Vehicle posture calculation device and headlight optical-axis control apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12325352-B2
Application number	US-202217884962-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2022
Priority date	Sep 1, 2021
Publication date	Jun 10, 2025
Grant date	Jun 10, 2025

Abstract

A vehicle posture calculation device includes an electronic control unit for a vehicle. The electronic control unit acquires a position and orientation of the vehicle from information of a global positioning system receiver. The electronic control unit extracts, as at least one feature point, a position of a landmark in an image acquired with a camera. The electronic control unit acquires at least one calculated reference point and calculate an inclination angle of the vehicle. The at least one calculated reference point is acquired by calculating a position of the landmark to be captured in the image with the camera. The position of the landmark is calculated from a three-dimensional map and the position and the orientation of the vehicle that are acquired. The inclination angle is calculated from displacement between the at least one feature point and the at least one calculated reference point.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle posture calculation device for a vehicle comprising an electronic control unit for the vehicle and a camera configured to capture an image of at least a region in front of the vehicle, the electronic control unit being configured to:
acquire a position and orientation of the vehicle traveling on a road and a three-dimensional map based information from a global positioning system receiver;
extract i) a first feature point from a first landmark identified in an image from the camera and ii) a second feature portion from a second landmark identified in the image from the camera, and obtain positions of the first feature point and the second feature point in two-dimensional coordinates set on the image, the first landmark being different from the second landmark;
calculate, based on the position and orientation of the vehicle and the three-dimensional map including positions of the first landmark and the second landmark, a three-dimensional shape of the first landmark, a three-dimensional shape of the second landmark, an altitude of the road, and road surface information of the road, a first reference point corresponding to the first feature point of the first landmark and a second reference point corresponding to the second feature point of the second landmark as if the first landmark and the second landmark were captured by the camera of the vehicle positioned at the position and orientation on the road and aligned parallel to a road surface of the road in a rolling direction and a pitching direction of the vehicle;
obtain positions of the calculated first reference point and the calculated second reference point in the two-dimensional coordinates set on the image; and
calculate a vehicle inclination angle relative to the road surface based on displacement, in the two-dimensional coordinates set on the image, between the position of the first feature point and the position of the calculated first reference point and between the position of the second feature point and the position of the calculated second reference point,
wherein the vehicle inclination angle comprises a rolling inclination angle in the rolling direction of the vehicle relative to the road surface and a pitching inclination angle in the pitching direction of the vehicle relative to the road surface, and
wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to:
calculate, in the two-dimensional coordinates set on the image, (1) a first perpendicular bisector of a line connecting the first feature point and the first calculated reference point and (2) a second perpendicular bisector of a line connecting the second feature point and the second calculated reference point;
calculate, in the two-dimensional coordinates set on the image, a point of intersection of the first and second perpendicular bisectors;
calculate, in the two-dimensional coordinates set on the image, a first interior angle of lines each connecting the point of intersection of the first and second perpendicular bisectors and a corresponding one of the first feature point and the first calculated reference point;
calculate, in the two-dimensional coordinates set on the image, a second interior angle of lines each connecting the point of intersection of the first and second perpendicular bisectors and a corresponding one of the second feature point and the second calculated reference point;
determine an average of the first and second interior angles as the rolling inclination angle; and
calculate the pitching inclination angle based on coordinates of the point of intersection of the first and second perpendicular bisectors.

2. The vehicle posture calculation device according to claim 1 , wherein
the electronic control unit extracts the calculated first and second reference points and the first and second feature points.

3. The vehicle posture calculation device according to claim 1 , wherein
the three-dimensional map includes altitude data, and
the electronic control unit acquires altitude of the vehicle from the altitude data based on latitude and longitude where the vehicle is located.

4. The vehicle posture calculation device according to claim 2 , wherein
the three-dimensional map includes altitude data, and
the electronic control unit acquires altitude of the vehicle from the altitude data based on latitude and longitude where the vehicle is located.

5. The vehicle posture calculation device according to claim 1 , wherein
the electronic control unit acquires altitude data regarding the vehicle from the global positioning system receiver.

6. The vehicle posture calculation device according to claim 2 , wherein
the electronic control unit acquires altitude data regarding the vehicle from the global positioning system receiver.

7. The vehicle posture calculation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the road surface information in the three-dimensional map includes a road surface inclination.

8. The vehicle posture calculation device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the road surface information in the three-dimensional map includes a road surface inclination.

9. The vehicle posture calculation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the road surface information in the three-dimensional map includes a curvature of the road, and
wherein the electronic control unit calculates a road surface inclination based on the curvature of the road.

10. The vehicle posture calculation device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the road surface information in the three-dimensional map includes a curvature of the road, and
wherein the electronic control unit calculates a road surface inclination based on the curvature of the road.

11. A headlight optical-axis control apparatus comprising:
the vehicle posture calculation device according to claim 1 ; and
an optical-axis adjustment device configured to adjust an optical axis of a headlight of the vehicle,
wherein the optical-axis adjustment device is configured to, upon receiving the inclination angle of the vehicle relative to the road surface, direct the optical axis with respect to the road surface within a predetermined range by controlling the optical axis of the headlight.

12. A vehicle posture calculation device for a vehicle comprising an electronic control unit for the vehicle and a camera configured to capture an image of at least a region in front of the vehicle, the electronic control unit being configured to:
acquire a position and orientation of the vehicle traveling on a road and a three-dimensional map based information from a global positioning system receiver;
extract i) a first feature point from a first landmark identified in an image from the camera and ii) a second feature portion from a second landmark identified in the image from the camera, and obtain positions of the first feature point and the second feature point in two-dimensional coordinates set on the image, the first landmark being different from the second landmark;
calculate, based on the position and orientation of the vehicle and the three-dimensional map including positions of the first landmark and the second landmark, a three-dimensional shape of the first landmark, a three-dimensional shape of the second landmark, an altitude of the road, and road surface information of the road, a first reference point corresponding to the first feature point of the first landmark and a second reference point corresponding to the second feature point of the second landmark as if the first landmark and the second landmark were captured by the camera of the vehicle positioned at the position and orientation on the road and aligned parallel to a road surface of the road

Assignees

• Subaru Corp

Inventors

• Yamasaki Kentarou

Classifications

• G01S19/13

  Receivers · CPC title

• B60Q2300/324

  Road inclination, e.g. uphill or downhill · CPC title

• G01S19/485

  whereby the further system is an optical system or imaging system · CPC title

• G01S19/53

  Determining attitude · CPC title

• G01S19/14

  specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title