GB2441560A

GB2441560A - A safety system for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2441560A
Application number: GB0614945A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Johan Karlsson
Original assignee: Autoliv Development AB
Current assignee: Autoliv Development AB
Priority date: 2006-07-27
Filing date: 2006-07-27
Publication date: 2008-03-12
Anticipated expiration: 2026-07-27
Also published as: GB0614945D0; GB2441560B

Abstract

An object detection arrangement detects and classifies objects 5, 6 in the vicinity of a vehicle 1 and determines the locations thereof. An eye detection arrangement determines the positions of the eyes of a driver of the vehicle 1. From these detections, a processor determines whether an object is at least partly hidden from the driver by a part of the vehicle, e.g. in areas 7-11, and an output arrangement provides an output signal if an object, classified as hazardous by the object detection arrangement, is determined to be so hidden. The eye detection arrangement ensures that the blind spot areas are better defined, even though the driver may shift position. This reduces the number of false alarms, when the object can actually be seen by the driver, thus reducing the likelihood of warnings being ignored.

Description

"A Vehicle Safety System"

Description of Invention

THIS INVENTION relates to a vehicle safety system, and in particular concerns a system for reducing the likelihood of collisions with objects that are obscured from the driver's view by a structural part of the vehicle itself.

It has previously been proposed to provide on-board detection systems for vehicles, which are able to recognise and classify objects in the vicinity of the vehicle, such as other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. Known systems of this type may determine the position, heading and speed of such objects relative to the vehicle, and t has been found that video cameras, radar and/or lidar can be used for this purpose.

It has also been recognised that structural parts of the vehicle, for instance the A-pillars, can obscure the driver's view of objects in the vicinity of the vehicle.

Clearly, if a driver is unable to see another road user then the chances of a collision or other hazardous situation occurring are increased.

In published US Patent Application No. 2005/0168695, a system is proposed in which the position of the eyes of the driver relative to the vehicle cabin are determined, and an appropriate view of the vehicle surroundings projected onto the insides of the A-pillars, using a small projector located within the cabin. The image itself that is projected is selected from data collected by one or more external video cameras, and is intended to compensate for the opacity of the pillars.

There are, however, problems associated with this approach. In the first instance, it is very difficult to project a correct image on to the A-pillar that is effectively integrated with the driver's view through the windscreen and the side windows. In addition, if the position of the driver's head changes rapidly, the view that is projected onto the inside of the A-pillars may "lag", causing disorientation and possibly even leading a driver to believe that there is an object obscured behind the A-pillar when this is not the case. A projected image would also be disturbed by ambient light reflected by the inside of the A-pillar, and in general this is not considered to be an effective solution to the problem.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved vehicle safety system, which seeks to ameliorate some or all of the problems identified above.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides a safety system for a vehicle, the system comprising: an object detection arrangement for detecting and classifying objects in the vicinity of the vehicle, and determining the locations thereof: an eye detection arrangement for determining the positions of the eyes of a driver of the vehicle: a processor for determining whether an object is at least partly hidden from the driver by a part of the vehicle: and an output arrangement to provide an output signal if an object, classified as hazardous by the object detection arrangement, is determined to be so hidden.

Advantageously, the output arrangement comprises a warning arrangement to provide a warning to the driver.

Preferably, a vehicle safety device is activated in response to the output signal.

Conveniently, a vehicle safety device is adapted in response to the control signal.

Advantageously, an activation threshold of a vehicle safety device is altered in response to the control signal.

Preferably, the vehicle device comprises an active system operable to intervene in the braking and/or steering of the vehicle.

Conveniently, the object detection arrangement is operable to classify an object as hazardous based upon the speed and heading of the object.

Advantageously, the object detection arrangement is operable to classify an object as hazardous based upon the speed and heading of the vehicle.

Preferably, the object detection arrangement is operable to classify an object as hazardous based upon the speed and heading of the object relative to the vehicle.

Conveniently, the object detection arrangement is operable to classify an object as hazardous if the object is determined to be a motor vehicle, a cyclist or a pedestrian.

Advantageously, the eye detection arrangement is further operable to determine the direction of the gaze of the driver of the vehicle.

Preferably, the object detection arrangement is operable to classify an object as hazardous if it is determined that the direction of gaze of the driver is away from the object.

Conveniently, the object detection arrangement is operable to classify an object as hazardous if it is determined, from the direction of gaze of the driver, that the object is outside the field of vision of the driver.

