U.S. patent application number 17/542714 was filed with the patent office on 2022-03-24 for intelligent vehicles with advanced vehicle camera systems for underbody hazard and foreign object detection.
This patent application is currently assigned to GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC. Invention is credited to Sai Vishnu Aluru, Chandra S. Namuduri, Rashmi Prasad, Christopher A. Stanek.
Application Number | 20220089042 17/542714 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000006010353 |
Filed Date | 2022-03-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220089042 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Prasad; Rashmi ; et
al. |
March 24, 2022 |
INTELLIGENT VEHICLES WITH ADVANCED VEHICLE CAMERA SYSTEMS FOR
UNDERBODY HAZARD AND FOREIGN OBJECT DETECTION
Abstract
A method for operating an advanced driver assistance (ADAS)
system of a motor vehicle includes a vehicle controller receiving,
from side and end cameras mounted to the vehicle, camera signals
indicative of real-time images of outboard-facing side and end
views of the vehicle. The controller determines a region of
interest (ROI) inset within each end/side view within which is
expected foreign objects and/or hazards. These ROIs are analyzed to
detect if a foreign object/hazard is present in the vehicle's end
and/or side views. Responsive to detecting the foreign
object/hazard, movement of the foreign object/hazard is tracked to
determine if the foreign object/hazard moves towards or away from
the vehicle's underbody region. If the foreign object/hazard moves
to the underbody region, control signals are transmitted to the
vehicle's propulsion and/or steering system to automate
preventative action that prevents collision of the vehicle with
and/or removes the foreign object/hazard from the underbody.
Inventors: |
Prasad; Rashmi; (Troy,
MI) ; Namuduri; Chandra S.; (Troy, MI) ;
Aluru; Sai Vishnu; (Commerce Township, MI) ; Stanek;
Christopher A.; (Lake Orion, MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC |
Detroit |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS
LLC
Detroit
MI
|
Family ID: |
1000006010353 |
Appl. No.: |
17/542714 |
Filed: |
December 6, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
16780298 |
Feb 3, 2020 |
11225153 |
|
|
17542714 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07C 5/0825 20130101;
B60L 53/124 20190201; G05D 1/0246 20130101; B60L 53/126 20190201;
B60L 53/36 20190201; B60L 50/66 20190201; G06V 20/56 20220101; G07C
5/0891 20130101; G07C 5/08 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B60L 53/124 20060101
B60L053/124; B60L 53/126 20060101 B60L053/126; B60L 50/60 20060101
B60L050/60; B60L 53/36 20060101 B60L053/36; G07C 5/08 20060101
G07C005/08 |
Claims
1. A motor vehicle, comprising: a vehicle body with a plurality of
road wheels mounted to the vehicle body; a propulsion system with a
prime mover mounted to the vehicle body and operable to drive one
or more of the road wheels to thereby propel the motor vehicle; a
steering system mounted to the vehicle body and operable to steer
the vehicle; a camera system including an end camera and a side
camera, the end camera mounted proximate a front or rear end of the
vehicle body, and the side camera mounted proximate a left or right
side of the vehicle body, the end and side cameras each being
configured to capture images of a respective outboard-facing camera
view from the motor vehicle; and a vehicle controller
communicatively connected to the propulsion system the steering
system, and the camera system, the vehicle controller being
programmed to: receive, from the camera system, camera signals
indicative of real-time images of the outboard-facing camera views
captured by the end and side cameras, the end and side cameras each
having a respective full-frame area; determine a respective region
of interest (ROI) inset within and fixed at a predefined location
of each of the outboard-facing camera views of the end and side
cameras, the ROIs each including a respective delineated camera
frame having an ROI area smaller than the respective full-frame
area of the corresponding camera; analyze the ROIs to detect if a
foreign object and/or hazard is present in any of the
outboard-facing camera views of the end and side cameras;
responsive to detecting the foreign object and/or hazard, track
movement of the foreign object and/or hazard to determine if the
foreign object and/or hazard moves towards or is in an underbody
region of the motor vehicle; and responsive to determining the
foreign object and/or hazard is moving towards or is in the
underbody region, transmit an alert to the driver and/or a control
signal to the propulsion system and/or the steering system to take
preventative action calibrated to prevent collision of the motor
vehicle with and/or remove the foreign object and/or hazard from
the underbody region of the motor vehicle.
2. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein the ROI of the side camera
is immediately adjacent and contains a lateral portion of the
vehicle body, and the ROI of the end camera is immediately adjacent
and contains an end portion of the vehicle body.
3. The motor vehicle of claim 2, wherein the ROI of the side camera
includes a first portion of a ground surface laterally adjacent the
motor vehicle, and the ROI of the end camera includes a second
portion of the ground surface fore or aft of the motor vehicle.
4. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein tracking the movement of
the foreign object and/or hazard via the vehicle controller is
responsive to detecting the foreign object and/or hazard in the
ROIs of both the end and side cameras.
5. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein the side camera includes a
left side camera mounted proximate the left side of the vehicle
body and a right side camera mounted proximate the right side of
the vehicle body.
6. The motor vehicle of claim 2, wherein the end camera includes a
front camera mounted proximate the front end of the vehicle body
and a back camera mounted proximate the rear end of the vehicle
body.
7. The motor vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an underbody
camera mounted to the vehicle body proximate an undercarriage
thereof, the underbody camera being configured to capture an
outboard-facing downward view and generate signals indicative
thereof.
8. The motor vehicle of claim 7, wherein the vehicle controller is
further programmed to, responsive to detecting the foreign object
and/or hazard in any of the ROIs of the end and side cameras,
analyze the outboard-facing downward view of the underbody camera
to determine if the foreign object and/or hazard is located in the
underbody region of the vehicle.
9. The motor vehicle of claim 8, wherein the vehicle controller is
further programmed to, responsive to detecting the foreign object
and/or hazard in any of the ROIs of the end and side cameras,
determine if the foreign object and/or hazard has subsequently
disappeared from the ROIs of the end and side cameras, wherein
analyzing the outboard-facing downward view of the underbody camera
is responsive to the foreign object and/or hazard disappearing from
all of the ROIs of the end and side cameras.
10. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein analyzing the ROIs to
detect if the foreign object is present in the outboard-facing
camera views of the end and side cameras includes scanning the
real-time images for any of a plurality of designated foreign
objects each having a respective target marker, the respective
target markers each including a shape, a size, a color, a face,
eyes, and/or a behavioral pattern associated with the designated
foreign object.
11. The motor vehicle of claim 9, further comprising a memory
device communicatively connected to the vehicle controller and
storing therein a lookup table with the respective target markers
associated with the designated foreign objects, wherein the
predetermined target markers are derived via a trained neural
network, the vehicle controller being further programmed to
retrieve, from the memory device prior to analyzing the ROIs, the
predetermined target markers from the lookup table.
12. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein determining the
respective ROIs includes calibrating the ROIs specific to the motor
vehicle based on a make/model of the motor vehicle, respective
mounting locations of the end and side cameras on the vehicle body,
and/or a predefined protection region around the motor vehicle.
13. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller is
further programmed to: responsive to detecting the foreign object,
assign an index identification (ID) and a start location to the
foreign object; and monitor the foreign object in subsequent frames
of the real-time images captured by the end and side cameras by
scanning for the index ID with respect to the start location.
14. The motor vehicle of claim 13, further comprising an underbody
camera mounted to the vehicle body proximate an undercarriage
thereof, wherein the vehicle controller is further programmed to:
determine if the foreign object disappears from the subsequent
frames of the real-time images captured by the end and side
cameras; and responsive to the foreign object disappearing from the
subsequent frames, analyze real-time images of the underbody region
captured by the underbody camera to detect if the foreign object is
present in the underbody region.
