected objects to identify the one of the expected objects.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

one of the second objects that is detected by the detection unit is the third object that cannot be identified,

in response to the identification unit determining that the third object is not one of the expected objects the transceiver is configured to transmit recognized features of the one of the second objects to the remote database, and

the transceiver is configured to receive an identification response from the remote database.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, in response to the identification response including an identification of the third object and a corresponding position, the local database is configured to store corresponding object reference data for the third object.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, in response to the identification response including position data of the vehicle, which the remote database determined based on the recognized features transmitted to the remote database, the navigation unit is configured to update the position of the vehicle based on the position data included in the identification response.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display; and

a user interface unit,

wherein the display is configured to;

display an image of an area in which the third object is located or expected to be located in response to the identification unit determining the third object cannot be identified after the identification unit compares features of the third object to the additional feature data of the additional object reference data or is unable to access the additional object reference data to identify the third object,

receive at least one of an object selection input and an object definition input from the user interface unit, and

identify the third object based on the one of the object selection input and the object definition input.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the identification unit is configured to determine feature data of the third object and position data identifying a position of the third object based on the one of the object selection input and the object definition input, and

the identification unit is configured to update the object reference data with the determined feature data and the determined position data.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the identification unit is configured to remove feature data and position data included in the object reference data in response to:

the identification unit determining the third object is the one of the expected objects, and

one of the identification unit comparing the features of the one of the expected objects to the additional feature reference data and the display receiving the at least one of the object selection input and the object definition input from the interface unit indicates the one of the expected objects is no longer present.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the local database is configured to store common object reference data including feature data of common objects that are independent of the determined position of the vehicle,

the identification unit is configured to generate an object list based on the object reference data and the common object reference data, when the identification unit is unable to access the additional object reference data, and

the identification unit is configured to generate the object list based on the object reference data, the common object reference data, and the additional object reference data, when the identification unit is unable to identify the third object by comparing the features of the third object to the additional feature data of the additional object reference data.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the display is configured to display a selection menu including the object list to provide the user interface unit on a screen of the display when displaying the image.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

the object selection input is provided through the selection menu and is a selection of an item in the object list, and

the object definition input is provided through the selection menu and is a selection of an independent object identification, wherein the independent object identification is a user definable input independent of the object list.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the minimum elevation is 10 ft.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the detection unit is configured to recognize features of the first objects based on an output image of an imaging device, the imaging device including at least one of one or more cameras and one or more lidars, and

the identification unit is configured to perform feature comparison with the output image to compare the features of the first objects recognized by the detection unit to feature data.

16. An apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

navigation means for determining a position of the vehicle;

detection means for detecting first objects that are external to the vehicle, and for recognizing features of the first objects;

a filter means for filtering a portion of the first objects which include features elevated above a road by a minimum elevation as second objects to be identified;

storage means for locally storing object reference data, the object reference data including feature data and position data identifying positions of expected objects that are expected to be detected;

identification means for identifying the expected objects from the second objects based on a determined position of the vehicle by comparing features of the second objects that are recognized by the detection means to the feature data of the expected objects stored in the storage means; and

a transceiver for communicating with a remote database and accessing additional object reference data stored by the remote database, the additional object reference data including additional feature data and corresponding position data identifying positions of respective objects, wherein

the identification means determines a third object cannot be identified and the transceiver communicates with the remote database to access the additional object reference data, and the identification means compares features of the third object to the additional feature data to identify the third object,

the identification means updates the object reference data with updated position data in response to the identification means determining;

the third object is one of the expected objects, and

the one of the expected objects has moved from a position previously identified by position data included in the object reference data, and

the navigation means updates the position of the vehicle based on position data of identified objects.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including executable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform a method for a vehicle, comprising:

determining a position of the vehicle;

detecting first objects that are external to the vehicle, and recognizing features of the first objects;

filtering a portion of the first objects which include features elevated above a road by a minimum elevation as second objects to be identified;

accessing, from a local database, object reference data that is stored in the local database, the object reference data including feature data and position data identifying positions of expected objects that are expected to be detected;

identifying the expected objects from the second objects based on a determined position of the vehicle by comparing features of the second objects that are recognized in the recognizing to the feature data of the expected objects stored in the local database;

communicating with a remote database in response to determining that a third object cannot be identified, and accessing additional object reference data of the remote database, the additional object reference data including additional feature data and corresponding position data identifying positions of respective objects;

comparing features of the third object to the additional feature data to identify the third object;

updating the object reference data in the local database with updated position data in response to determining;

the third object is one of the expected objects, and

the one of the expected objects has moved from a position previously identified by position data included in the object reference data; and

updating the position of the vehicle based on position data of identified objects.