Systems and methods for radar-based localization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10816654-B2
Application number	US-201615262840-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2016
Priority date	Apr 22, 2016
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

A method and system for localization of a ground-based vehicle or moving object within an environment. The system acquires radar map data from a radar system and compares the radar map data to reference map data. The position of the vehicle or moving object is then obtained by matching the radar map data to the reference map data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for localization of a ground-based vehicle, the system comprising:
a radar system mounted to the vehicle, the radar system including at least one scanning radar sensor configured to scan an environment surrounding the vehicle in multiple different directions including at one or more elevation angles, and a controller configured to collect radar data for the scan of the environment, to generate a radar image of the environment from the collected radar data in real time when the vehicle is operating within the environment that includes static and dynamic objects in the environment surrounding the vehicle, and output radar image data representative of the radar image;
memory;
a processor in communication with the memory and configured to execute computer instructions stored on the memory, the computer instructions causing the processor to:
receive the radar image data representative of the radar image from the radar system;
acquire a reference map of the environment; and
generate a relative position of the vehicle within the reference map by matching only the radar image data to radar map data of the reference map.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the received image data comprises attributes of one or more discrete objects in the environment.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the radar image is a 2D radar image or 3D radar image.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the collected radar data comprises a 3D point cloud data and the controller is further configured to process the 3D point cloud data to generate the radar image.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the radar system further comprises a plurality of scanning radars, and wherein at least one of the plurality of scanning radars is mounted to a side of the vehicle to scan the environment to the side of a direction of travel of the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer instructions further cause the processor to receive data from at least one of a global positioning system (GPS) of the ground-based vehicle, an odometer of the ground-based vehicle, and inertial measurement unit of the vehicle, determine a current location of the vehicle based on the data, acquire a portion of the reference map corresponding to the current location of the ground-based vehicle, and wherein the received radar image data is matched to the radar map data of the portion of the reference map.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller of the radar system is further configured process the collected radar data to detect one or more dynamic objects in the collected radar data, modify the collected radar data to remove the collected radar data corresponding to each detected dynamic object, generate the radar image from the modified collected radar data.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the relative position of the vehicle within the reference map is determined based on a previous position of the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller of the radar system is further configured to process the collected radar data using Kalman filtering to compensate for movement of the vehicle and to generate the radar image from the processed collected radar data.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the radar system comprises one or more polarimetric radars.

11. A processor-implemented method of localization of a ground-based vehicle operating within an environment, comprising:
collecting, using at least one scanning radar sensor that is mounted to the vehicle and configured scan an environment surrounding the vehicle in multiple different directions including at one or more elevation angles, radar data for the scan of the environment in real time when the vehicle is operating within the environment that includes dynamic and static objects in the environment surrounding vehicle;
generating, using a controller, a radar image of the environment from the collected radar data in real time when the vehicle is operating within the environment and outputting radar image data representative of the radar image;
acquiring a reference map of the environment; and
generating a relative position of the vehicle within the reference map by matching only the radar image data to radar map data of the reference map.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein generating the radar image comprises processing the detecting one or more dynamic objects in the radar data, modifying the radar data to remove the collected radar data corresponding to each detected dynamic object, and generating the radar image using the modified collected radar data.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the relative position of the vehicle is further generated based on a previous position of the vehicle within the reference map.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the radar image is a 2D radar image or 3D radar image.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the collected radar data comprises a 3D point cloud data and wherein generating the radar image comprises processing the 3D point cloud data to generate the radar image.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising processing the collected radar data using Kalman filtering to compensate for movement of the vehicle, and generating the radar image from the processed collected radar data.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving data from at least one of a global positioning system (GPS) of the vehicle, an odometer of the vehicle, and inertial measurement unit of the vehicle, determining a current location of the vehicle based on the data, acquire a portion of the reference map corresponding to the current location of the ground-based vehicle, and wherein the received radar image data is matched to the radar map data of the portion of the reference map.

Assignees

• Rohani Mohsen
• Zhang Song
• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Rohani Mohsen
• Zhang Song

Classifications

• G01S13/867

  Combination of radar systems with cameras · CPC title

• G01S13/876

  Combination of several spaced transponders or reflectors of known location for determining the position of a receiver (G01S13/874 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01S13/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S13/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S2013/93273

  on the top of the vehicles · CPC title