U.S. patent application number 14/238975 was filed with the patent office on 2015-12-17 for determination of the position of structural elements of a vehicle.
This patent application is currently assigned to Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH. The applicant listed for this patent is Ronald Bayer, Alfred Eckert, Marc Fischer, Ralph Grewe, Georg Halasy-Wimmer, Stefan Luke, Bernd Piller, Martin Randler, Dirk Ulbricht. Invention is credited to Ronald Bayer, Alfred Eckert, Marc Fischer, Ralph Grewe, Georg Halasy-Wimmer, Stefan Luke, Bernd Piller, Martin Randler, Dirk Ulbricht.
Application Number | 20150360625 14/238975 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46888857 |
Filed Date | 2015-12-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150360625 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Randler; Martin ; et
al. |
December 17, 2015 |
DETERMINATION OF THE POSITION OF STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF A
VEHICLE
Abstract
A device and a method for determining a position of one or more
structural elements of a vehicle the position of which can be
changed and a change in the position of which alters external
dimensions of the vehicle.
Inventors: |
Randler; Martin;
(Immenstaad, DE) ; Grewe; Ralph; (Lindau, DE)
; Fischer; Marc; (Nonnenhorn, DE) ; Ulbricht;
Dirk; (Wangen, DE) ; Eckert; Alfred;
(Mainz-Hechtsheim, DE) ; Bayer; Ronald;
(Muhlheim/Main, DE) ; Luke; Stefan; (Bad Homburg,
DE) ; Piller; Bernd; (Dreieich, DE) ;
Halasy-Wimmer; Georg; (Vaihingen Enz, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Randler; Martin
Grewe; Ralph
Fischer; Marc
Ulbricht; Dirk
Eckert; Alfred
Bayer; Ronald
Luke; Stefan
Piller; Bernd
Halasy-Wimmer; Georg |
Immenstaad
Lindau
Nonnenhorn
Wangen
Mainz-Hechtsheim
Muhlheim/Main
Bad Homburg
Dreieich
Vaihingen Enz |
|
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE |
|
|
Assignee: |
Conti Temic microelectronic
GmbH
Nurnberg
DE
Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
Frankfurt
DE
|
Family ID: |
46888857 |
Appl. No.: |
14/238975 |
Filed: |
August 21, 2012 |
PCT Filed: |
August 21, 2012 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/DE2012/100245 |
371 Date: |
July 8, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
348/148 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60T 2201/10 20130101;
B60W 2420/42 20130101; H04N 7/18 20130101; B60W 30/18 20130101;
B60W 30/06 20130101; B62D 15/0285 20130101; B60T 7/22 20130101;
B60W 50/0098 20130101; G06K 9/00791 20130101; G06K 9/00812
20130101; B60R 16/02 20130101; B60R 16/00 20130101; B60R 2300/80
20130101 |
International
Class: |
B60R 16/02 20060101
B60R016/02; G06K 9/00 20060101 G06K009/00; H04N 7/18 20060101
H04N007/18 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 8, 2011 |
DE |
10 2011 112 578.0 |
Claims
1. A device for a vehicle for determining a position of one or more
structural elements of the vehicle the position of which can be
changed and a change in the position of which alters external
dimensions of the vehicle, comprising: at least one camera, by
which images from at least one region of the surroundings of the
vehicle are acquired and which is arranged on or in the vehicle
such that the one or more structural elements is/are within the
field of view of the camera, and wherein the device comprises image
processing devices that are designed such that the images acquired
by the at least one camera are processed by the image processing
devices, and the position of the one or more structural elements of
the vehicle is determined from the processed images.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the position of at
least one of the following structural elements can be determined:
vehicle door tank cap side mirror hood trunk lid antenna sliding
roof
3. The device according to claim 1, wherein a determination of
whether the one or more structural elements is/are in an open or a
closed state can be performed when determining the position.
4. The device according to claim 1, wherein a determination as to
what position between two maximum positions the one or more
structural elements is/are in can be performed when determining the
position.
5. The device according to any one of the preceding claim 1,
wherein the device comprises several cameras, wherein the cameras
are parts of a camera system in which individual images from
various regions of the surroundings of the vehicle are acquired by
means of the several cameras and suitably transformed by means of
image processing means in order to generate an overall image of the
surroundings of the vehicle thereby, and wherein the image
processing devices are designed such that the overall image of the
surroundings of the vehicle is processed when determining the
position of the one or more structural elements.
6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises or
is connected to means for outputting information about the position
of the one or more structural elements to passengers.
7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises or
is connected to means that subject information about the position
of the one or more structural elements to further processing for
the purposes of driver assistance functions.