15. A method for operating a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle
including a propulsion system, a steering system, and a camera
system, the method comprising: receiving, via a vehicle controller
from the camera system of the motor vehicle, camera signals
indicative of real-time images of outboard-facing camera views
captured by an end camera and a side camera of the camera system,
the end camera mounted proximate a front or rear end of a vehicle
body of the motor vehicle, and the side camera mounted proximate a
left or right side of the vehicle body, the end and side cameras
each having a respective full-frame area; determining a respective
region of interest (ROI) inset within and fixed at a predefined
location of each of the outboard-facing camera views of the end and
side cameras, the ROIs each including a respective delineated
camera frame having an ROI area smaller than the respective
full-frame area of the corresponding camera; analyzing, via the
vehicle controller, the ROIs to detect if the foreign object and/or
hazard is present in the outboard-facing camera views of the end
and side cameras; tracking, responsive to detecting the foreign
object and/or hazard, movement of the foreign object and/or hazard
to determine if the foreign object and/or hazard moves towards or
is in an underbody region of the motor vehicle; and transmitting,
responsive to determining the foreign object and/or hazard is
moving towards or is in the underbody region, an alert to the
driver and/or a control signal to the propulsion system and/or the
steering system to take preventative action calibrated to prevent
collision of the motor vehicle with and/or remove the foreign
object and/or hazard from the underbody region.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the side camera includes left
and right side cameras mounted proximate left and right sides the
vehicle body, respectively, and the end camera includes front and
back cameras mounted proximate front and rear ends of the vehicle
body, wherein tracking the movement of the foreign object and/or
hazard is responsive to detecting the foreign object and/or hazard
in the ROI of any one of the left, right, front, and back
cameras.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein the camera system further
includes an underbody camera mounted proximate an undercarriage of
the vehicle body and configured to capture an outboard-facing
downward view from the motor vehicle, the method further comprising
analyzing, responsive to detecting the foreign object and/or
hazard, an underbody ROI inset within the outboard-facing downward
view of the underbody camera to determine if the foreign object
and/or hazard is located in the underbody region of the motor
vehicle.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining,
responsive to detecting the foreign object and/or hazard in any of
the ROIs of the end and side cameras, if the foreign object and/or
hazard has subsequently disappeared from each of the ROIs, wherein
analyzing the outboard-facing downward view of the underbody camera
is responsive to the foreign object and/or hazard disappearing from
all of the ROIs.
19. The method of claim 15, wherein defining the respective ROIs
includes calibrating, specific to the motor vehicle, the ROIs based
on a make/model of the motor vehicle, respective mounting locations
of the camera, and/or a predefined protection region around the
motor vehicle.
20. The method of claim 15, further comprising: assigning,
responsive to detecting the foreign object, an index ID and a start
location to the foreign object; and monitoring the foreign object
in subsequent frames in the real-time images captured by the end
and side cameras by scanning for the index ID with respect to the
start location.
Description
CLAIM OF PRIORITY AND CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 16/780,298, which was filed on Feb. 3, 2020, is now
allowed, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety
and for all purposes.
INTRODUCTION
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to automated
control systems of motor vehicles. More specifically, aspects of
this disclosure relate to electric-drive vehicles with control
logic for automating underbody hazard detection and foreign object
protection.
[0003] Current production motor vehicles, such as the modern-day
automobile, are originally equipped with a powertrain that operates
to propel the vehicle and power the vehicle's onboard electronics.
In automotive applications, for example, the vehicle powertrain is
generally typified by a prime mover that delivers driving power
through an automatic or manually shifted power transmission to the
vehicle's final drive system (e.g., differential, axle shafts, road
wheels, etc.). Automobiles have historically been powered by a
reciprocating-piston type internal combustion engine (ICE) assembly
due to its ready availability and relatively inexpensive cost,
light weight, and overall efficiency. Such engines include
compression-ignited (CI) diesel engines, spark-ignited (SI)
gasoline engines, two, four, and six-stroke architectures, and
rotary engines, as some non-limiting examples. Hybrid electric and
full electric ("electric-drive") vehicles, on the other hand,
utilize alternative power sources to propel the vehicle and, thus,
minimize or eliminate reliance on a fossil-fuel based engine for
tractive power.
[0004] A full-electric vehicle (FEV)--colloquially branded as an
"electric car"--is a type of electric-drive vehicle configuration
that altogether omits an internal combustion engine and attendant
peripheral components from the powertrain system, relying solely on
electric traction motors for propulsion and for supporting
accessory loads. The engine assembly, fuel supply system, and
exhaust system of an ICE-based vehicle are replaced with a single
or multiple traction motors, a traction battery back, and battery
cooling and charging hardware in a battery-based FEV.
Hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) powertrains, in contrast, employ
multiple sources of tractive power to propel the vehicle, most
commonly operating an internal combustion engine assembly in
conjunction with a battery-powered or fuel-cell-powered traction
motor. Since hybrid-type, electric-drive vehicles are able to
derive their power from sources other than the engine, hybrid
electric vehicle engines may be turned off, in whole or in part,
while the vehicle is propelled by the electric motor(s).
[0005] High-voltage electrical systems govern the transfer of
electricity between the traction motor(s) and a rechargeable
traction battery pack (also referred to as "electric-vehicle
battery") that stores and supplies the requisite power for
operating an electric-drive powertrain. A traction battery pack
contains multiple stacks of battery cells that are packaged into
individual battery modules and stored inside a battery pack
housing. Some vehicular battery systems employ multiple
independently operable, high-voltage battery packs to provide
higher voltage delivery and greater system capacity through
increased amp-hours. The vehicle's electric system may employ a
front-end DC-to-DC power converter that is electrically connected
to the vehicle's traction battery pack(s) in order to increase the
voltage supply to a high-voltage main direct current (DC) bus and
an electronic power inverter module (PIM). Operation and control of
a multi-phase electric motor, such as permanent magnet synchronous
traction motors, may be accomplished by employing the PIM to
transform DC electric power to alternating current (AC) power using
pulse-width modulated control signals output from a Battery Pack
Control Module (BPCM).
[0006] As hybrid and electric vehicles become more prevalent,
infrastructure is being developed and deployed to make day-to-day
use of such vehicles feasible and convenient. Electric vehicle
supply equipment (EVSE) for recharging electric-drive vehicles
comes in many forms, including residential electric vehicle
charging stations (EVCS) purchased and operated by a vehicle owner
(e.g., installed in the owner's garage), publicly accessible EVCS
provisioned by public utilities or private retailers (e.g., at gas
stations or municipal charging facilities), and sophisticated
high-voltage, high-current charging stations used by automobile
manufacturers, dealers, and service stations. Plug-in hybrid and
electric vehicles originally equipped with an onboard traction
battery pack, for example, can be recharged by physically
connecting a charging cable of the EVCS to a complementary charging
port of the vehicle. By comparison, wireless electric vehicle
charging systems (WEVCS) utilize electromagnetic field (EMF)
induction or other suitable wireless power transfer (WPT)
techniques to provide vehicle charging capabilities without the
need for charging cables and cable ports. It is axiomatic that
large-scale vehicle electrification in turn necessitates a
concomitant buildout of readily accessible charging infrastructure
to support daily vehicle use in both urban and rural scenarios, for
both short-distance and long-distance vehicle range.
SUMMARY
[0007] Presented herein are intelligent vehicle systems with
attendant control logic and networked on-body vehicle cameras for
underbody hazard and object detection, methods for making and
methods for using such systems, and electric-drive vehicles
equipped with such systems to optimize autonomous driving and/or
wireless vehicle charging. By way of example, there are presented
advanced park assist (APA) systems with vehicle-mounted,
high-definition (HD) cameras that operate independently or, if
desired, in conjunction with other vehicle sensors and/or
infrastructure-based cameras to acquire real-time perspective view
data of the vehicle's underbody and driving surface. This enables
underbody hazard and (living or non-living) foreign object
detection to alert the driver and automate preventative measures to
protect the vehicle and object. An in-vehicle Global Positioning
System (GPS) transceiver may retrieve GPS coordinate data of
real-time locations for the vehicle and a target element, such as
an EMF wireless charging pad. In addition, a resident short-range
communications component may wirelessly connect with a WEVCS to
ascertain charge station availability and compatibility, adopt
charging and communication protocols, and select service,
alignment, and pairing settings. A dedicated or shared vehicle
controller derives path plan data for maneuvering the vehicle to,
and concomitantly aligning predetermined vehicle segments with,
target marker(s) of the target element. Using the foregoing
information, the vehicle controller or a distributed network of
control modules or subsystem controllers govern vehicle speed,
heading, and travel distance via the vehicle's propulsion,
steering, and brake systems in a closed-loop control scheme to
enable living object protection (LOP) and underbody hazard
detection and avoidance.
[0008] Attendant benefits for at least some of the disclosed
concepts include novel vehicle system architectures that enable
accurate and efficient underbody hazard and foreign object
detection. Advanced vision-based APA systems are able to monitor
for, identify, and ascertain precise location, shape, and size data
of underbody foreign objects and hazards, and automate ameliorative
measures to protect the vehicle and object. For wireless charging
applications, disclosed features help to optimize charging
efficiency while maintaining high levels of overall system
robustness. Disclosed advanced driver assistance systems eliminate
the need for dedicated sensors, video processing modules, and
hardware accelerators for accurate underbody detection and
protection during automated driving operations.
