Dynamic safety shields for situation assessment and decision making in collision avoidance tasks

• US 9,280,899 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2013
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Jodorkovsky, Mario, Biess, Armin, Zelman, Ido
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foster, Gerrad A
• Application Number:
  US13/960,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20150046078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A system and method provided on an ego-vehicle for assessing potential threats in a vehicle collision avoidance system, and/or to plan safety-allowed vehicle trajectories for vehicle path planning. The method includes detecting objects in a predetermined vicinity around the ego-vehicle, and determining the relative velocity or other measure between each detected object and the ego-vehicle. The method defines a virtual dynamic safety shield around each detected object that has a shape, size and orientation that is determined by predetermined properties related to the current state of traffic around the ego-vehicle. The method also defines an action grid around the ego-vehicle. The method assesses the threat level of a potential collision between each detected object based on how the shield for that object and the action grid interact. The interaction between the shields and the grid induces actions aimed at aborting collisions and allows for trajectory planning.

Claims

1. A method for identifying potential threats, said method comprising:

providing one or more computer modules programmed for;

detecting a plurality of objects in a predetermined vicinity around an ego-vehicle using one or more sensors, a vehicle communications system, or a combination thereof;

determining a predetermined measure between each detected object and the ego-vehicle;

defining a virtual dynamic safety shield around each detected object having a size determined by the measure between the object and the ego-vehicle, wherein defining the safety shield includes assigning an uncertainty factor to the safety shield that defines an uncertainty about a location of the object;

defining an action grid around the ego-vehicle;

assessing a potential interaction between each detected object and the ego-vehicle based on whether and how much the shield for that object and the action grid overlap; and

using a control module to control vehicle steering, throttle control, braking control, a driver warning, or a combination thereof if a predetermined potential threat value has been achieved.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein detecting a plurality of objects includes employing a plurality of sensors on the ego-vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein detecting a plurality of objects includes employing communications signals between the ego-vehicle and the objects.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining a predetermined measure includes determining a relative velocity between each detected object and the ego-vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining a predetermined measure includes determining a relative acceleration between each detected object and the ego-vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining a predetermined measure includes determining a relative distance between each detected object and the ego-vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein defining the safety shield includes tuning the safety shield based on an ego-vehicle'"'"'s driver aggressiveness such that the driver of the ego-vehicle selects a size of the safety shield.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein defining the safety shield includes anticipating a position of each detected object in the future based on where the object has been in the past and increasing the size of the safety shield for a particular object if the potential threat for the particular object increases.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein defining an action grid includes defining an action grid having a predetermined number and size of cells.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein assessing a threat level includes discretizing the safety shields and the action grid.

11. The method according to claim 10 further comprising assigning road weights to each discrete element in the action grid that identifies a relative velocity between the object and the ego-vehicle.

12. The method according to claim 11 further comprising assigning an action weight to each discrete element in the action grid that identifies a cost function for the ego-vehicle to move from its next expected location.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising providing a weighted sum between the road weights and action weights to identify a total cost function for each discrete element in the action grid.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein defining the safety shield includes increasing the safety shield if the object is at least one of a pedestrian, road condition or weather conditions.

15. A method for identifying potential threats in a vehicle collision avoidance system provided on an ego-vehicle, said method comprising:

providing at least one computer module that is programmed for;

detecting at least one object in a predetermined vicinity around the ego-vehicle using a plurality of sensors;

determining a relative kinematic between the detected object and the ego-vehicle;

defining a virtual dynamic safety shield around the detected object that has a size determined by the relative kinematic between the object and the ego-vehicle where the size of the dynamic safety shield increases as the relative kinematic increases, wherein defining the safety shield includes assigning an uncertainty factor to the safety shield that defines an uncertainty about a location of the object;

defining an action grid around the ego-vehicle, said action grid including a plurality of cells;

assessing the threat level of a potential collision with the detected object based on whether the shield for the object and the action grid overlap; and

using a control module to control vehicle steering, throttle control, braking control, a driver warning, or a combination thereof if a predetermined potential threat value has been achieved.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the at least one object is a stationary object or a moving object.

17. The method according to claim 15 wherein defining the safety shield includes anticipating a position of each detected object in the future based on where the object has been in the past and increasing the size of the safety shield for a particular object if the potential threat for the particular object increases.

18. The method according to claim 15 wherein assessing the threat level includes discretizing the safety shields and the action grid.

19. The method according to claim 15 wherein the relative kinematic is velocity.

20. The method according to claim 15 wherein defining the safety shield includes increasing the safety shield if the object is at least one of a pedestrian, road condition or weather conditions.