8. A method for determining a position of one or more structural
elements of a vehicle the position of which can be changed and a
change in the position of which alters external dimensions of the
vehicle, wherein images from at least one region of the
surroundings of the vehicle are acquired by a camera that is
arranged on or in the vehicle such that the one or more structural
elements is/are within the field of view of the camera, and by
image processing devices, processing the images acquired by the at
least one camera and determining the position of the one or more
structural elements of the vehicle from the processed images.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the position of at
least one of the following structural elements is determined:
vehicle door tank cap side mirror hood trunk lid antenna sliding
roof
10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: a
determination of whether the one or more structural elements is/are
in an open or a closed state is performed.
11. The method according to claim 8, wherein a determination as to
what position between two maximum positions the one or more
structural elements is/are in is performed.
12. The method according to claim 8, wherein individual images from
various regions of the surroundings of the vehicle are acquired by
means of several cameras and suitably transformed by means of image
processing means in order to generate an overall image of the
surroundings of the vehicle thereby, and the overall image of the
surroundings of the vehicle is processed by means of the image
processing devices when determining the position of the one or more
structural elements.
13. The method according to claim 8, wherein information about the
position of the one or more structural elements is outputted to
passengers.
14. The method according to claim 8, wherein information about the
position of the one or more structural elements is provided for one
or more driver assistance systems in the vehicle.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is the U.S. National Phase Application of
PCT/DE2012/100245, filed Aug. 21, 2012, which claims priority to
German Patent Application No. 10 2011 112 578.0, filed Sep. 8,
2011, the contents of such applications being incorporated by
reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a device and a method for
determining a position of one or more structural elements of a
vehicle the position of which can be changed and a change in the
position of which alters external dimensions of the vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Devices and methods for determining the position of
structural elements of vehicles, particularly of external add-on
elements such as vehicle doors, covers and side rear view mirrors,
are known from the state of the art. The position of vehicle doors,
particularly whether they are open or closed, is determined by
means of, e.g., special sensor devices in the region of the
respective vehicle door, e.g., by means of contact switches. There
are similar approaches to the determination of the position of fuel
tank caps, trunk lids and side mirrors.
[0004] After determining the position of the respective structural
element, information may be outputted to passengers if necessary.
For example, the outputting of information about the fact that one
or more vehicle doors are not properly/completely closed
(particularly if the driver sets the vehicle in motion in spite of
that) is common knowledge. Furthermore, various driver assistance
systems can subject information about the position of the
structural elements to further processing for particular functions,
which is done, e.g., with respect to a change in the external
dimensions of the vehicle depending on the position of the
structural elements. For example, the position of the structural
elements and the influence thereof on the external dimensions of
the vehicle may be taken into account when determining the
clearance width and/or the overhead clearance for the vehicle,
e.g., for the realization of autonomous or semi-autonomous driving
maneuvers or, e.g., for outputting information when the vehicle
drives through a tunnel and through narrow regions.
[0005] An essential disadvantage of known devices and methods
consists in the fact that separate sensor devices for determining
the position have to be arranged in the region of the respective
structural element of the vehicle each time, which causes
corresponding costs and requires additional installation space.
Another disadvantage consists in the fact that such sensor devices
are often susceptible to, e.g., moisture or shock load and may
become defective over time. In that case, the results of the
determination of the position of the structural elements may be
incorrect or said position cannot be determined at all.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An aspect of the invention specifies a solution by means of
which the position of structural elements of a vehicle can be
determined, wherein as many disadvantages of the solutions known
from the state of the art as possible are avoided.
[0007] This aspect is achieved by a device for a vehicle for
determining a position of one or more structural elements of the
vehicle the position of which can be changed and a change in the
position of which alters external dimensions of the vehicle,
comprising: the device comprises at least one camera, by which
images from at least one region of the surroundings of the vehicle
are acquired and which is arranged on or in the vehicle such that
the one or more structural elements is/are within the field of view
of the camera, and wherein the device comprises image processing
devices that are designed such that the images acquired by the at
least one camera are processed by the image processing devices, and
the position of the one or more structural elements of the vehicle
is determined from the processed images and by) a method for
determining a position of one or more structural elements of a
vehicle the position of which can be changed and a change in the
position of which alters external dimensions of the vehicle,
wherein images from at least one region of the surroundings of the
vehicle are acquired by a camera that is arranged on or in the
vehicle such that the one or more structural elements is/are within
the field of view of the camera, and by image processing devices,
processing the images acquired by the at least one camera and
determining the position of the one or more structural elements of
the vehicle from the processed images. Advantageous realizations
and further developments are the subject matter of subclaims,
wherein combinations and further developments of individual
features are also conceivable.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] An essential idea of an aspect of the invention comprises
determining the position of structural elements of a vehicle
(particularly of structural elements a change in the position of
which alters the external dimensions of the vehicle) by means of at
least one camera arranged on or in the vehicle. Nowadays, cameras
are already installed in vehicles in many cases and used in
connection with various driver assistance systems/functions. Known
examples are cameras in the passenger compartment of the vehicle
that are arranged behind the windshield and are forward-directed in
order to cover the region in front of the vehicle, laterally
arranged cameras for covering the lateral regions of the
surroundings of the vehicle and cameras arranged in the rear part
of the vehicle in order to observe the region behind the vehicle.
