Method and apparatus for determining a location of a vehicle feature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10632918-B2
Application number	US-201816214387-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2018
Priority date	Jan 20, 2015
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

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 comprising:
determining a calculated location of a vehicle feature relative to an environmental feature located in a vicinity of the vehicle feature using a first detector that is part of a driver assistance system, the first detector having a first field of view that excludes the vehicle feature;
determining an actual location of the vehicle feature relative to the environmental feature using a second detector, the actual location being based on an index providing information regarding the actual location associated with an output of the second detector that includes an indication of the vehicle feature and the environmental feature, the second detector having a second field of view that includes the vehicle feature;
determining a difference between the calculated location and the actual location; and
at least one of calibrating and validating the driver assistance system based on the determined difference.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the second detector comprises a camera;
the second field of view includes the vehicle feature and the environmental feature;
the output of the second detector comprises at least one image; and
determining the actual location comprises using representations of the vehicle feature and the environmental feature in the at least one image and an indication of the index in the at least one image.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the index provides a visual indication of the actual location.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the index comprises an image of a measurement scale superimposed on the at least one image.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the index comprises an indication of a plurality of markers in the at least one image.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of markers comprise light projected into the field of view of the camera.

7. The method of claim 2 , comprising
visually displaying the at least one image; and
visually displaying an indication of the calculated location with the visually displayed at least one image.

8. The method of claim 7 , comprising visually displaying the indication of the calculated location within the field of view of the camera and including the indication of the calculated location in the at least one image.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the first detector comprises a first camera in a first location on a vehicle; and
the second detector comprises a second camera in a second, different location on the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle feature comprises a tire or a wheel; and
the environmental feature comprises a lane marking on a surface adjacent the tire or wheel.

11. A method comprising:
determining a calculated location of a vehicle feature relative to an environmental feature located in a vicinity of the vehicle feature using a first detector that is part of a driver assistance system, the first detector having a first field of view that excludes the vehicle feature;
determining an actual location of the vehicle feature relative to the environmental feature using a second detector, the actual location being based on an index providing information regarding the actual location associated with an output of the second detector that includes an indication of the vehicle feature and the environmental feature, the second detector having a second field of view that includes the vehicle feature;
determining a difference between the calculated location and the actual location;
determining a plurality of the calculated locations;
determining a plurality of the actual locations;
associating respective ones of the calculated locations with corresponding ones of the actual locations based on timing information regarding a time of each of the locations;
determining at least one condition of the vicinity of the vehicle feature at the time of at least some of the locations; and
using the timing information and the determined at least one condition of the vicinity of the vehicle feature for determining a characteristic of the determined difference.

12. A driver assistance system, comprising:
a first detector that has a first field of view;
a second detector that has a second, different field of view; and
at least one processor that is configured to
determine a calculated location of a vehicle feature relative to an environmental feature located in a vicinity of the vehicle feature using an output of the first detector, wherein the first field of view excludes the vehicle feature;
determine an actual location of the vehicle feature relative to the environmental feature using an output of the second detector that includes an indication of the vehicle feature and the environmental feature, the actual location being based on an index associated with the output of the second detector, the index providing an indication of the actual location, wherein the second field of view includes the vehicle feature;
determine a difference between the calculated location and the actual location; and
calibrate the driver assistance system based on the determined difference.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein
the second detector comprises a camera;
the second field of view includes the environmental feature;
the output of the second detector comprises at least one image; and
the processor is configured to determine the actual location using representations of the vehicle feature and the environmental feature in the at least one image and an indication of the index in the at least one image.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein
the index provides a visual indication of the actual location; and
the index comprises an image of a measurement scale superimposed on the at least one image
or
the index comprises an indication of a plurality of markers in the at least one image.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of markers comprise light projected into the field of view of the camera.

16. The system of claim 13 , comprising a display configured to visually display the at least one image with an indication of the calculated location in the displayed at least one image.

17. The system of claim 16 , comprising a second display within the second field of view, the second display being configured to visually display the calculated location and wherein the at least one image output by the camera includes a representation of the second display.

18. The system of claim 12 , wherein
the first detector comprises a first camera in a first location on a vehicle;
the second detector comprises a second camera in a second, different location on the vehicle;
the vehicle feature comprises a tire or a wheel; and
the environmental feature comprises a lane marker on a surface adjacent the tire or wheel.

Assignees

• Aptiv Tech Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B60R2300/105

  using multiple cameras · CPC title

• B60R2300/30

  characterised by the type of image processing · 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

• G01S5/16

  using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves · CPC title