Tracking objects within a dynamic environment for improved localization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10077054-B2
Application number	US-201715487184-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2017
Priority date	Jan 29, 2016
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for tracking objects within a dynamic environment for improved localization. Sensing devices are utilized to gather data about a vehicle's environment. In cases where the sensor data has become degraded, such as data indicating that lane lines have become degraded, obscured, or nonexistent, the vehicle computer system uses previously detected sensor data to estimate the speed and direction of travel of moving objects. The computer system then estimates the location of the moving objects after a specified period of time based on the estimated speed and direction of the moving object. The computer system utilizes this information to localize the vehicle within the dynamic environment and to control the configuration of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method comprising:
capturing first sensor data associated with a moving object within an environment at a first time;
capturing second sensor data associated with the moving object within the environment at a second time, the second time subsequent to the first time;
detecting that the second sensor data indicates a degraded perception of the moving object relative to the first sensor data;
based at least in part on the degradation, estimating a current location of the moving object within the environment from the first sensor data, including:
estimating a position of the moving object from the first sensor data,
estimating a velocity of the moving object from the first sensor data, and
calculating the current location from the estimated position, the estimated velocity, and an elapsed time since the first sensor data was captured; and
controlling a configuration of a vehicle within the environment based on the estimated current location of the moving object.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting that the second sensor data indicates a degraded perception of the moving object relative to the first sensor data comprises detecting that second sensor data indicates a degraded perception of another vehicle relative to the first sensor data.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein detecting that the second sensor data indicates a degraded perception of the moving object relative to the first sensor data comprises detecting that sensor data associated with lane lines on a roadway indicates that the lane lines have become degraded or obscured; and
wherein estimating a current location of the moving object within the environment comprises, based at least in part on degradation of the lane lines, estimating the current location of the other vehicle from the first sensor data.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising localizing the vehicle within the environment based on a static object in the environment.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein localizing the vehicle within the environment comprises localizing the vehicle within the environment within a specified confidence interval.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein controlling a configuration of the vehicle comprises calculating the configuration of the vehicle to maintain safe operation of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling a configuration of the vehicle comprises controlling the configuration of the vehicle within a roadway environment.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling a configuration of the vehicle comprises controlling one or more of: acceleration, speed, or direction for the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling a configuration of the vehicle comprises utilizing a vehicle control system to place the vehicle in a safe configuration.

10. A computer system, the computer system comprising:
one or more processors;
system memory coupled to the one or more processors, the system memory storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors; and
the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to perform the following:
capture first sensor data associated with a moving object within an environment at a first time;
capture second sensor data associated with the moving object within the environment at a second time, the second time subsequent to the first time;
detect that the second sensor data indicates a degraded perception of the moving object relative to the first sensor data;
based at least in part on degradation, estimate a current location of the moving object within the environment from the first sensor data including:
estimate a position of the moving object from the first sensor data,
estimate a velocity of the moving object from the first sensor data, and
calculate the current location from the estimated position, the estimated velocity, and an elapsed time since the first sensor data was captured; and

control a configuration of a vehicle within the environment based on the estimated current location of the moving object.

11. The computer system of claim 10 , further comprising the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to estimate that the moving object is traveling in essentially the opposite direction as the vehicle on a roadway.

12. The computer system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to detect that the second sensor data indicates a degraded perception of the moving object comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to detect that the second sensor data indicates degraded perception of another vehicle moving relative to first sensor data.

13. The computer system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to detect that the second sensor data indicates a degraded perception of the moving object comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to detect that sensor data associated with lane lines on a roadway indicates that the lane lines have become degraded; and
wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to estimate a current location of the moving object within the environment comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to, based at least in part on degradation of the lane lines, estimate the current location of the other vehicle from the first sensor data.

14. The computer system of claim 10 , further comprising the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to localize the vehicle within the environment within a specified confidence interval.

15. The computer system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to control a configuration of the vehicle comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to control one or more of: vehicle acceleration, vehicle speed, or vehicle direction.

16. The computer system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to control a configuration of the vehicle comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to indicate that there was a fault in controlling the configuration of the vehicle.

17. The computer system of claim 10 , further comprising the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to:
create a map of the environment based on at least one of: a roadway lane marking or geographic location of the vehicle; and
determine a position of the moving object on the map based on the estimated location for the moving object.

18. A method comprising:
capturing first sensor data associated with lane lines on a roadway at a first time;
capturing second sensor data associated with the lane lines on the roadway at a second time, the second time subsequent to the first time;
detecting that the second sensor data indicates the quality of the lanes lines has degraded relative to the quality of the lanes lines indicated in the first sensor data;
based at least in part on the lane line quality degradation, estimating a current location of another vehicle within the roadway from the first sensor data including:
estimating a position of the other vehicle from the first sensor data,
estimating a velo

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc
• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Halder Bibhrajit
• Varnhagen Scott

Classifications

• B60W30/08

  Active safety systems} predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision {or attempting to minimise its consequences · CPC title

• B60W40/04 Primary

  Traffic conditions · CPC title

• B60W30/0953

  the prediction being responsive to vehicle dynamic parameters · CPC title

• G01C21/3492

  employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical (traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968) · CPC title

• G05D1/024

  in combination with a laser (lasers per se H01S) · CPC title