[0009] Aspects of this disclosure are directed to advanced driver
assistance systems (ADAS) with attendant control logic for
camera-based underbody hazard and foreign object detection, e.g.,
for intelligent park assist and optimized wireless vehicle
charging. In an example, there is presented a vehicle ADAS system
that includes one or more (front/rear) end cameras that each mounts
proximate a respective end of the vehicle body, one or more
(left/right) side cameras that each mounts proximate a respective
lateral side of the vehicle body, and an optional underbody camera
that mounts proximate the vehicle body's undercarriage. Each end
camera is operable to capture real-time, outboard-facing forward or
rearward end views from the vehicle, while each side camera is
operable to capture real-time, outboard-facing leftward or
rightward side views from the vehicle, and the underbody camera is
operable to capture real-time, outboard-facing downward views.
[0010] The APA system employs a resident or remote vehicle
controller that is communicatively connected to the cameras to
receive therefrom camera-generated signals indicative of real-time
images of the vehicle's end, side, and (optionally) undercarriage
views. The controller determines a respective region of interest
(ROI) that is inset within each of the outboard-facing vehicle
views within which foreign objects and/or hazards are expected.
These ROIs are analyzed to detect whether or not a foreign object
and/or hazard is present in the vehicle's outboard-facing end
and/or side views. Responsive to detecting the foreign
object/hazard, the controller tracks movement of the foreign
object/hazard relative to the vehicle to determine if the foreign
object/hazard moves towards or away from an underbody region of the
vehicle. Responsive to the foreign object/hazard being detected in
or otherwise moving into the vehicle's underbody region, an alert
is transmitted to the driver and/or control signals are transmitted
to the vehicle's propulsion, steering and/or braking systems to
take preventative action calibrated to prevent collision of the
vehicle with and/or remove the foreign object/hazard from the
underbody region.
[0011] Additional aspects of this disclosure are directed to
vehicles equipped with intelligent vehicle systems that provision
camera-based underbody hazard and foreign object detection. As used
herein, the terms "vehicle" and "motor vehicle" may be used
interchangeably and synonymously to include any relevant vehicle
platform, such as passenger vehicles (ICE, HEV, FEV, fuel cell,
fully and partially autonomous, etc.), commercial vehicles,
industrial vehicles, tracked vehicles, off-road and all-terrain
vehicles (ATV), motorcycles, farm equipment, watercraft, aircraft,
etc. For purposes of this disclosure, the terms "automated" and
"autonomous" may be used synonymously and interchangeably to denote
vehicles with assisted and/or fully autonomous driving
capabilities, including vehicle platforms that may be classified as
a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Level 2, 3, 4, or 5
vehicle.
[0012] In an example, an electric-drive motor vehicle includes a
vehicle body with multiple road wheels and other standard original
equipment. A vehicle propulsion and powertrain system (e.g., engine
and/or motor, transmission, final drive, powertrain control module
(PCM), etc.), a vehicle brake system (e.g., disk/drum brakes,
hydraulics, brake system control module (BSCM), etc.), a steering
system (e.g., drive-by-wire framework) and a network of sensing
devices (e.g., radar, LIDAR, infrared, camera, GPS, automated
system control module (ASCM), etc.), are also mounted to the
vehicle body. For electric-drive vehicle applications, one or more
electric traction motors operate alone (e.g., for FEV powertrains)
or in conjunction with an internal combustion engine assembly
(e.g., for HEV powertrains) to selectively drive one or more of the
road wheels to thereby propel the vehicle. Also mounted on the
vehicle body is one or more rechargeable traction battery packs
that selectively store and transmit electric current to power the
traction motor(s). A wireless charging component, which is also
mounted to the vehicle body and electrically connected to the
battery pack, operably couples with a wireless charging pad of a
wireless electric vehicle supply equipment (WEVSE) system to
thereby generate electric current.
[0013] Continuing with the discussion of the above example, the
vehicle also includes front and rear cameras mounted proximate
front and rear ends of the vehicle body, respectively, left and
right side cameras mounted proximate left and right lateral sides
of the vehicle body, respectively, and a vehicle controller
operatively connected to the distributed network of cameras and the
wireless charging component. The vehicle controller is programmed
to receive, from the on-body vehicle cameras, camera signals
indicative of real-time images of the vehicle's outboard-facing
forward, rearward, leftward and rightward views, and determine a
respective region of interest inset within each view within which
foreign objects/hazards are expected. Each ROI is analyzed to
determine if a foreign object/hazard is present in one of the
vehicle views; responsive to detecting a foreign object/hazard, the
controller tracks movement of the foreign object/hazard to
determine if the foreign object/hazard moves towards or away from
an underbody region of the vehicle. If the foreign object/hazard
moves to the underbody region, the controller transmits an alert to
the driver and control signals to the vehicle's propulsion and/or
steering system to take preventative action calibrated to prevent
collision of the vehicle with and/or remove the foreign
object/hazard from the underbody region.
[0014] Also presented herein are methods for manufacturing and
methods for operating any of the disclosed electric-drive vehicles
and/or ADAS system architectures. In an example, a method is
presented for operating an ADAS system of a motor vehicle. This
representative method includes, in any order and in any combination
with any of the above and below disclosed options and features:
receiving, via a vehicle controller of the ADAS system from an end
camera mounted proximate a front or rear end of a vehicle body of
the vehicle, camera signals indicative of real-time images of an
outboard-facing forward or rearward end view of the vehicle;
receiving, via the vehicle controller from a side camera mounted
proximate a left or right lateral side the vehicle body, camera
signals indicative of real-time images of an outboard-facing
leftward or rightward side view of the vehicle; determining a
respective region of interest (ROI) inset within each of the
outboard-facing end and side views within which is expected a
foreign object and/or a hazard; analyzing the ROIs to detect if the
foreign object and/or hazard is present in the outboard-facing end
view and/or outboard-facing side view of the vehicle; responsive to
detecting the foreign object and/or hazard, tracking movement of
the foreign object and/or hazard to determine if the foreign object
and/or hazard moves towards or away from an underbody region of the
vehicle; and transmitting an alert to the driver and/or control
signals to the propulsion and/or steering system to take
preventative action calibrated to prevent collision of the vehicle
with and/or remove from the underbody region the foreign object
and/or hazard.
[0015] The above summary does not represent every embodiment or
every aspect of this disclosure. Rather, the above features and
advantages, and other features and attendant advantages of this
disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detailed
description of illustrative examples and modes for carrying out the
present disclosure when taken in connection with the accompanying
drawings and the appended claims. Moreover, this disclosure
expressly includes any and all combinations and subcombinations of
the elements and features presented above and below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a partially schematic, side-view illustration of a
representative motor vehicle equipped with both wired and wireless
charging capabilities and operably coupled to a representative
electric vehicle charging station in accordance with aspects of the
present disclosure.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a representative
advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) architecture for
provisioning vision-based underbody hazard and foreign object
detection and protection in accordance with aspects of the present
disclosure.
[0018] FIG. 3 presents forward-facing, side-facing, and
downward-facing perspective views from a motor vehicle captured by
high-definition, on-body front, left-side, right-side and underbody
cameras in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example vision-based
vehicle alignment protocol with underbody foreign object detection
and automated park assist for optimized wireless vehicle charging,
which may correspond to memory-stored instructions executed by an
onboard or remote controller, control-logic circuit, programmable
electronic control unit, or other integrated circuit (IC) device or
network of IC devices in accord with aspects of the disclosed
concepts.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example vision-based
advanced driver assistance protocol with underbody hazard detection
for automated preventative vehicle driving and driver alert, which
may correspond to memory-stored instructions executed by an onboard
or remote controller, control-logic circuit, programmable
electronic control unit, or other IC device or network of IC
devices in accord with aspects of the disclosed concepts.
[0021] The present disclosure is amenable to various modifications
and alternative forms, and some representative embodiments are
shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in
detail below. It should be understood, however, that the novel
aspects of this disclosure are not limited to the particular forms
illustrated in the above-enumerated drawings. Rather, the
disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents,
combinations, subcombinations, permutations, groupings, and
alternatives falling within the scope of this disclosure as
encompassed, for example, by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] This disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in many
different forms. Representative embodiments of the present
disclosure are shown in the drawings and will herein be described
in detail with the understanding that these embodiments are
provided as an exemplification of the disclosed principles, not
limitations of the broad aspects of the disclosure. To that extent,
elements and limitations that are described, for example, in the
Abstract, Introduction, Summary, and Detailed Description sections,
but not explicitly set forth in the claims, should not be
incorporated into the claims, singly or collectively, by
implication, inference or otherwise.