Advantageously, the direction of gaze of the driver is determined from the position of the driver's pupils relative to the driver's eyes.

Preferably, the position of the driver's eyes is determined from the position of the driver's head.

Conveniently, the part of the vehicle is a structural part of the vehicle.

Advantageously, the part of the vehicle is a pillar of the vehicle.

Preferably, the warning system is operable to provide a visual, audible or tactile warning to the driver.

Conveniently, the warning system is operable to provide a warning that provides information to the driver regarding the direction of the object that is at least partly hidden from the driver.

Preferably, the warning system is operable to provide a visual warning from a point on or near the part of the vehicle behind which the object is at least partly hidden.

Conveniently, the warning system is operable to provide a visual warning that indicates to the driver the side of the vehicle to which the object is located.

Advantageously, the warning system is operable to provide an audible warning comprising speech informing the driver as to the location of the object and/or the nature of the hazard.

Preferably, the warning system is operable to provide a directional sound related to the location of the object.

Conveniently, the safety system is operable to detect a plurality of objects and, if each of the objects is classified as hazardous, to provide to the driver a warning relating to at least one of the objects.

Advantageously, warnings are also provided to the driver in respect of other objects that are classified as hazardous.

Preferably, the processor is operable to determine which of the detected objects presents a greater hazard, and to provide a warning relating to that object.

Conveniently, warnings are not provided to the driver in respect of other detected objects.

Advantageously, respective warnings relating to each of the objects are provided to the driver.

Preferably, a different warning is given relating to the object that is determined to present a greater hazard than to the other detected objects Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of increasing vehicle safety, comprising the steps of: detecting and classifying objects in the vicinity of the vehicle, and determining the locations thereof; determining the positions of the eyes of a driver of the vehicle; determining whether an object is at least partly hidden from the driver by a part of the vehicle; and providing an output signal if an object, classified as hazardous by the object detection arrangement, is determined to be so hidden.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a vehicle involved in a potentially hazardous situation; Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the view of the driver of the vehicle in figure 1: and Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the cabin of the vehicle of figure 1.

A vehicle safety system embodying the present invention comprises an object detection arrangement, which is operable to detect and classify objects in the vicinity of the vehicle. A skilled person will be aware of various techniques for achieving this, and, as mentioned above, any one, or a combination of video cameras, radar and lidar may be used for this purpose. It is also envisaged that wireless communications directly between the vehicle and other vehicles or objects may be used. The object detection arrangement is also operable to determine the locations, and preferably the velocities (i.e. heading and speed), of detected objects relative to the vehicle.

The safety system further comprises an eye detection arrangement, which is operable to determine the positions of the eyes of the driver. Once again, there are various known systems for achieving this, such as the Smart Eye Pro (TM)" eye tracker system may be used. Preferably, the eye detection arrangement is also operable to determine the direction of the gaze of the driver, and the Smart Eye Pro system has this capability.

The safety system also comprises a processor whose task is to determine whether an object, which has been detected by the detection arrangement, is at least partly hidden from the driver by a part of the vehicle. In order to do so, the processor has access to a mathematical model of the geometry of at least parts of the vehicle cabin. When the position of the eyes of the driver, relative to the interior of the vehicle cabin, is determined by the eye detection arrangement the processor will then be able to determined the locations of blind spots, by calculating which regions of space outside the vehicle lie behind structural parts of the vehicle from the position of the eyes of the driver.

The object detection arrangement is also able to classify objects which are detected in the vicinity of the vehicle. If it is determined that a detected object is at least partly obscured from the driver's view by a part of the vehicle, then a warning will be given to the driver if the object in question is classified as sufficiently hazardous to warrant an alarm being provided.

In order to classify an object, the position, speed and heading of the object relative to the vehicle is determined, If it appears, from the relative speeds and headings of the object and the vehicle, that a collision appears likely, then it is probable that the object will be classified as hazardous by the object detection arrangement. If, however, a reasonable extrapolation of the future positions of the vehicle and the object, based on the present positions and headings (and possibly also taking into account the layout of the road(s) in the vicinity of the vehicle), reveals that a collision is unlikely, then the object should not be classified as hazardous.

The nature of the detected object is also important in correct classification. If the object is determined to be another road user, for instance a motor vehicle, a cyclist or a pedestrian, then the object is more likely to be classified as hazardous. If, however, the object is determined to be an inanimate object, for instance a box or other item of debris in the path of the vehicle, then the object is less likely to be classified as hazardous, since it appears that a possible collision would not pose a danger to others (although of course a collision could be dangerous to occupants of the vehicle). In preferred embodiments of the invention, the object detection arrangement is able to determine whether or not a detected object is stationary with respect to the vehicle's surroundings.

