Ray tracing for hidden obstacle detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10078335-B2
Application number	US-201615195744-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2016
Priority date	Jun 28, 2016
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

Ray tracing can be used to detect hidden obstacles in an external environment of a vehicle. An outbound sensor signal can be transmitted into an external environment of the vehicle. The outbound sensor signal can be a LIDAR sensor signal. If a return sensor signal is not received for the outbound sensor signal, it can be determined whether an obstacle is located along a projected path of the outbound sensor signal. Such a determination can be made using one or more maps, such as a terrain map and/or a static obstacle map. Responsive to determining that an obstacle is located along the projected path of the outbound sensor signal, a driving maneuver for the vehicle relative to the obstacle can be determined. The vehicle can be caused to implement the determined driving maneuver.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of detecting hidden obstacles using ray tracing for a vehicle, the method comprising:
transmitting an outbound sensor signal into an external environment of the vehicle, whereby, when the outbound sensor signal is reflected off of an obstacle in the external environment of the vehicle, the reflected outbound sensor signal can be received as a return sensor signal;
if a return sensor signal is not received for the outbound sensor signal, determining, using at least a map, whether a hidden obstacle is located along a projected path of the outbound sensor signal;
responsive to determining that a hidden obstacle is located along the projected path of the outbound sensor signal, determining a driving maneuver for the vehicle relative to the hidden obstacle; and
causing the vehicle to implement the determined driving maneuver.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the map is a terrain map, and wherein it is determined that a hidden obstacle is located along the projected path of the outbound sensor signal if the projected path of the outbound sensor signal intersects with a ground surface defined by the terrain map.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the map is a static obstacle map, and wherein it is determined that a hidden obstacle is located along the projected path of the outbound sensor signal if the projected path of the outbound sensor signal intersects with a static obstacle included in the static obstacle map.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the outbound sensor signal is a LIDAR sensor signal.

5. The method of claim 1 , further including determining at least one of a size or a position of the hidden obstacle, and wherein determining a driving maneuver for the vehicle relative to the hidden obstacle is based at least partially on the determined at least one of the size or the position of the hidden obstacle.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether a hidden obstacle is located along a projected path of the outbound sensor signal includes:
analyzing the projected path of the outbound sensor signal relative to the map;
if the projected path of the outbound sensor signal intersects with an obstacle defined by the map within a working range of the outbound sensor signal such that a return sensor signal is expected to have been received, then it is determined that a hidden obstacle is located along the projected path of the outbound sensor signal; and
if the projected path of the outbound sensor signal does not intersect with an obstacle defined by the map within a working range of the outbound sensor signal such that a return sensor signal is not expected to have been received, then it is determined that a hidden obstacle is not located along the projected path of the outbound sensor signal.

7. A system of detecting hidden obstacles using ray tracing for a vehicle, the system comprising:
a sensor system, the sensor system being configured to transmit an outbound sensor signal into an external environment of the vehicle and to receive return signals, whereby, when the outbound sensor signal is reflected off of an obstacle in the external environment of the vehicle, the reflected outbound sensor signal can be received as a return sensor signal;
one or more data stores including a map;
a processor operatively connected to the sensor system and to the one or more data stores, the processor being configured to:
if a return sensor signal is not received for the outbound sensor signal, determine, using at least a map, whether a hidden obstacle is located along a projected path of the outbound sensor signal;
responsive to determining that a hidden obstacle is located along the projected path of the outbound sensor signal, determine a driving maneuver for the vehicle relative to the hidden obstacle; and
cause the vehicle to implement the determined driving maneuver.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the map is a terrain map, and wherein it is determined that a hidden obstacle is located along the projected path of the outbound sensor signal if the projected path of the outbound sensor signal intersects with a ground surface defined by the terrain map.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the map is a static obstacle map, and wherein it is determined that a hidden obstacle is located along the projected path of the outbound sensor signal if the projected path of the outbound sensor signal intersects with a static obstacle included in the static obstacle map.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the sensor system includes one or more LIDAR sensors, and wherein the outbound sensor signal is a LIDAR sensor signal.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the sensor system includes one or more cameras configured to acquire visual data of the external environment of the vehicle, wherein the processor is further configured to determine at least one of a size or a position of the hidden obstacle using visual data acquired by the one or more cameras, and wherein determining a driving maneuver for the vehicle relative to the hidden obstacle is based at least partially on the determined at least one of the size or the position of the hidden obstacle.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein determining whether a hidden obstacle is located along a projected path of the outbound sensor signal includes:
analyzing the projected path of the outbound sensor signal relative to the map;
if the projected path of the outbound sensor signal intersects with an obstacle defined by the map within a working range of the outbound sensor signal such that a return sensor signal is expected to have been received, then it is determined that a hidden obstacle is located along the projected path of the outbound sensor signal; and
if the projected path of the outbound sensor signal does not intersect with an obstacle defined by the map within a working range of the outbound sensor signal such that a return sensor signal is not expected to have been received, then it is determined that a hidden obstacle is not located along the projected path of the outbound sensor signal.

13. A method of detecting hidden obstacles using ray tracing for a vehicle, the method comprising:
transmitting a group of at least three outbound sensor signals into an external environment of the vehicle, the group of at least three outbound sensor signals including a first end signal, a second end signal, and an intermediate signal, the intermediate signal being located between the first end signal and the second end signal, whereby, when one of the outbound sensor signals is reflected off of an obstacle in the external environment of the vehicle, the reflected outbound sensor signal can be received as a return sensor signal;
receiving return sensor signals from at least a subset of the group of at least three outbound sensor signals;
if a return sensor signal is received for the first end signal and for the second end signal but a return signal is not received for the intermediate signal, determining, using at least a map, whether a hidden obstacle is located along a projected path of the intermediate signal;
responsive to determining that a hidden obstacle is located along the projected path of the intermediate signal, determining a driving maneuver for the vehicle relative to the hidden obstacle; and
causing the vehicle to implement the determined driving maneuver.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the map is a terrain map, wherein determining whether a hidden obstacle is located along the projected path of the intermediate signal includes comparing the projected path of the intermediate signal to the terrain map, and wherein it is determined that a hidde

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Mei Xue
• Sakai Katsuhiro
• Kamata Nobuhide

Classifications

• G01S17/04

  Systems determining the presence of a target · CPC title

• G01S17/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S7/4802

  using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section · CPC title

• G01S7/003

  Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations · CPC title

• G01S17/42

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) · CPC title