Furthermore, we already know systems in which the complete
surroundings of the vehicle is covered by means of several cameras
and, in particular, an overall image of the surroundings of the
vehicle is generated from the individual images acquired by means
of the cameras and is presented to the passengers. Such camera
systems are also referred to as top view systems or as panoramic
view, surround view or 360.degree. view systems.
[0009] In particular, cameras and image processing devices that are
already present in the vehicle may thus be used or be present in
the form of suitable further developments in the inventive device
and the inventive method.
[0010] The inventive device and the inventive method are preferably
used in a vehicle and serve to determine a position of one or more
structural elements of the vehicle. The one or more structural
elements of the vehicle is/are particularly a structural
element/structural elements the position of which can be changed
and a change in the position of which alters external dimensions of
the vehicle. For example, the structural elements may be arranged
on the outside of the vehicle, and the position thereof can be
changed mechanically or electromechanically. Thus, the structural
elements are movable vehicle parts in particular, which are, e.g.,
telescopic structural elements (e.g., antennas) or structural
elements that can be moved about an axis of rotation (e.g., vehicle
doors, side mirrors and trunk lids/hoods). In particular, the
change in the external dimensions of the vehicle is a change in the
external geometry of the vehicle (e.g., of the width, length and/or
height of the vehicle) depending on the position of the one or more
structural elements, wherein it may be a change in the total
height, the total length or the total width of the vehicle (i.e.,
of the absolute dimensions) or a change in the relative dimensions,
i.e., with respect to a particular region of the vehicle, e.g., the
height in the region of the hood or the width in the region of a
vehicle door. In particular, the change in the external dimensions
of the vehicle may also be a change in the external contours of the
vehicle in general. For example, a change in the position of a
vehicle door will result in a change in the vehicle width as well
as in a change in the lateral vehicle contour in the corresponding
region.
[0011] According to an aspect of the invention, images from at
least one region of the surroundings of the vehicle are acquired by
means of at least one camera, wherein the at least one camera is
preferably arranged on the vehicle or in the vehicle such that the
one or more structural elements is/are within the field of view of
the camera. For example, the at least one camera may be arranged
and/or aligned such that the one or more structural elements is/are
within the field of view of the camera in at least one of its/their
possible positions. The at least one camera may be, e.g., a camera
arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, behind the
windshield, and looking through the windshield in order to cover
that part of the surroundings of the vehicle which extends in the
direction of motion. In particular, the at least one camera may
also be a side camera arranged on the outside of the vehicle on the
left or on the right. Typical places for installing a side camera
are, e.g., the exterior mirrors or the front wheel wells. In
principle, any other camera may also be used in a vehicle,
particularly cameras that are already present in the vehicle and
used in connection with other driver assistance functions/systems,
wherein it is essential that the cameras are arranged/aligned such
that and/or have a special optical system (e.g., a fisheye or
fisheye lens) so that the one or more structural elements is/are
within the field of view of the respective camera in at least one
of its/their possible positions. Furthermore, an aspect of the
invention provides for image processing devices that are designed
such that the images acquired by means of the at least one camera
are processed by means of the image processing devices and the
position of the one or more structural elements of the vehicle is
determined from the processed images. According to the invention,
the position of the one or more structural elements of the vehicle
is thus determined by means of image processing of the camera
images and preferably without any further sensor devices, wherein
various image processing methods, e.g., pattern recognition methods
and/or template matching methods, may be employed. Furthermore,
i.e., alternatively or additionally, reference images for various
positions of the one or more structural elements may be stored
(e.g., in a memory) and compared with the acquired images during
image processing. If the at least one camera is a stereo camera or
a camera by means of which it is possible to obtain depth
information, the position may also be determined, in particular, on
the basis of a determination of a change in the interspace or on
the basis of the change in the depth information regarding the
respective structural element or the region in which the respective
structural element is present.