[0023] For purposes of the present detailed description, unless
specifically disclaimed: the singular includes the plural and vice
versa; the words "and" and "or" shall be both conjunctive and
disjunctive; the words "any" and "all" shall both mean "any and
all"; and the words "including," "containing," "comprising,"
"having," and the like, shall each mean "including without
limitation." Moreover, words of approximation, such as "about,"
"almost," "substantially," "generally," "approximately," and the
like, may each be used herein in the sense of "at, near, or nearly
at," or "within 0-5% of," or "within acceptable manufacturing
tolerances," or any logical combination thereof, for example.
Lastly, directional adjectives and adverbs, such as fore, aft,
inboard, outboard, starboard, port, vertical, horizontal, upward,
downward, front, back, left, right, etc., may be with respect to a
motor vehicle, such as a forward driving direction of a motor
vehicle, when the vehicle is operatively oriented on a horizontal
driving surface.
[0024] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference
numbers refer to like features throughout the several views, there
is shown in FIG. 1 a schematic illustration of a representative
automobile, which is designated generally at 10 and portrayed
herein for purposes of discussion as a sedan-style, electric-drive
(hybrid or electric) motor vehicle. Packaged within a vehicle body
12 of the automobile 10, e.g., within a passenger compartment,
trunk compartment, or dedicated battery compartment, is a traction
battery pack 14 that is electrically coupled to and powers one or
more electric traction motors 16. The motor(s) 16, in turn, operate
to turn one or more of the vehicle's road wheels 18 and thereby
propel the vehicle 10. The illustrated automobile 10--also referred
to herein as "motor vehicle" or "vehicle" for short--is merely an
exemplary application with which novel aspects of this disclosure
may be practiced. In the same vein, implementation of the present
concepts for the specific electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE)
illustrated in FIG. 1 should also be appreciated as an exemplary
application of the disclosed concepts. As such, it will be
understood that aspects and features of this disclosure may be
applied to alternative types of EVSE, implemented for any logically
relevant type of vehicle and vehicle powertrain, and utilized for
other advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) operations.
Moreover, only selected components of the vehicle, EVSE and ADAS
systems have been shown and will be described in additional detail
herein. Nevertheless, the systems, methods and devices discussed
below can include numerous additional and alternative features, and
other commercially available peripheral components, for example, to
carry out the various protocols and algorithms of this
disclosure.
[0025] FIG. 1 is a simplified illustration of the electric-drive
vehicle 10 docked at and operably coupled to a vehicle charging
station 20 for recharging an onboard rechargeable energy source,
such as a high-voltage direct current (DC) traction battery pack
14. Traction battery pack 14 may take on many suitable
configurations, including an array of lead-acid, lithium-ion, or
other applicable type of rechargeable electric vehicle batteries
(EVB). To provide an operable coupling between the traction battery
pack 14 and vehicle charging station 20, the vehicle 10 may include
an inductive charging component 22, e.g., with an integrated
induction coil, that is mounted to the underside of the vehicle
body 12. This inductive charging component 22 functions as a
wireless charging interface that is compatible with a wireless
charging pad or platform 24, e.g., with an internal EMF coil, of
the vehicle charging station 20. In the illustrated example, the
wireless charging pad/platform 24 is located on the floor of the
vehicle charging station 20, positioned in accordance with a
"target position" that may serve as a desired parking location for
purposes of efficient and effective wireless charging of the
vehicle 10. In particular, FIG. 1 depicts the vehicle 10 parked in
a location that helps to ensure the inductive charging component 22
is substantially or completely aligned in both lateral and
longitudinal dimensions with the wireless charging pad 24. Put
another way, the vehicle 10 in FIG. 1 is considered to be in proper
fore-aft alignment and in proper starboard-port alignment with a
designated target position to complete an inductive charging event
for the vehicle 10 while maximizing the percentage of power
transmitted wirelessly between the two devices.
[0026] The vehicle charging station 20 may employ any heretofore
and hereafter developed type of wired and wireless charging
technology, including inductive charging, radio charging,
capacitive charging, and resonance charging, as some non-limiting
examples. In accordance with electromagnetic induction charging
technology, the representative wireless charging pad 24 of FIG. 1
may be activated with electric current to generate an alternating
electromagnetic field proximate the inductive charging component
22. This magnetic field, in turn, induces an electric current in
the inductive charging component 22 of the vehicle 10. The induced
current may be filtered, stepped-down, and/or phase-shifted by
in-vehicle electrical modulation circuitry (e.g., a traction power
inverter module (TPIM)) to charge the traction battery pack 14 or
any other energy source of the vehicle 10 (e.g., a standard 12V
lead-acid starting, lighting, and ignition (SLI) battery, an
auxiliary power module, etc.). As mentioned previously, optimal
wireless charging performance may be obtained when the inductive
charging component 22 is properly oriented in both fore-aft
(longitudinal) and port-starboard (lateral) alignment with the
wireless charging pad 24 in accordance with a vehicle-calibrated
accuracy threshold.
[0027] Traction battery pack 14 stores energy that can be used for
propulsion by the electric machine(s) 16 and for operating other
vehicle electrical systems. The traction battery pack 14 is
communicatively connected (wired or wirelessly) to one or more
vehicle controllers, represented in FIG. 1 by electronic control
unit (ECU) 26, that regulates the operation of various onboard
vehicle systems and components. Contactors controlled by the ECU
26, for example, may isolate the traction battery pack 14 from
other components when opened, and connect the traction battery pack
14 to other components when closed. The ECU 26 is also
communicatively connected to the electric traction motor(s) 16 to
control, for example, bi-directional transfer of energy between the
traction battery pack 14 and each motor 16. For instance, traction
battery pack 14 may provide a DC voltage while the motor(s) 16 may
operate using a three-phase AC current; in such an instance, ECU 26
converts the DC voltage to a three-phase AC current for use by the
motor-generator(s) 16. In a regenerative mode where the traction
motor(s) 16 act as electric generators, the ECU 26 may convert
three-phase AC current from the motor-generator(s) 16 to DC voltage
compatible with the traction battery pack 14. The representative
ECU 26 is also shown communicating with charging component 22, for
example, to condition the power supplied from the vehicle charging
station 20 to the battery pack 14 to help ensure proper voltage and
current levels. The ECU 26 may also interface with the charging
station 20, for example, to coordinate the delivery of power to the
vehicle 10.
[0028] Vehicle charging station 20 of FIG. 1 also offers wired
charging for electric vehicle 10 via a "plug-in" electrical
connector 32, which may be one of a number of different
commercially available electrical connector types. By way of
non-limiting example, electrical connector 32 may be a Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1772 (Type 1) or J1772-2009 (Type 2)
electrical connector with single-phase or split-phase modes
operating at 120 to 240 volts (V) with alternating current (AC) at
up to 80 amperes (A) peak current for conductive vehicle charging.
Furthermore, the charging connector 32 may also be designed to meet
the standards set forth in International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) 62196-2 and/or 62196-3 Fdis, as well as any other
presently available or hereafter developed standards. A charge port
34 accessible on the exterior of vehicle body 12 is a wired
charging interface functioning as an electrical inlet into which
electrical connector 32 may be plugged or otherwise mated. This
port 34 enables a user to easily connect and disconnect electric
vehicle 10 to/from a readily available AC or DC source, such as a
public utility power grid via charging station 20. Charge port 34
of FIG. 1 is not limited to any particular design, and may be any
type of inlet, port, connection, socket, plug, etc., that enables
conductive or other types of electrical connections. A hinged
charge port door (CPD) 36 on vehicle body 12 can be selectively
opened and closed to access and cover the charge port 34,
respectively.
