Vehicle sensing system with enhanced detection of vehicle angle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10836376-B2
Application number	US-201715695378-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2017
Priority date	Sep 6, 2016
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

A sensing system for a vehicle includes at least one radar sensor disposed at the vehicle and having a field of sensing exterior of the vehicle. The at least one radar sensor includes an array of multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas. A control is responsive to the outputs of the at least one radar sensor and determines the presence of one or more other vehicles exterior the vehicle and within the field of sensing of the at least one radar sensor. Lane markers may be determined via a vision system of the equipped vehicle. The control determines range and relative lane position of a detected other vehicle relative to the equipped vehicle and determined lane markers, and the sensing system may anticipate a lane change, cut-in or merge intent of the detected other vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensing system for a vehicle, said sensing system comprising:
at least one forward-sensing radar sensor disposed at the vehicle equipped with said sensing system and having a field of sensing exterior and at least forward of the equipped vehicle;
wherein said at least one forward-sensing radar sensor comprises an antenna array having multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas, wherein said transmitting antennas transmit radar signals and said receiving antennas receive the radar signals reflected off objects, and wherein said at least one forward-sensing radar sensor captures radar data;
a forward-viewing camera disposed at the equipped vehicle and having a field of view exterior and at least forward of the equipped vehicle, wherein said forward-viewing camera captures image data;
a control comprising at least one processor;
wherein the radar data captured by said at least one forward-sensing radar sensor is received at said control, and wherein said control, responsive to processing at said control of received captured radar data, detects presence of one or more objects exterior the equipped vehicle and within the field of sensing of said at least one forward-sensing radar sensor;
wherein the image data captured by said forward-viewing camera is received at said control, and wherein said control, responsive to processing at said control of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, determines lane markers of a traffic lane that the equipped vehicle is traveling in on a road being traveled along by the equipped vehicle;
wherein said control, responsive to processing at said control of captured image data, determines presence of another vehicle in the field of view of said forward-viewing camera and in a traffic lane adjacent to the traffic lane that the equipped vehicle is traveling in;
wherein the captured radar data received at said control is representative of the radar signals transmitted by said antenna array and reflected off the determined other vehicle and received at said antenna array, and wherein said control, responsive to processing at said control of the received captured radar data, determines a side of the determined other vehicle;
wherein said control, responsive to determination of the side of the determined other vehicle, determines an oblique angle of the determined other vehicle relative to the traffic lane that the equipped vehicle is traveling in; and
wherein, responsive to determination that the determined oblique angle of the determined other vehicle is indicative of a lane change, cut-in or merge intent of the determined other vehicle, and responsive to determination of range to and relative lane position of the determined other vehicle relative to the equipped vehicle and to the determined lane markers, said sensing system (i) anticipates a lane change, cut-in or merge intent of the determined other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle and into the traffic lane that the equipped vehicle is traveling in and (ii) applies a braking system of the equipped vehicle to mitigate collision with the determined other vehicle.

2. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein the received captured radar data is evaluated by data analysis methods to establish surface responses for objects in the field of sensing of said at least one radar sensor.

3. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein a set of the received captured radar data is analyzed using mathematical methods, determining a best fit of determined surfaces of the detected objects, and determining a classification of the detected objects based on motion factors, and wherein the classification is one selected from the group consisting of (i) stationary, (ii) vehicular or (iii) pedestrian.

4. The sensing system of claim 3 , wherein the set of the received captured radar data that is analyzed and classified as stationary is aggregated into a high definition environmental map.

5. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein lane marker information is used as an input to said control, and wherein said control determines the oblique angle of the determined other vehicle responsive at least in part to the lane marker information.

6. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein said sensing system comprises two or more individual radar sensors, each having multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas on a respective antenna array, and wherein said two or more individual radar sensors are spaced at a known separation and aligned within a known attitude, and wherein information is shared between the two or more individual radar sensors operating in stereo to determine high definition radar reflection responses for objects detected by said sensing system.

7. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein said sensing system utilizes path information and at least one of (i) environment mapping and (ii) vehicle oblique angles to implement closed loop motion control to mitigate collisions, and wherein the closed loop motion control includes control of at least one of steering of the equipped vehicle, braking of the equipped vehicle and acceleration of the equipped vehicle.

8. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one radar sensor is disposed at a front portion of the equipped vehicle.

9. The sensing system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one rearward sensing radar sensors disposed at a rear portion of the equipped vehicle and sensing rearward of the equipped vehicle.

10. The sensing system of claim 9 , wherein said control, responsive to processing at said control of radar data captured by said rearward sensing radar sensor, attributes determined edges to a trailer being towed by the equipped vehicle.

11. The sensing system of claim 10 , wherein determined edge positions and trailer angle are provided to a vehicle system that supports trailer angle detection.

12. The sensing system of claim 11 , wherein the motion of the trailer is analyzed using mathematical methods to determine the severity of trailer sway relative to the equipped vehicle.

13. The sensing system of claim 12 , wherein, responsive to determined trailer sway frequency and/or amplitude, control methods are used to provide active dampening of trailer sway.

14. The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein said sensing system is capable of providing at least one driving assist system function selected from the group consisting of (i) automated parking, (ii) blind spot detection, (iii) cross traffic alert, (iv) lane change assist, (v) lane merge assist, (vi) automatic emergency braking, (vii) pedestrian detection, (viii) turn assist, (ix) collision mitigation and (x) intersection collision mitigation.

15. A sensing system for a vehicle, said sensing system comprising:
a plurality of individual radar sensors disposed at a front portion of the vehicle equipped with said sensing system and having respective fields of sensing exterior and at least forward of the equipped vehicle;
wherein each individual radar sensor of said plurality of individual radar sensors comprises an antenna array having multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas, wherein said transmitting antennas transmit radar signals and said receiving antennas receive the radar signals reflected off objects, and wherein said plurality of individual radar sensors capture radar data;
a control comprising at least one processor;
wherein the radar data captured by said plurality of individual radar sensors are received at said control, and wherein said control, responsive to processing at said control of received captured radar data, detects presence of o

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Wodrich Helmut A
• Woodington Walter G

Classifications

• B60W30/18163 Primary

  Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres · CPC title

• B60W2556/50

  of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data · CPC title

• B60W30/02 Primary

  Control of vehicle driving stability · CPC title

• B60W2554/801

  Lateral distance · CPC title

• B60W30/06

  Automatic manoeuvring for parking · CPC title