In such embodiments, the probability of the object being classified as hazardous may be reduced if the object is determined to be stationary, but this need not necessarily be so. Indeed, other road users such as cyclists or pedestrians may be stationary, or effectively appear to be stationary, whilst still presenting a significant hazard.

As discussed above, in embodiments of the invention the direction of the gaze of the driver may be determined by the eye detection arrangement. In such embodiments, the direction of the driver's gaze may be taken into account in 1 5 classifying an object as hazardous or otherwise. For instance, if the driver's gaze appears to be directed away from the object, particularly if it is determined that the object is outside the driver's field of vision, then the probability of an object being classified as hazardous is increased.

The classification of non-hazardous objects is important, since it is desired to minimise the number of warnings that are presented to the driver. If an excessive number of warnings are presented, the driver may begin to disregard the warning, and may therefore not react appropriately when a warning is given in genuinely hazardous circumstances.

It is also possible, particularly for a driver beginning to use the system, that a warning will be given when the risk of hazard is relatively low, and that this may cause the driver to take evasive action which might, in itself, lead to potentially greater hazards.

The safety system further comprises a warning arrangement, which is operable to provide a warning to the driver if an object, classified as hazardous by the object of the detection arrangement, is determined to be at least partly hidden from the driver by a part of the vehicle. The warning may take the form of a visual, audible and/or tactile signal to the vehicle driver. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the warning provides the driver with information as to the location, and possibly nature, of the object in question.

For instance, warning lights may be provided on both of the A-pillars of a vehicle, and if an object is obscured behind one of the A-pillars then the warning light positioned on that A-pillar may light up to indicate the direction of the potential hazard.

Alternatively, a warning light display may be provided more centrally on the dashboard of the vehicle, but may light up in various configurations to indicate to the driver the side of the vehicle on which the hazard is located. In such embodiments, left and right arrow-shaped lights may be provided, with the appropriate light being illuminated if an object is determined to be hidden behind the left or right A-pillar.

An audible warning may also contain such information, for instance speech describing to the driver the location of the potential hazard. In such embodiments, a pre-recorded voice may state "potential hazard behind left A-pillar", swiftly alerting the driver to the possible danger. The position of the object could also be indicated by directional sound provided by a stereo system.

In addition, or as an alternative to providing a warning to the driver, the vehicle safety system may also provide an output signal to control on-board active vehicle safety devices.

For instance, active braking and/or steering may be deployed if it appears that, due to a hazardous object which is hidden from the view of the driver, a collision is imminent. The active braking and/or steering would be deployed in such a manner as to attempt to avoid the collision or other hazardous situation.

Other active vehicle safety devices such as a seat belt pretensioner or an air bag may also be controlled by an output signal from the safety system. In addition, pedestrian safety devices, such as external air bags or a bonnet lifter may be activated. In preferred embodiments of the invention, pedestrian safety systems will only be activated if the safety system determines that a hazardous object is a pedestrian or cyclist.

As a further alternative, one or more activation thresholds of an active safety system may be altered in dependence upon the output signal from the safety system. For instance, thresholds relating to projected time to impact, distance to impact or instantaneous deceleration required for the inflation of an air bag may be lowered if it is determined that a collision appears to be likely.

An example of use of a vehicle's safety system embodying the present invention will now be described.

With reference to figure 1, a vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle safety system is shown travelling along a road 2, and approaching a junction 3, which is a cross-junction between the road 2 and a second road 4, which is substantially at right angles to the road 2 on which the vehicle 1 is travelling. Approaching the junction 3 from the left, from the point of view of the vehicle 1, is a second vehicle 5. Approaching the junction 3 from the right is a cyclist 6. The vehicle 1 is beginning to turn left onto the second road 4.

The eye detection arrangement (not shown) detects the position of the driver's eyes, and using the mathematical model of the car geometry, establishes the driver's blind spots. A left forward blind spot 7 results from the presence of the left A-pillar, and a right forward blind spot 8 results from the presence of the right B-pillar. Left and right side blind spots 9, 10 arise from obscuration by the left and right B-pillars, and a larger rear blind spot 11 exists behind the vehicle 1.

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the view of the driver of the vehicle 1.

