Method and device for checking a calibration of environment sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11645782-B2
Application number	US-202016945256-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2020
Priority date	Jul 31, 2019
Publication date	May 9, 2023
Grant date	May 9, 2023

Abstract

A device, transportation vehicle, and method for checking a calibration of surroundings sensors, wherein the surroundings sensors at least partially detect similar surroundings and provide mutually time-synchronized sensor data, periodic features at least for at least one distinguished area are detected in the sensor data of the surroundings sensors belonging to the same surroundings, a transformation of the sensor data corresponding to the at least one distinguished area to a frequency domain is carried out at least for the at least one distinguished area, a frequency and/or a phase angle of the periodic features is determined in the sensor data transformed to the frequency domain, a decalibration of the surroundings sensors is detected based on a comparison of the determined frequencies and/or of the determined phase angles, and a result of the check is provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for checking a calibration of surroundings sensors, wherein the surroundings sensors at least partially detect similar surroundings and each provide mutually time-synchronized sensor data, the device comprising:
a control unit;
wherein the control unit receives sensor data of the surroundings sensors, detecting periodic features at least for at least one distinguished area in the sensor data of the surroundings sensors belonging to the same surroundings, carrying out a transformation of the sensor data corresponding to the at least one distinguished area to a frequency domain at least for the at least one distinguished area, determining a frequency and/or a phase angle of the periodic features transformed to the frequency domain, and detecting a decalibration of the surroundings sensors based on a comparison of the determined frequencies and/or of the determined phase angles, and providing a result of the check.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the control unit further detects a decalibration in response to a frequency difference between the determined frequencies exceeding a predefined frequency threshold value and/or a phase difference between the determined phase angles exceeding a predefined phase threshold value.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the control unit further projects the sensor data of the surroundings sensors into an image space onto a velocity vector corresponding to a speed, and carries out the transformation to the frequency domain based on the projected sensor data.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the control unit further initiates the carrying out of the transformation of the sensor data and determining the frequency and/or the phase angle when periodic features at least in the at least one distinguished area are detected in the sensor data at least of one of the surroundings sensors.

5. A transportation vehicle, comprising:
surroundings sensors; and
at least one device according to claim 1 .

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the same periodic features are detected by each of the surroundings sensors.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the periodic features are properties of one or multiple objects that spatially repeat at regular intervals.

8. A method for checking a calibration of surroundings sensors,
wherein the surroundings sensors at least partially detect similar surroundings and each provide mutually time-synchronized sensor data;
wherein periodic features at least for at least one distinguished area are detected in the sensor data of the surroundings sensors belonging to the same surroundings;
wherein a transformation of the sensor data corresponding to the at least one distinguished area to a frequency domain is carried out at least for the at least one distinguished area;
wherein a frequency and/or a phase angle of the periodic features is determined in the sensor data transformed to the frequency domain;
wherein a decalibration of the surroundings sensors is detected based on a comparison of the determined frequencies and/or of the determined phase angles; and
wherein a result of the check is provided.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein a decalibration is detected when a frequency difference between the determined frequencies exceeds a predefined frequency threshold value and/or when a phase difference between the determined phase angles exceeds a predefined phase threshold value.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the sensor data of the surroundings sensors are projected into an image space onto a velocity vector corresponding to a speed, wherein the transformation to the frequency domain takes place based on the projected sensor data.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method begins when periodic features at least in the at least one distinguished area are detected in the sensor data of at least of one of the surroundings sensors.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the surroundings sensors is a camera, wherein the camera provides camera images as sensor data, and wherein a semantic segmentation of the camera images takes place, wherein the at least one distinguished area is recognized and detected based on the semantic segmentation.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein a plurality of the same periodic features are detected by each of the surroundings sensors.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the periodic features are properties of one or multiple objects that spatially repeat at regular intervals.

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Steinmeyer Simon
• Schwithal Alexander

Classifications

• G01M17/007

  Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles (G01M17/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06T2207/20056

  Discrete and fast Fourier transform, [DFT, FFT] · CPC title

• G01D18/00 Primary

  Testing or calibrating apparatus or arrangements provided for in groups G01D1/00 - G01D15/00 · CPC title

• G06T2207/30244

  Camera pose · CPC title

• G06T7/73 Primary

  using feature-based methods · CPC title