Bollard receiver identification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10971014-B2
Application number	US-201916293080-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2019
Priority date	Jan 29, 2016
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

The disclosure relates generally to methods, systems, and apparatuses for automated or assisted driving and more particularly relates to identification, localization, and navigation with respect to bollard receivers. A method for detecting bollard receivers includes receiving perception data from one or more perception sensors of a vehicle. The method includes determining, based on the perception data, a location of one or more bollard receivers in relation to a body of the vehicle. The method also includes providing an indication of the location of the one or more bollard receivers to one or more of a driver and component or system that makes driving maneuver decisions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving perception data from a perception sensor of a vehicle;
calculating, based on the perception data, a location of a bollard receiver in relation to a body of the vehicle;
calculating a safety margin centered on the bollard receiver;
calculating a tangent from the body of the vehicle to an edge of the safety margin such that the tangent is drawn towards a side away from oncoming traffic; and
determining a driving maneuver for the vehicle based on the location of the bollard receiver, the safety margin, and the tangent.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the location of the bollard receiver in relation to the body of the vehicle comprises calculating based on information from a controller area network (CAN) bus of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the location of the bollard receiver comprises calculating based on the perception data and further based on a vehicle driving history.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the perception sensor comprises two or more of a camera, a radar sensor, a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor, and an ultrasound sensor.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the driving maneuver causes one or more tires of the vehicle to impact the bollard receiver with a tread portion of the one or more tires such that a sidewall portion of the one or more tires does not come in contact with the bollard receiver.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a height of the bollard receiver based on the perception data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the safety margin comprises determining a distance around the bollard receiver to maintain between each wheel of the vehicle and the bollard receiver to ensure no part of the vehicle is damaged by the bollard receiver.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining the driving maneuver for the vehicle comprises determining a modified trajectory for the vehicle based on a current location of the vehicle and the safety margin such that one or more tires of the vehicle does not come within the safety margin centered on the bollard receiver.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the driving maneuver further comprises adjusting an active suspension of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing information about the bollard receiver in a driving history.

11. A system comprising:
a perception sensor of a vehicle; and
a controller of the vehicle comprising a processor that is programmable to execute instructions stored in non-transitory computer readable storage media, the instructions comprising:
receiving perception data from the perception sensor of the vehicle;
calculating, based on the perception data, a location of a bollard receiver in relation to a body of the vehicle;
calculating a safety margin centered on the bollard receiver;
calculating a tangent from the body of the vehicle to an edge of the safety margin such that the tangent is drawn towards a side away from oncoming traffic; and
determining a driving maneuver for the vehicle based on the location of the bollard receiver, the safety margin, and the tangent.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a suspension system in communication with the processor and configured to adjust a suspension of the vehicle in response to an indication received from the processor, and wherein the instructions executed by the processor further comprise determining an adjustment to the suspension of the vehicle based on a presence of the bollard receiver, wherein the adjustment comprises one or more of adjusting a height of a portion of the vehicle or adjusting a stiffness of the suspension of a portion of the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further comprise one or more of:
providing the driving maneuver as a suggestion to a driver of the vehicle; or
providing the driving maneuver to a vehicle control system of the vehicle to execute the driving maneuver.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further comprise determining a height of the bollard receiver based on the perception data, wherein the perception sensor comprises two or more of a camera, a radar sensor, a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor, and an ultrasound sensor.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions are such that determining the driving maneuver for the vehicle comprises determining a modified trajectory for the vehicle based on a current location of the vehicle and the safety margin such that one or more tires of the vehicle does not come within the safety margin centered on the bollard receiver.

16. Non-transitory computer readable storage media storing instructions for execution by one or more processors, the instructions comprising:
receiving perception data from a perception sensor of a vehicle;
calculating, based on the perception data, a location of a bollard receiver in relation to a body of the vehicle;
calculating a safety margin centered on the bollard receiver;
calculating a tangent from the body of the vehicle to an edge of the safety margin such that the tangent is drawn towards a side away from oncoming traffic; and
determining a driving maneuver for the vehicle based on the location of the bollard receiver, the safety margin, and the tangent.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein the instructions further comprises determining an adjustment to be made to a suspension system of the vehicle based on the presence of the bollard receiver, wherein the adjustment comprises one or more of adjusting a height of a portion of the vehicle or adjusting a stiffness of a suspension of a portion of the vehicle.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein the instructions further comprise:
providing the driving maneuver as a suggestion to a driver of the vehicle; or
providing the driving maneuver to a vehicle control system of the vehicle to execute the driving maneuver.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein the perception sensor comprises two or more of a camera, a radar sensor, a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor, and an ultrasound sensor.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein the instructions are such that determining the driving maneuver comprises determining a modified trajectory for the vehicle based on a current location of the vehicle and the safety margin such that one or more tires of the vehicle does not come within the safety margin centered on the bollard receiver.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Banvait Harpreetsingh
• Myers Scott Vincent
• Micks Ashley Elizabeth
• Kadetotad Sneha

Classifications

• B60W40/06

  Road conditions · CPC title

• B60G2401/142

  Visual Display Camera, e.g. LCD · CPC title

• G01S17/00

  Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems · CPC title

• B60R2300/8093

  for obstacle warning · CPC title

• B60G17/0165 Primary

  to an external condition, e.g. rough road surface, side wind · CPC title