The driver is sitting on the left-hand side of the vehicle 1, in front of the steering wheel 12, and can see objects through the windscreen 1 3 and the left and right side windows 14,15. The view is, however, partly obscured by the left and right A-pillars 16,17.

From the driver's point of view, the second vehicle 5 to the left represents the most obvious hazard, and in this instance the gaze 18 of the driver is observed to be directed close to the second vehicle 5.

The cyclist 6 is, however, partly obscured the right-hand A-pillar 1 7, in the right forward blind spot 8.

In the situation shown in Figure 1, since the vehicle is turning left, away from the cyclist 6, it is likely that the cyclist 6 will not be determined to be hazardous. A reasonable extrapolation of the future positions of the vehicle 1 and the cyclist 6 shows that a collision or near-miss is unlikely, and so no warning will be given to the driver.

In determining the motion of the vehicle 1, the processor may rely on accelerometers, yaw-rate sensors or other on-board motion sensors, or on a position system such as GPS.

If, however, the vehicle 1 was not turning left, and was continuing straight on at the junction, then it is likely that the cyclist 6 will be determined by object detection arrangement as being hazardous, since the cyclist 6 is partly obscured by the right-hand A-pillar 12, and is also on a possible collision course with the vehicle 1. In addition, the gaze 18 of the driver is directed away from the cyclist 6, reducing the possibility that the driver is aware of the cyclist 6.

A warning will therefore be given to the driver by the warning arrangement and, as discussed above, this will preferably indicate to the driver the location of the potential hazard.

Referring to figure 3, the location of the right forward blind spot 8 is shown for two different positions 19a, 19b of the head of the driver. The first position is towards the centre of the vehicle, and in this case the forward right blind spot 8 will be directed further towards the direction of travel of the vehicle 1. If, however, the driver's head moves to the left to be in the second position 19b, then the forward right blind spot 8 will move further round to the right-hand side of the vehicle 1. Figure 3 indicates how the position of the blind spots can vary significantly depending upon the position of the head of the driver, and also how, once the driver has been alerted to a possible hazard, the driver may readily be able to observe the hazard by moving his or her head. Three different positions of the cyclist 6 are shown, with positions 21 and 23 being visible from one of the head positions 1 9a, 1 9b but not from the other. Position 22 is obscured in either position.

It is possible that the vehicle safety system will determine that more than one object present a potential hazard at any one time. For instance, in the situation described above, the other vehicle 5 may be travelling at such speed that it seems likely that it would not be able to stop in a controlled manner before reaching the junction 3. If the vehicle 1 was travelling straight on, both the other vehicle 5 and the cyclist 6 could present potential hazards, but in this case only the cyclist 6 is hidden from the driver.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, the warning arrangement is operable to provide multiple warnings to the driver. For instance, lights could illuminate on both left and right A-pillars 16, 17, left and right arrow-shaped lights could illuminate on the dashboard, or artificial speech could inform the driver that hazards have been identified on both sides.

In further embodiments, the processor is operable to rank the potential hazards in order of apparent risk, by using a series of priority rules. For instance, if the current positions and velocities of the vehicle and two external objects indicate that a collision is possible, but that a collision is more likely with one of the objects, then that object could be considered the greater risk.

Also, if it is judged that a collision with one object would be much more serious than with the other (e.g. if the relative speed of the vehicle and an object travelling in a similar direction is 10 kph, but the relative speed of the vehicle and an object travelling in substantially the opposite direction is 80 kp) then the one object may be determined to be the greater risk. A further consideration is the type of object detected, since a low-speed impact with another vehicle is less likely to lead to serious injury than a low-speed impact with a cyclist or pedestrian, and in this case a cyclist or pedestrian may be determined to be the most serious risk.

Once the processor has identified the most serious of multiple potential hazards, the driver may be given a warning relating only to the most serious one. Alternatively, multiple warnings may be issued to the driver, but the warning relating to the most serious potential hazard may be more prominent than other warnings. For instance, warning lights relating to the most serious hazard may illuminate more brightly or in a different colour to other warnings.

Alternatively, the warning lights may flash, with the rate of flash, or another property of the flashing pattern, varying with the determined degree of risk. For example, a fast rate of flashing may indicate a greater risk. Indeed, a system of this type to indicate a level of risk may be employed when only one potentially hazardous object is detected.

