Method and apparatus for determining a location of a vehicle feature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10207644-B2
Application number	US-201614995410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2016
Priority date	Jan 20, 2015
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

A method for determining a location of a vehicle feature of a vehicle relative to an environmental feature located in an environmental zone of the vehicle feature includes: arranging a camera at the vehicle with a fixed orientation relative to the vehicle such that the vehicle feature and an environmental zone of the vehicle feature are disposed in the field of view of the camera; generating an index in the environmental zone of the vehicle feature for determining the location of the vehicle feature relative to an environmental feature located in the environmental zone; taking a measurement image that includes the vehicle feature, the index and an environmental feature located in the environmental zone of the vehicle feature; and determining the location of the vehicle feature relative to the environmental feature with reference to the position of the environmental feature relative to the index in the measurement image.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for determining a location of a vehicle feature ( 14 ) of a vehicle ( 10 ) relative to an environmental feature ( 20 ) located in an environmental zone of the vehicle feature ( 14 ), the method comprising the steps:
arranging a camera ( 12 ) at the vehicle ( 10 ) with a fixed orientation relative to the vehicle ( 10 ) such that the vehicle feature ( 14 ) and an environmental zone of the vehicle feature ( 14 ) are disposed in the field of view of the camera ( 12 );
generating an index ( 25 ) in the environmental zone of the vehicle feature ( 14 ) for determining the location of the vehicle feature ( 14 ) relative to an environmental feature ( 20 ) located in the environmental zone;
taking at least one measurement image ( 30 ) during the travel of the vehicle by means of the camera ( 12 ) or generating at least one measurement image ( 30 ) from an image taken by the camera ( 12 ), wherein the measurement image ( 30 ) includes the vehicle feature ( 14 ), the index ( 25 ) and an environmental feature ( 20 ) located in the environmental zone of the vehicle feature ( 14 ); and
determining the location of the vehicle feature ( 14 ) relative to the environmental feature ( 20 ) with reference to the position of the environmental feature ( 20 ) relative to the index ( 25 ) in the measurement image ( 30 ), wherein the generating of the index ( 25 ) and the generating of the measurement image ( 30 ) comprise the steps:
placing a measuring scale ( 24 ) at the vehicle feature with a stationary vehicle ( 10 );
taking a source image ( 22 ) by the camera including the vehicle feature ( 14 ) and the measuring scale ( 24 );
removing the measuring scale ( 24 ) from the vehicle feature ( 14 );
taking at least one intermediate image ( 28 ) by the camera ( 12 ) during a travel of the vehicle ( 10 ), wherein the intermediate image ( 28 ) includes the vehicle feature ( 14 ) and an environmental feature ( 20 ) located in the environmental zone of the vehicle feature ( 14 ); and
at least partly superposing the source image ( 22 ) and the intermediate image ( 28 ) on the measurement image ( 30 ) such that the measuring scale ( 24 ) is visible in the measurement image ( 30 ) at that point at which it was taken in the source image ( 22 ) and the environmental feature ( 20 ) taken with the intermediate image ( 28 ) is visible in the measurement image ( 30 ).

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the placing of the measuring scale ( 24 ) comprises a positioning of the measuring scale ( 24 ) on a base on which the vehicle ( 10 ) stands; and/or in that the measuring scale ( 24 ) is placed substantially transversely, in particular perpendicular, to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle ( 10 ).

3. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the index ( 25 ), is projected, in particular by a laser system and/or by a projector, onto a base section in the environmental zone of the vehicle feature ( 14 ) and the measurement image ( 30 ) is an image taken by the camera ( 12 ).

4. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a spacing, in particular a spacing measured transversely and/or perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle ( 10 ), between the vehicle feature ( 14 ) and the environmental feature ( 20 ) is determined as the location.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the vehicle feature ( 14 ) is a tire of the vehicle ( 10 ); and/or in that the environmental feature ( 20 ) is a road marking or a road boundary.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the intermediate image ( 28 ) and/or the measurement image ( 30 ) form frames of respective intermediate video sequences or measurement video sequences.

Assignees

• Aptiv Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Kalms Volker S
• Busch Mathias
• Egbert Peter
• Vorwerk Wolfgang

Classifications

• G06T2207/20221

  Image fusion; Image merging · CPC title

• G01S5/16

  using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves · CPC title

• G06T7/74

  involving reference images or patches · CPC title

• B60R1/002 Primary

  specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle, e.g. for viewing tyres, bumpers or the like (integrated in the windows B60R1/001; combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08) · CPC title

• B60R2300/30

  characterised by the type of image processing · CPC title