Method for vehicular control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10127738-B2
Application number	US-201815918521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2018
Priority date	Mar 1, 2012
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

A method for vehicular control includes providing a forward viewing camera, a yaw rate sensor, a longitudinal accelerometer, a speed sensor and a control system at the vehicle. While the vehicle is moving, an angular rotational velocity of the vehicle about a local vertical axis is determined, a yaw rate offset is determined, and a longitudinal acceleration is determined. A corrected yaw rate is determined responsive to the determined yaw rate offset of the yaw rate sensor and the determined longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle. The control system determines a projected driving path of the vehicle based at least in part on the determined corrected yaw rate. A hazard condition ahead of the vehicle in the projected driving path is determined at least in part responsive to detecting an object and to the projected driving path. The system automatically applies the brakes of the vehicle responsive to the determined hazard condition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for vehicular control, said method comprising:
providing a forward viewing camera at a vehicle so as to have a field of view forward of the vehicle;
providing a yaw rate sensor at the vehicle, the yaw rate sensor operable to sense angular rotational velocity of the vehicle about a local vertical axis of the vehicle;
providing a longitudinal accelerometer at the vehicle, the longitudinal accelerometer operable to sense a forward or reverse acceleration of the vehicle;
providing a speed sensor at the vehicle, the speed sensor operable to sense speed of the vehicle;
providing a control system at the vehicle, the control system comprising a processor operable to process outputs received from the yaw rate sensor, the longitudinal accelerometer and the speed sensor;
sensing, via the yaw rate sensor, angular rotational velocity while the vehicle is moving, and providing an output of the yaw rate sensor to the control system;
sensing, via the longitudinal accelerometer, forward or reverse acceleration while the vehicle is moving, and providing an output of the longitudinal accelerometer to the control system;
sensing, via the speed sensor, speed of the vehicle while the vehicle is moving, and providing an output of the speed sensor to the control system;
determining, while the vehicle is moving forward, and via processing by the processor of the output provided by the yaw rate sensor, an angular rotational velocity of the vehicle about the local vertical axis of the vehicle;
determining, while the vehicle is moving forward and responsive at least in part to the determined angular rotational velocity, a yaw rate offset of the yaw rate sensor;
determining, while the vehicle is moving forward and via processing by the processor of the output provided by the longitudinal accelerometer, a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle;
determining, via the control system, a corrected yaw rate responsive to the determined yaw rate offset of the yaw rate sensor and the determined longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle;
determining, via the control system, a projected driving path of the vehicle based at least in part on the determined corrected yaw rate;
detecting, at least in part via processing by the processor of image data captured by the camera, an object present in the field of view of the camera;
determining, at least in part responsive to detecting the object and to the projected driving path, a hazard condition ahead of the vehicle in the projected driving path; and
automatically applying the brakes of the vehicle responsive to the determined hazard condition.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing a steering angle sensor at the vehicle, the steering angle sensor operable to sense a steering angle of the vehicle, and determining, while the vehicle is moving and via processing by the processor of an output provided by the steering angle sensor to the control system, a steering angle of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2 , comprising determining, while the vehicle is moving forward and responsive to the output provided by the speed sensor, a speed of the vehicle, wherein, if the vehicle is determined to be moving at a determined speed that is below a threshold speed and the steering angle is determined to be less than a threshold level, the determined yaw rate offset remains constant as the vehicle is moved along the projected driving path.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein, if the vehicle steering angle is determined to be greater than a threshold level, determining the yaw rate offset is based at least in part on the determined steering angle.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein, if the vehicle is determined to be moving at a determined speed that is above a threshold speed and the steering angle is determined to be greater than a threshold level, determining the yaw rate offset is based at least in part on the determined speed and the determined steering angle.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining, while the vehicle is moving forward and responsive to the output provided by the speed sensor, a speed of the vehicle, wherein, if the vehicle is determined to be moving at a determined speed that is above a threshold speed, determining the yaw rate offset is based at least in part on the determined speed.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining whether the vehicle is moving in a straight path, wherein determining the yaw rate offset is based at least in part on whether or not the vehicle is moving in a straight path.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the corrected yaw rate is based at least in part on determination of lane markers on a road being traveled by the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining the corrected yaw rate is based at least in part on how many lane markers are determined on the road being traveled by the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the yaw rate offset is based at least in part on a first measured yaw rate from the yaw rate sensor, and wherein determining the corrected yaw rate is based at least in part on a second measured yaw rate from the yaw rate sensor and the determined yaw rate offset.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the corrected yaw rate comprises using a first proportion of an output of the yaw rate sensor and a second proportion of a previously determined corrected yaw rate.

12. The method of claim 11 , comprising selecting the first and second proportions based at least in part on detection of lane markers on a road being traveled by the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11 , comprising selecting the first proportion and the second proportion based on a set of criteria based on data determined from at least one other sensor of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises said camera.

15. A method for vehicular control, said method comprising:
providing a forward viewing camera at a vehicle so as to have a field of view forward of the vehicle;
providing a yaw rate sensor at the vehicle, the yaw rate sensor operable to sense angular rotational velocity of the vehicle about a local vertical axis of the vehicle;
providing a longitudinal accelerometer at the vehicle, the longitudinal accelerometer operable to sense a forward or reverse acceleration of the vehicle;
providing a speed sensor at the vehicle, the speed sensor operable to sense speed of the vehicle;
providing a steering angle sensor at the vehicle, the steering angle sensor operable to sense a steering angle of the vehicle;
providing a control system at the vehicle, the control system comprising a processor operable to process outputs received from the yaw rate sensor, the longitudinal accelerometer and the speed sensor;
sensing, via the yaw rate sensor, angular rotational velocity while the vehicle is moving, and providing an output of the yaw rate sensor to the control system;
sensing, via the longitudinal accelerometer, forward or reverse acceleration while the vehicle is moving, and providing an output of the longitudinal accelerometer to the control system;
sensing, via the speed sensor, speed of the vehicle while the vehicle is moving, and providing an output of the speed sensor to the control system;
sensing, via the steering angle sensor, the steering angle of the vehicle while the vehicle is moving, and providing an output of the steering angle sensor to the control system;
determining, while the vehicle is moving forward and via processing by the processor of the output provided by the yaw rate sensor, an angular rotational velocity of th

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Chundrlik Jr William J
• Johnson Nathaniel
• Wimmershoff Marc

Classifications

• H04N25/76

  Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors · CPC title

• G01J2005/0077

  Imaging · CPC title

• B60W30/12

  Lane keeping · CPC title

• B60W2520/14

  Yaw · CPC title

• G01J5/024

  Special manufacturing steps or sacrificial layers or layer structures · CPC title