It will be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention provide a powerful and flexible vehicle safety system.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

Claims 1. A safety system for a vehicle, the system comprising: an

object detection arrangement for detecting and classifying objects in the vicinity of the vehicle, and determining the locations thereof; an eye detection arrangement for determining the positions of the eyes of a driver of the vehicle; a processor for determining whether an object is at least partly hidden from the driver by a part of the vehicle; and an output arrangement to provide an output signal if an object, classified as hazardous by the object detection arrangement, is determined to be so hidden.
2. A safety system according to Claim 1 wherein the output arrangement comprises a warning arrangement to provide a warning to the driver.
3. A safety system according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein a vehicle safety device is activated in response to the output signal.
4. A safety system according to any preceding claim, wherein a vehicle safety device is adapted in response to the control signal.
5. A safety system according to Claim 4, wherein an activation threshold of a vehicle safety device is altered in response to the control signal.
6. A safety system according to any one of Claims 3 to 5, wherein the vehicle device comprises an active system operable to intervene in the braking and/or steering of the vehicle.
7. A safety system according to any preceding claim, wherein the object detection arrangement is operable to classify an object as hazardous based upon the speed and heading of the object.
8. A safety system according to any preceding claim, wherein the object detection arrangement is operable to classify an object as hazardous based upon the speed and heading of the vehicle.
9. A safety system according to any preceding claim, wherein the object detection arrangement is operable to classify an object as hazardous based upon the speed and heading of the object relative to the vehicle.
10. A safety system according to any preceding claim, wherein the object detection arrangement is operable to classify an object as hazardous if the object is determined to be a motor vehicle, a cyclist or a pedestrian.
11. A safety system according to any preceding claim, wherein the eye detection arrangement is further operable to determine the direction of the gaze of the driver of the vehicle.
12. A safety system according to Claim 11, wherein the object detection arrangement is operable to classify an object as hazardous if it is determined that the direction of gaze of the driver is away from the object.
13. A safety system according to Claim 12, wherein the object detection arrangement is operable to classify an object as hazardous if it is detern-iined, from the direction of gaze of the driver, that the object is outside the field of vision of the driver.
14. A safety system according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the direction of gaze of the driver is determined from the position of the driver's pupils relative to the driver's eyes.
1 5. A safety system according to any preceding claim, wherein the position of the driver's eyes is determined from the position of the driver's head.
16. A safety system according to any preceding claim, wherein the part of the vehicle is a structural part of the vehicle.
17. A safety system according to Claim 16, wherein the part of the vehicle is a pillar of the vehicle.
18. A safety system according to any one of Claims 2 to 17, wherein the warning system is operable to provide a visual, audible or tactile warning to the driver.
19. A safety system according to Claim 18, wherein the warning system is operable to provide a warning that provides information to the driver regarding the direction of the object that is at least partly hidden from the driver.
20. A safety system according to Claim 19, wherein the warning system is operable to provide a visual warning from a point on or near the part of the vehicle behind which the object is at least partly hidden.
21. A safety system according to Claim 19 or 20, wherein the warning system is operable to provide a visual warning that indicates to the driver the side of the vehicle to which the object is located.
22. A safety system according to any one of claims, 19 to 21, wherein the warning system is operable to provide an audible warning comprising speech informing the driver as to the location of the object and/or the nature of the hazard.
23. A safety system according to any one of Claims 18 to 22, wherein the warning system is operable to provide a directional sound related to the location of the object.
24. A safety system according to any preceding claim, operable to detect a plurality of objects and, if each of the objects is classified as hazardous, to provide to the driver a warning relating to at least one of the objects.
25. A safety system according to Claim 24, wherein warnings are also provided to the driver in respect of other objects that are classified as hazardous.
26. A safety system according to Claim 24, wherein the processor is operable to determine which of the detected objects presents a greater hazard, and to provide a warning relating to that object.
27. A safety system according to Claim 26, wherein warnings are not provided to the driver in respect of other detected objects.
28. A safety system according to Claim 25, wherein respective warnings relating to each of the objects are provided to the driver.
29. A safety system according to Claim 28, wherein a different warning is given relating to the object that is determined to present a greater hazard than to the other detected objects
30. A method of increasing vehicle safety, comprising the steps of: detecting and classifying objects in the vicinity of the vehicle, and determining the locations thereof; determining the positions of the eyes of a driver of the vehicle; determining whether an object is at least partly hidden from the driver by a part of the vehicle; and providing an output signal if an object, classified as hazardous by the object detection arrangement, is determined to be so hidden.
31. A safety system substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
32. A method substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
33. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.