[0029] As part of the vehicle charging process, the vehicle 10 and
station 20 may individually or collaboratively monitor
wired/wireless charging availability, wireless power quality, and
other related issues that may affect vehicle charging. According to
the illustrated example, the vehicle ECU 26 of FIG. 1 communicates
with and receives sensor signals from a monitoring system, which
may comprise one or more onboard "resident" sensing devices 28 of
the vehicle 10 and/or one or more off-board "remote" sensing
devices 30 of the vehicle charging station 20. In practice, this
monitoring system may include a single sensor, or it may include a
distributed sensor architecture with an assortment of sensors
packaged at similar or alternative locations to that shown in the
drawings. A CPD sensor 38 mounted by the charge port 34 may sense
and, at the same time, may be polled or read by the vehicle's ECU
26 to determine a door status--opened or closed--of the CPD 36. As
another option, a latching button 40 that helps to physically
attach and secure the electrical connector 32 to the charge port 34
may include an internal switch (e.g., an SAE S3 type switch) that
functions as a sensing device to detect whether or not the
electrical connector 32 is operatively connected to the charge port
34. There are numerous other types of sensing devices that may also
be used, including thermal sensing devices, such as passive thermal
infrared sensors, optical sensing devices, such as light and
laser-based sensors, acoustic sensing devices, such as surface
acoustic wave (SAW) and ultrasonic sensors, capacitive sensing
devices, such as capacitive-based proximity sensors, etc.
[0030] The representative vehicle 10 of FIG. 1 may be originally
equipped with a vehicle telecommunication and information
("telematics") unit 42 that wirelessly communicates (e.g., via cell
towers, base stations, mobile switching centers (MSCs), etc.) with
a remotely located or "off-board" cloud computing system 44. Acting
as both a user-input device and a vehicle-output device, telematics
unit 42 may be equipped with an electronic video display device 46
and assorted input controls 48 (e.g., buttons, knobs, switches,
trackpads, keyboards, touchscreens, etc.). These telematics
hardware components may function, at least in part, as a resident
vehicle navigation system, e.g., to enable assisted and/or
automated vehicle navigation. The telematics unit may also operate
as a human-machine interface (HMI), e.g., to enable a user to
communicate with the telematics unit 42 and other systems and
system components of the vehicle 10. Optional peripheral hardware
may include a microphone that provides a vehicle occupant with
means to input verbal or other auditory commands; the vehicle 10
may be equipped with an embedded voice-processing unit programmed
with a computational speech recognition software module. A vehicle
audio system with one or more speaker components may provide
audible output to vehicle occupants and may be either a stand-alone
device dedicated for use with the telematics unit 42 or may be part
of a general audio system.
[0031] With continuing reference to FIG. 1, telematics unit 42 is
an onboard computing device that provides a mixture of services,
both individually and through its communication with other
networked devices. Telematics unit 42 may be generally composed of
one or more processors, each of which may be embodied as a discrete
microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC),
a dedicated control module, etc. Vehicle 10 may offer centralized
vehicle control via ECU 26 that is operatively coupled to one or
more electronic memory devices 50, each of which may take on the
form of a CD-ROM, magnetic disk, IC device, semiconductor memory
(e.g., various types of RAM or ROM), etc., with a real-time clock
(RTC). Long-range vehicle communication capabilities with remote,
off-board networked devices may be provided via one or more or all
of a cellular chipset/component, a navigation and location
chipset/component (e.g., global positioning system (GPS)
transceiver), or a wireless modem, all of which are collectively
represented at 52. Close-range wireless connectivity may be
provided via a short-range wireless communications device (e.g., a
BLUETOOTH.RTM. unit or near field communications (NFC)
transceiver), a dedicated short-range communications (DSRC)
component, and/or a dual antenna, all of which are collectively
represented at 54. The various communications devices described
above may be configured to exchange data as part of a periodic
broadcast in a Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications system or a
vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications system, e.g.,
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P),
Vehicle-to-Device (V2D), etc.
[0032] Operation of the automobile 10 of FIG. 1 may necessitate
accurate and reliable vehicle alignment with a designated position,
namely precise orientation and location of a specific section of
the vehicle 10, a designated component of the vehicle 10, and/or of
the vehicle 10 in its entirety with a target location, orientation,
object, landmark, etc. (collectively "target element" or "target").
If the target element with which the vehicle 10 is to be aligned is
obstructed from the driver's view during any part of this driving
operation, the requisite vehicle alignment may not be achievable.
To mitigate human-borne error from such operations, disclosed
intelligent vehicle systems and control logic automate precise
lateral and longitudinal vehicle positioning utilizing a
high-definition (HD) vision system. An HD vision system may be
typified as a video camera system with a minimum of at least about
a 1.0 to 2.5-megapixel (MP) full-frame resolution or, for at least
some implementations, about 50-65 MP with a 4K video resolution at
about 10 to 60 frames per second (fps) or greater. The HD vision
system may provide a minimum horizontal field of view of at least
about 160.degree. to 210.degree. and a minimum vertical field of
view of at least about 100.degree. to 150.degree. with respect to a
forward driving direction of the vehicle 10.
[0033] Feedback signals are analyzed to derive a coordinate
distance (Cartesian in x, y, z; Celestial in .phi., .THETA.; GPS in
DMS, DMM or DD) from a select point, edge, and/or section of the
vehicle to a target center or other target marker of the target
element. It may be desirable that the accuracy of this distance
measurement be better than about 3.0 to about 8.0 millimeters (mm)
at a distance of less than 1 meter (m) between the target and
vehicle. Using camera-acquired data, the system is able to detect
and define a target element at approximately 5.0 m or less from the
camera system. Intrinsic and extrinsic camera parameters (e.g.,
yaw, pitch, roll, x-y-z location coordinates, etc.) may be used to
identify the target, e.g., at vehicle speeds of less than
approximately three (3) miles per hour (mph). Disclosed vehicle
alignment systems and methods may be characterized by a lack of use
of a dedicated hardware accelerator, video processing module (VPM),
sensors, cameras, and/or motion sensor odometry to provision
automated vehicle system operation.
[0034] Illustrated in FIG. 2 is an embedded intelligent vehicle
control system 100--described hereinbelow as an advanced park
assist (APA) system--for enabling controller-automated underbody
hazard and foreign object detection as part of select vehicle
operations, such as vehicle driving, parking, idling, charging,
etc., of a motor vehicle. Intelligent vehicle system 100 is
generally typified by a vision-based Camera Sensor System (CSS) 102
for capturing real-time image data of the vehicle's surroundings
and driving surface, a Vision Processing System (VPS) 104 for
analyzing, smoothing, fusing, and/or synthesizing camera-generated
sensor signals, and a Path Planning System (PPS) 106 with optional
Hazard Level Detection (HLD) for calculating vehicle route data
from the processed sensor signals. The CSS 102, VPS 104, and PPS
106 interface with an Automated System Control Module (ASCM) 112 to
automate select vehicle driving operations, e.g., as port of a
wireless charging control scheme, and with a vehicle HMI 142 in
order to transmit information to and, optionally, receive inputs
from a vehicle occupant.
[0035] Camera Sensor System 102 may be composed of any number,
type, and arrangement of image capture devices, such as a
distributed array of digital video cameras each fabricated with a
complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor,
charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, or other suitable active-pixel
sensor (APS). By way of non-limiting example, the CCS 102 is
portrayed in FIG. 3 with: (1) a first (front) longitudinal camera
120 that mounts to the vehicle body proximate a front end thereof
(e.g., inside the engine bay behind the front grille); (2) a first
(left-hand) side camera 122 that mounts proximate a first lateral
(port) side of the vehicle body (e.g., integrated into a
driver-side rearview mirror assembly); (3) a second (right-hand)
side camera 124 that mounts proximate a second lateral (starboard)
side of the vehicle body (e.g., integrated into a passenger-side
rearview mirror assembly); and an optional second (underbody)
longitudinal camera 126 that mounts proximate the vehicle body's
undercarriage (e.g., mounted to a chassis side-rail or
cross-member). CCS 102 may include additional on-body vehicle
camera sensors, such as a third (rear) longitudinal camera that
mounts to the vehicle body proximate a rear end thereof (e.g.,
inside a rear bumper facia or liftgate assembly). The type,
placement, number, and interoperability of the distributed array of
in-vehicle camera sensors may be adapted, singly or collectively,
to a given vehicle platform for achieving a desired level of
autonomous vehicle operation and underbody hazard and foreign
object detection accuracy.
[0036] The distributed array of camera sensors 120, 122, 124 and
126 (FIG. 3) in CSS 102 communicates respective sensor
signals--front, left, right, and underbody camera signals S.sub.CF,
S.sub.CL, S.sub.CR, and S.sub.CU, respectively--via a controller
area network (CAN) bus 108 (FIG. 2) with the VPS 104. Upon receipt,
VPS 104 may comprise any requisite classification, filtering,
preprocessing, fusion, and analysis hardware and software for
processing received raw sensor data. VPS 104 concomitantly analyzes
the processed data to determine target presence, type, and location
data (x, y, .phi., .THETA.), which is then communicated to PPS 106
via CAN bus 108. As will be explained in addition detail below, PPS
106 utilizes the received target data to derive path plan data for
achieving alignment with a target element, including steering
system control signals S.sub.SC (yaw angle and heading commands),
propulsion system control signals S.sub.PC (speed and acceleration
commands), braking system control signals S.sub.BC (stop distance
and brake force commands), and any other requisite motion commands.