[0012] According to a preferred realization of the invention, the
position of at least one of the following structural elements is
determined: [0013] vehicle door [0014] tank cap [0015] side mirror
[0016] hood [0017] trunk lid [0018] antenna [0019] sliding roof
[0020] To this end, in particular, the at least one camera may be
suitably arranged and/or aligned and the image processing devices
may be suitably designed so that the corresponding structural
elements are within the field of view of the at least one camera
and the position of the structural elements can be determined by
means of image processing, e.g., by means of the corresponding
reference images for the respective structural element stored in a
memory.
[0021] According to a further preferred realization of the
invention, a determination of whether the respective structural
element is in an open or a closed state is performed when
determining the position of the one or more structural elements. It
is thus possible, by means of the inventive solution, to determine,
e.g., whether vehicle doors, tank caps etc. are open or closed.
Thus, this realization particularly distinguishes between two forms
of the positions of the respective structural element (open or
closed) exclusively.
[0022] According to a further preferred realization of the
invention, a determination as to what position between two maximum
positions the respective structural element is in is performed when
determining the position of the one or more structural elements. In
particular, the two maximum positions are two maximally reachable
forms of the position of the structural element, which two
maximally reachable forms can be reached when changing the position
of the respective structural element. In particular, the maximum
positions are the forms "closed" and "completely open". Between the
maximum positions, the position of the respective structural
element may be determined, e.g., as a degree of the state "open",
e.g., as infinite variables indicated in percent (e.g., from 0%
(=closed) to 100% (=completely open), or, e.g., in increments
(e.g., "closed", "one quarter open", "half open", "three quarters
open", "completely open"). In particular, also the forms of the
change in the external dimensions of the vehicle depend on the
degree of the state "open" of the respective structural element.
For example, a vehicle door that is only half open will result in a
smaller increase in vehicle width than a completely open vehicle
door, which in turn may influence particular driver assistance
functions, e.g., the determination of the clearance when driving
through narrow regions. An essential advantage of this realization
of the invention consists in the fact that it allows a more
differentiated determination of the position of the structural
elements than the known solutions (e.g., use of contact switches).
This also allows a more differentiated determination of the
dimensions of the vehicle, particularly for various driver
assistance systems/functions.
[0023] According to a preferred realization of the invention,
images from the surroundings of the vehicle are acquired by means
of several cameras, wherein the several cameras are particularly
cameras of a camera system in which individual images from various
regions of the surroundings of the vehicle are acquired by means of
the several cameras and suitably transformed by means of image
processing means in order to generate an overall image of the
surroundings of the vehicle thereby. Thus, the camera system used
within the scope of the invention and to determine the position of
structural elements of the vehicle may be a top view system,
wherein, preferably, the overall image of the surroundings of the
vehicle is processed by means of the image processing devices when
determining the position of the one or more structural elements. An
essential advantage of using a top view system and of processing
the overall image of the surroundings of the vehicle consists in
the fact that an overall image is often generated in such systems,
by means of which overall image the vehicle can be represented as
viewed from the top (bird's eye view), wherein an overall image
from the perspective of a virtual camera arranged above the vehicle
is generated from the images acquired by real individual cameras.
Such an overall image shows the position of structural elements
(e.g., vehicle doors and side mirrors) particularly well and
particularly at any time. Moreover, the exact form of the position,
e.g., the degree of the state "open" of a vehicle door, can be
determined from such an overall image particularly easily.
[0024] According to an aspect of the invention, information may be
outputted to passengers depending on the determined position of the
one or more structural elements of the vehicle. For example, the
passengers may be informed by means of suitable means when vehicle
doors, tank caps, hoods and/or trunk lids are open. In particular,
information may be outputted if the driver sets the vehicle in
motion in spite of the fact that the respective structural element
is open. Outputting may be performed, e.g., acoustically, visually
and/or haptically.
[0025] According to an aspect of the invention, the information
about the position of the one or more structural elements may also
be subjected to further processing for the purposes of driver
assistance functions (e.g., of driver assistance systems in which
the position of the one or more structural elements or the change
in the external contours of the vehicle is relevant), said position
being determined by means of the device/by means of the method. For
example, the information about an open vehicle door may also be
used to detect people leaving the vehicle and to inform of this
fact by means of corresponding functions, e.g., when people leave a
moving vehicle. Essential advantages of the invention consist in
the fact that it is not necessary to use any special sensors, e.g.,
contact switches on the gas pump nozzle and on vehicle doors. In
particular, the inventive determination of the position of the
structural elements may also be used to generate redundancy, i.e.,
said determination may be performed as an independent instance in
order to check the performance of, e.g., contact switches.
[0026] This may be applied to, e.g., safety-critical vehicle
functions.
* * * * *