To provision automated vehicle driving and vehicle alignment, e.g.,
for living object protection (LOP) or vehicle submersion
remediation, these control signals are fed, either directly or
through a centralized ASCM 112, to a Vehicle Steering System
Control Module (SSCM) 114, a vehicle Propulsion System Control
Module (PSCM) 116, and Vehicle Brake System Control Module (BSCM)
118.
[0037] The motion commands output via PPS 106--control signals
S.sub.SC, S.sub.PC, S.sub.BC--are aggregated via a summation
selector module 110, along with motion feedback data as part of a
closed-loop control scheme. With this closed-loop feedback, the
intelligent vehicle system 100 is able to identify and quantify an
alignment error, which is output as an alignment error signal SAE
to ASCM 112. To offset this alignment error, the ASCM 112 may
actively modulate the motion command signals, thus outputting
modified steering system, propulsion system, and brake system
control signals S.sub.SC', S.sub.PC', and S.sub.BC', respectively.
The intelligent vehicle system 100 of FIG. 2 transmits the modified
control signals S.sub.SC', S.sub.PC', and S.sub.BC' to a steering
actuator of the vehicle's steering system via SSCM 114, to a
propulsion actuator of the vehicle's propulsion system via PSCM
116, and a brake actuator of the vehicle's brake system via BSCM
118. While illustrated as discrete control modules and subsystems,
it is envisioned that any of the schematically illustrated elements
of FIG. 2 may be combined into a single module/controller/system or
divided into any number of networked
modules/controllers/systems.
[0038] Most commercially available vehicles do not come stock
equipped with the necessary hardware and software to detect
hazardous underbody conditions or foreign objects subjacent the
vehicle chassis that may adversely affect the vehicle's passengers
and/or underbody components. In addition, wireless power transfer
(WPT) vehicle charging systems may produce magnetic fields along
the vehicle undercarriage that exceed levels known to negatively
impact animals, humans, and electronic devices, including
implantable medical devices (IMD) and semiconductor printed circuit
board assemblies (PCBAs). Over exposure to the magnetic fields
generated by EMF coils may cause potentially adverse health effects
to living objects or permanently damage exposed electronic devices.
In wireless charging scenarios, existing radar-based LOP systems
with sensing electronics in the charging pad have known issues with
generating false-positives that needlessly suspend charging.
Likewise, capacitive sensor-based LOP systems have known issues
with outputting false-positive triggers due to parasitic
couplings.
[0039] Disclosed systems, methods, and devices enable (living and
non-living) foreign object detection and protection under the
vehicle using resident vision-based systems, e.g., during driving,
idling, parking, key-on and key-off, powertrain warming, wireless
vehicle charging, etc. In the same vein, disclosed systems,
methods, and devices utilize advanced vehicle camera systems and
supervised AI learning methods to detect hazardous conditions
(e.g., elevated water levels, ice formations, impeding roadway
obstructions, large debris, pets, etc.) beneath the vehicle body
and concurrently alert the vehicle operator while taking
ameliorative measures, such as suspending vehicle motion, altering
vehicle trajectory or speed, and/or suspending wireless vehicle
charging. For example, underbody hazard detection and living object
protection is accomplished using front, left, right, rear and
(optionally) underbody cameras in conjunction with machine-learning
based matching techniques with training data. For camera-based
vehicle systems with an underbody (UB) camera, the UB camera may be
protected by a hardened, transparent cover that may be kept clean
using various methods, such as an integrated wiper system or an
ultrasonic cleaning system. A vision processing system may be
trained to assess the hazard level and concomitantly alert the
vehicle operator of a potential hazard or foreign object.
[0040] With reference now to the flowchart of FIG. 4, an improved
method or control strategy for automating vehicle alignment with
underbody foreign object detection of a vehicle, such as
electric-drive vehicle 10 of FIG. 1, using a camera-based control
system, such as intelligent vehicle system 100 of FIG. 2, is
generally described at 200 in accordance with aspects of the
present disclosure. In the same vein, FIG. 5 presents at 300 an
improved method for vision-based ADAS vehicle control with
underbody hazard detection in accordance with aspects of the
present disclosure. Some or all of the operations illustrated in
FIGS. 4 and 5, and described in further detail below, may be
representative of an algorithm that corresponds to
processor-executable instructions stored, for example, in main or
auxiliary or remote memory, and executed, for example, by an
on-board or remote controller, processing unit, control logic
circuit, or other module, device or network of devices, to perform
any or all of the above and below described functions associated
with the disclosed concepts. It should be recognized that the order
of execution of the illustrated operations may be changed,
additional operations may be added, and some of the operations
described may be modified, combined, or eliminated.
[0041] Method 200 begins at terminal block 201 with
processor-executable instructions for a programmable controller or
control module or similarly suitable processor or server computer
to call up an initialization procedure for an automated vehicle
alignment protocol. This routine may be executed in real-time,
continuously, systematically, sporadically and/or at regular
intervals, for example, each 100 milliseconds, etc., during ongoing
vehicle operation. As yet another option, terminal block 201 may
initialize responsive to a user command prompt or a broadcast
prompt signal received from a backend or middleware computing node
tasked with autonomous vehicle alignment. As part of the
initialization procedure at block 201, for example, resident
vehicle telematics unit 42 may execute a navigation processing code
segment, e.g., to obtain vehicle data (e.g., geospatial data,
speed, heading, acceleration, timestamp, etc.), and optionally
display select aspects of this data to an occupant of the vehicle
10. The occupant my employ any of the HMI input controls 48 to then
select a desired origin and/or destination for the vehicle. It is
also envisioned that the ECU 26 or telematics unit 42 processors
receive vehicle origin and vehicle destination information from
other sources, such as a server-class computer provisioning data
exchanges for the cloud computing system 44 or a dedicated mobile
software application operating on a smartphone or other handheld
computing device.
[0042] Upon initialization, the method 200 provides
processor-executable instructions at database block 203 to define
an individual region of interest (ROI) for each of the resident
vehicle cameras being utilized for underbody hazard/foreign object
detection. An ROI may be categorized as a delineated camera frame
area that is inset within each of the vehicle's camera-generated
views; each ROI has been predetermined to be a region in which
foreign objects and hazard are likely to appear. By way of example,
and not limitation, a first (fore) ROI 121 is inset within the
forward vehicle view captured by the first (front) camera 120, a
second (port-side) ROI 123 is inset within the leftward vehicle
view captured by the second (left-hand) camera 122, a third
(starboard-side) ROI 125 is inset within the rightward vehicle view
captured by the third (right-hand) camera 124, and a fourth
(undercarriage) ROI 127 is inset within the downward vehicle view
captured by the underbody camera 126. These ROIs may be
vehicle-calibrated features that are defined specific to a subject
host vehicle. For instance, the ROIs may be based on a
make/model/trim of the vehicle, the respective mounting locations
of the cameras, the view area/angle of each camera, and/or a
predefined protection region around the vehicle (e.g., a geofence
that is 20 cm from all exterior surfaces). An ROI may be "defined"
by retrieving the parameter from a lookup table stored in resident
memory, by calculating the parameter during initial vehicle
calibration procedures, by estimating the parameter through
available model-based techniques, or through any other suitable
determination procedures.
[0043] Prior to, contemporaneous with, or subsequent to the
operations carried out at database block 203, the method 200
defines predetermined target markers for the foreign objects
expected to enter the ROIs at database block 205. In accord with
the illustrated example, a trained neural network will implement
machine-learning based matching techniques with training data to
derive one or more target markers for each foreign object. A
predetermined target marker may include, for example, a respective
shape, size, color, facial feature, eye type or other biometric
feature, and behavioral pattern. To minimize in-vehicle hardware
and processing capacity requirements, target marker generation may
be performed offboard from the vehicle (e.g., via cloud computing
system 44 of FIG. 1) and retrieved in real-time or during batch
processing. For at least some preferred implementations, an ROI is
obtained from a lookup table (LUT) of pixel locations for a subject
camera.
[0044] Method 200 proceeds from database blocks 203 and 205 to data
block 207 to acquire image data from one or more available on-body
vehicle cameras. As described above, a host vehicle (e.g.,
automobile 10 of FIG. 1) may be originally equipped with or
retrofit to include a front camera (e.g., first longitudinal camera
120 of FIG. 3) that mounts proximate a front end of the vehicle
body, driver-side and/or passenger-side cameras (e.g., first and
second side cameras 122, 124) that each mounts proximate a
respective lateral side of the vehicle body, an optional underbody
(UB) camera (e.g., second longitudinal camera 126) that mounts
proximate an undercarriage of the vehicle body, and a rear camera
(e.g., third longitudinal camera) that mounts proximate a rear end
of the vehicle body. According to the illustrated example set forth
in FIG. 3, the first longitudinal (front) camera 120 captures
real-time, forward-facing views of the motor vehicle (e.g., an
outboard field of view directed forward of the front bumper
assembly), whereas the second (underbody) longitudinal camera 126
captures real-time, downward-facing vehicle views (e.g., an
outboard field of view from the undercarriage directed towards the
front drive axle), and the third longitudinal camera captures
real-time, rearward-facing vehicle views (i.e., sequential camera
frames). In the same vein, the first (left-hand) side camera 122
captures real-time, port side views of the motor vehicle (e.g., an
outboard field of view oblique to a driver-side fender assembly),
whereas the second (right-hand) side camera 124 captures real-time,
starboard side views of the motor vehicle (e.g., an outboard field
of view oblique to a passenger-side fender assembly). Each camera
generates and outputs signals indicative of their respective view.
These signals may be retrieved directly from the cameras or from a
memory device tasked with receiving, sorting, and storing such
data.
[0045] Advancing from data block 207 to subroutine block 209, the
method 200 of FIG. 4 scans one or more still frames from the
acquired image data for known target variants within the ROI of
each of the corresponding vehicle views. For instance, a resident
or remote vehicle controller may analyze the real-time images to
detect upcoming hazards and living/inanimate foreign objects
present in the forward-facing, side-facing, rear-facing, and/or
downward-facing views of the motor vehicle. This analysis may
include scanning each image for any of multiple targets each having
a predetermined shape, size, color, outline and/or marker
(collectively "target variants"). Suspected variants are isolated
in and extracted from the scanned images, and a matching engine
attempts to match an extracted variant with one of the predefined
target variants. The target variants used for target element
detection may be derived using machine learning concepts to
identify individual target features corresponding to select target
locations, objects, etc. The method 200 determines, at decision
block 211, whether or not a hazard/target object has been detected.
If not (Block 211=NO), the method 200 may advance from decision
block 211 to terminal block 237 and terminate or, alternatively,
may loop back to terminal block 201 or data block 207 and run in a
continuous loop.
[0046] Responsive to detecting a hazard/target object within at
least one of the ROIs in the perspective views of the vehicle
(Block 211=YES), the method 200 of FIG. 4 continues to
determination blocks 213, 215, 217 and 219 at which the detected
target object is tracked by the available cameras. According to the
illustrated example, camera sensor signals continue to be received
from the front, side, and rear cameras; these sensor signals are
indicative of real-time images of the vehicle's outboard-facing
forward, left side, right side, and rear views. At block 213, the
data images of the vehicle's front camera are scanned for the
target, e.g., in a continuous or substantially continuous manner.
Congruently, the data images of the vehicle's left-side camera are
scanned for the target at block 215, and the data images of the
vehicle's right-side camera are scanned for the target at block
217. At block 219, the data images of the vehicle's rear camera are
scanned to see if the target object is found by a resident vehicle
camera. If the hazard/target object is not found by any of the
vehicle cameras (Block 213 and Block 215 and Block 217 and Block
219=NO), the method 200 may loop back to subroutine block 209.
[0047] With continuing reference to FIG. 4, method 200 responds to
detection of the hazard/target object in any one of the vehicle
cameras (Block 213 or Block 215 or Block 217 or Block 219=YES) by
assigning an index identification (ID) and a start location to the
hazard/foreign object, as indicated at subroutine block 221. During
normal vehicle operation, a camera will likely capture multiple
objects within its particular vehicle view; the vehicle controller
will demarcate between extraneous objects (e.g., a distant tree, a
mailbox, a roadway surface, etc.) and prospective target objects
(e.g., a dog, a parking block, a large pothole, a black ice patch,
etc.). A target object deemed to be a likely hazard or foreign
object is labelled with a corresponding index ID and marked with
coordinates for its start location within the vehicle view or
views.
[0048] Method 200 thereafter advances to process block 223 to
monitor the indexed hazard/foreign object in subsequent frames of
the real-time images of the vehicle's outboard-facing end and side
views by scanning for the index ID with respect to the start
location. While looking for the assigned index and living object in
successive camera frames, the vehicle controller determines whether
or not that foreign object/hazard moves out of frame (i.e.,
disappears from vehicle view) in the side and end cameras, as
indicated at decision block 225. If not (Block 225=NO), the method
200 cycles back to process block 223 or, alternatively, loops back
to decision block 211 or ends at terminal block 237. On the other
hand, in response to a determination that the indexed foreign
object/hazard was lost in frame (Block 225=YES), the method 200 may
assume the object/hazard has moved underneath the vehicle and, to
corroborate, executes an image acquisition procedure at data block
227 to attain camera frame data of the vehicle's undercarriage view
from the underbody camera. Movement of a hazard/object to the
underbody of the vehicle may be a result of the object/hazard
moving (e.g., transient living objects or roadway debris), the
vehicle moving (e.g., during parking, highway driving, etc.), or a
combination of both.
[0049] Upon acquisition of the underbody camera's captured image
frames, subroutine block 229 of FIG. 4 scans these underbody camera
frames to ascertain whether or not the target object/hazard is
present or absent from an underbody region of the vehicle. For
alternative intelligent vehicle system architectures that lack an
underbody camera, the method 200 omits data block 227 and modifies
subroutine block 229 to scan for a lost foreign object/hazard in
other available camera frames. After scanning for the lost,
index-assigned object/hazard in the underbody camera frames and/or
other available camera frames, method 200 determines whether or not
the lost object/hazard has been located by a resident vehicle
camera at decision block 231. Upon determining that the
object/hazard has not been located (Block 231=NO), the method 200
proceeds to input/output block 233 and transmits an alert to the
driver that OBJECT/HAZARD NOT PRESENT and, optionally, transmits a
commence charging signal to a charging system controller of a WEVSE
at which the vehicle is attempting to recharge. Closed-loop
feedback data resulting from the detected and lost hazard/object
may be optionally accumulated and fed back to the control system
for analysis and subsequent modulation of system parameters. The
method 200 may then terminate at terminal block 237.
[0050] Upon determining that the object/hazard has been located and
is present underneath the vehicle (Block 231=YES), the method 200
proceeds to input/output block 235 and transmits an alert to the
driver that OBJECT/HAZARD PRESENT and, optionally, transmits a
postpone charging signal to the charging system controller of the
WEVSE. The driver may be prompted to take ameliorative action to
remove the object/hazard from underneath the vehicle (e.g., sound
horn and illuminate vehicle lights to scare off living object). In
addition to, or as an alternative for, transmitting an alert to the
driver, control signals are transmitted to the vehicle's
propulsion, steering and/or braking systems to take preventative
action that is calibrated to preclude collision of the vehicle with
and/or remove the foreign object/hazard from the underbody region.
Closed-loop feedback data resulting from detecting an underbody
hazard/object may be optionally accumulated and fed back to the
control system for analysis and subsequent modulation of system
parameters. The method 200 may advance from input/output block 235
to terminal block 237 and terminate or, alternatively, may loop
back to terminal block 201 and run in a continuous loop.
[0051] Turning next to FIG. 5, method 300 begins at terminal block
301 with processor-executable instructions for a programmable
controller or control module or similarly suitable processor to
call up an initialization procedure for an underbody hazard
detection protocol with automated preventative vehicle driving and
driver alert capabilities. As indicated above, the method 300 of
FIG. 5 may include any of the features, options, and alternatives
described above with respect to the method 200 of FIG. 4, and vice
versa. In this regard, the features and options associated with
terminal block 201 of FIG. 4 described above may be incorporated,
singly or in any suitable combination, into terminal block 301 of
FIG. 5. As yet another example, the image acquisition and
aggregation operations carried out at data block 313, in
conjunction with camera data blocks 303, 305, 307, 309 and 311 for
retrieving camera sensor signals from front, right, left, rear and
underbody cameras, respectively, may be similar in functionality to
the operations carried out at data block 207. Likewise, identifying
and defining regions of interest at subroutine block 315 may be
similar or identical to the operations carried out at database
block 203.
[0052] Prior to, contemporaneous with, or subsequent to image
acquisition and ROI identification, method 300 of FIG. 5 determines
the outer contours of sensitive underbody vehicle components (e.g.,
high-voltage (HV) propulsion motors, HV battery pack tray, power
electronics modules, brake lines, suspension and roll control
systems, etc.) at process block 317. Then, at IQ statistics
subroutine block 319, the vehicle controller will determine a color
temperature of the scene and an exposure value of the imager in the
scene for each camera. In addition, at process block 321, the
vehicle controller will determine Auto White Balancing (AWB) of the
scene, Tone Mapping values for the scene, and Gamma curve values to
help determine the presence and proximity of snow, water, and other
hazards in the scene.
[0053] With continuing reference to FIG. 5, the method 300 advances
to process block 323 to scan the camera frame data received from
the front, right, left, and rear vehicle cameras for an oncoming
hazard. It should be appreciated that the operations carried out at
process block 323 of FIG. 5 may be similar or identical to those
carried out at subroutine block 209 of FIG. 4. Comparable to
decision block 211, the method 300 continues to decision block 325
to determine whether or not snow, water, ice or other potential
hazard or foreign object is detected in any of the resident vehicle
cameras. If not (Block 325=NO), the method 300 of FIG. 5 may
advance from decision block 325 to terminal block 353 and terminate
or, alternatively, may loop back to terminal block 301 or process
block 323 and run in a continuous loop.
[0054] In response to a determination that a potential hazard or
foreign object is detected in at least one of the resident vehicle
cameras (Block 325=YES), the method 300 continues to process block
327 and scans the vehicle underbody for the hazard/object, e.g.,
similar to blocks 227 and 229 of FIG. 4. As another potential point
of overlap, decision block 329 of FIG. 5 may be similar in function
to decision block 231 of FIG. 4, during which the real-time images
of the downward vehicle view captured by the underbody camera are
evaluated to determine if the hazard/object is now located
underneath the vehicle. If not (Block 329=NO), the method 300 may
loop back to process block 327 or process block 323 or,
alternatively, terminate at terminal block 353.
[0055] Responsive to a determination that the potential
hazard/foreign object is located in an underbody region of the
vehicle (Block 329=YES), the method 300 continues to decision block
331 to assess whether or not the underbody camera has blacked out
and, thus, the vehicle is likely to be at least partially submerged
or the vehicle undercarriage and/or underbody camera may have been
severely damaged. If the underbody camera has not blacked out
(Block 331=NO), the method 300 returns to process block 327 or
terminates at terminal block 353. Conversely, upon determining that
the underbody camera has blacked out (Block 331=YES), the method
300 responsively transmits an alert (e.g., visual, audible, and/or
haptic warming) to a vehicle occupant indicative of the underbody
hazard/foreign object at subroutine block 333. The occurrence of
this event may be timestamped and stored in local cache memory. As
yet a further option, the vehicle controller may set a maintenance
check flag at process block 335, which may be accompanied by
instructions to the vehicle driver to seek vehicle maintenance. As
yet a further option, the vehicle controller may transmit one or
more control signals to one or more vehicle dynamics systems to
automate preventative measures designed to protect the vehicle.
[0056] Method 300 advances from process block 335 to decision block
337 to determine if the front or rear end cameras have also
blacked, providing a further indication that the vehicle may be
partially submerged (e.g., in a water hazard) or may have suffered
damage (e.g., from a transient foreign object). If not (Block
337=NO), the method 300 may return to process block 323. If the
front or rear cameras has blacked out (Block 337=YES), the method
300 proceeds to subroutine block 339 and responsively transmits a
heightened alert to a vehicle occupant, a timestamped hazard event
may be logged in local cache memory, a maintenance check flag may
be set, and/or control signals may be transmitted to a combination
of vehicle dynamics systems to automate preventative measures
designed to protect the vehicle.
[0057] Method 300 thereafter advances from subroutine block 339 to
decision block 341 to determine if the left or right-side cameras
have also blacked, providing yet further indicia that the vehicle
may be submerged or damaged. If not (Block 341=NO), the method 300
may return to process block 323. If any one of the front, rear,
left or right cameras has blacked out (Block 341=YES), the method
300 proceeds to subroutine block 343 and responsively transmits a
high alert to a vehicle occupant, a timestamped severe hazard event
may be logged in local cache memory, a maintenance check flag may
be set, and/or additional control signals may be transmitted to a
combination of vehicle dynamics systems to automate preventative
measures designed to protect the vehicle.
[0058] Process block 345 includes processor-executable instructions
to flash one or more or all of the vehicle's exterior lamps and
sound the vehicle horn system. At input/output block 347,
geopositional coordinate data for the subject host vehicle is
retrieved from a GPS service provider. Method 300 then determines,
at decision block 349, if the vehicle is in a body of water (e.g.,
prompting the driver for feedback via telematics unit 42). If so
(Block 349=YES), the method proceeds to input/output block 351 to
transmit a report to a remote vehicle security and emergency system
(e.g., OnStar.RTM.). The method 300 thereafter terminates at
terminal block 353.
[0059] In addition to automating detection of underbody hazards and
foreign objects and automating remediating measures to protect the
vehicle and foreign objects, disclosed features may be employed in
other applications, including the use of underbody camera to detect
corrosive fluids in the vicinity of critical vehicle components,
such as traction motors, in-vehicle electronics, exhaust system
components, suspension components, steering components, brake
components, etc. In addition, foreign objects, such as mud, stones,
tree branches, etc., might impair proper functioning of the
underbody components, such as steering and brake system components,
and impede wireless vehicle charging; the vehicle may automate
vehicle powertrain, steering and braking system operations to
redress these issues. In addition, detection of the presence of
poisonous and/or dangerous animals, such as venomous snakes,
alligators, large spiders, scorpions, etc., prior to starting or
entering/alighting from the vehicle may be avoided to protect
vehicle users/occupants.
[0060] Aspects of this disclosure may be implemented, in some
embodiments, through a computer-executable program of instructions,
such as program modules, generally referred to as software
applications or application programs executed by any of a
controller or the controller variations described herein. Software
may include, in non-limiting examples, routines, programs, objects,
components, and data structures that perform particular tasks or
implement particular data types. The software may form an interface
to allow a computer to react according to a source of input. The
software may also cooperate with other code segments to initiate a
variety of tasks in response to data received in conjunction with
the source of the received data. The software may be stored on any
of a variety of memory media, such as CD-ROM, magnetic disk, bubble
memory, and semiconductor memory (e.g., various types of RAM or
ROM).
[0061] Moreover, aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced
with a variety of computer-system and computer-network
configurations, including multiprocessor systems,
microprocessor-based or programmable-consumer electronics,
minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. In addition,
aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced in
distributed-computing environments where tasks are performed by
resident and remote-processing devices that are linked through a
communications network. In a distributed-computing environment,
program modules may be located in both local and remote
computer-storage media including memory storage devices. Aspects of
the present disclosure may therefore be implemented in connection
with various hardware, software or a combination thereof, in a
computer system or other processing system.
[0062] Any of the methods described herein may include machine
readable instructions for execution by: (a) a processor, (b) a
controller, and/or (c) any other suitable processing device. Any
algorithm, software, control logic, protocol or method disclosed
herein may be embodied as software stored on a tangible medium such
as, for example, a flash memory, a CD-ROM, a floppy disk, a hard
drive, a digital versatile disk (DVD), or other memory devices. The
entire algorithm, control logic, protocol, or method, and/or parts
thereof, may alternatively be executed by a device other than a
controller and/or embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware in an
available manner (e.g., implemented by an application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a
field programmable logic device (FPLD), discrete logic, etc.).
Further, although specific algorithms are described with reference
to flowcharts depicted herein, many other methods for implementing
the example machine-readable instructions may alternatively be
used.
[0063] Aspects of the present disclosure have been described in
detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments; those skilled
in the art will recognize, however, that many modifications may be
made thereto without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the precise
construction and compositions disclosed herein; any and all
modifications, changes, and variations apparent from the foregoing
descriptions are within the scope of the disclosure as defined by
the appended claims. Moreover, the present concepts expressly
include any and all combinations and subcombinations of the
preceding elements and features.
* * * * *