DE102017007766A1

DE102017007766A1 - Method for detecting a lane course

Info

Publication number: DE102017007766A1
Application number: DE102017007766.5A
Authority: DE
Inventors: Thomas Wagner; Wilhelmus Kok
Original assignee: Daimler AG
Current assignee: Daimler AG
Priority date: 2017-08-16
Filing date: 2017-08-16
Publication date: 2018-02-22

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for detecting a lane course (2 ', 20) in a vehicle (1) having an image capture unit (4). The invention is characterized in that inclination values are additionally determined and used to correct the detected lane course (20).

Description

The invention relates to a method for detecting a lane course in a vehicle with an image capture unit.
From the prior art in the form of DE 10 2010 020 688 A1 It is known in principle to determine the lane course for a vehicle via an image capture device. The image capture device used there is, for example, a stereo camera. The course of a traffic lane or the course of the entire roadway is detected by way of it, for which purpose the lane-limiting lateral contours or structures are evaluated in order to generate the course of the traffic lane from the acquired image data.
In practice, due to the geographical conditions, distortions of these recorded track data may occur, in particular at a greater distance from the image capturing unit. This is highly undesirable, as a result of this appropriate regulations for autonomous or partially autonomous driving possibly go with wrong information in a pre-regulation, so it can lead to an example jerky driving course.
The object of the present invention is now to provide an improved method for detecting a lane course according to the preamble of claim 1, which can correct such distortions.
According to the invention this object is achieved by a method having the features in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the method emerge from the dependent subclaims.
The method according to the invention uses, like the method described in the aforementioned prior art, an image acquisition unit, in particular a stereo camera, to detect the lane course from a vehicle. The inventors have now recognized that the majority of the distortions occurring in the detected lane course result from corresponding inclinations of the lane, in which case, in particular in the case of a depression, that is to say a gradient, the data acquisition device falsifies toward the end of the field of view of the image capture unit be that the road width is assumed to be too narrow. With a dome, so a slope, it is exactly the opposite. The method according to the invention therefore additionally uses slope values which are determined and used to correct the detected lane course. In the case of a known inclination, that is to say with a known incline or a known incline, the distortions which occur can be calculated and, accordingly, corrected in the combination according to the invention of the detected traffic lane via the image acquisition unit and the determined inclination. According to an advantageous development of the method according to the invention, it is therefore provided to use the inclination values for the correction of distortions resulting from the inclination of the detected traffic lane course.
The inclination values can be determined in accordance with a very advantageous development of the idea by means of a sensor in the vehicle. Such a tilt sensor or angle sensor makes it possible to detect the inclination, for example in the form of an inclination angle relative to the horizontal. From this value can then determine the correction for the detected lane.
Alternatively or in addition to such a tilt sensor, it may also be provided that the tilt values are used from a digital map. Digital maps often have information on the inclination of the road, so that in addition to or instead of a separate sensor for detecting the inclination in the vehicle and these values from digital maps can be used. The digital map can be present as an on-board map, for example in a navigation system, in the vehicle, or as a map, for example, on a back-end server by a service provider such as the vehicle manufacturer, held and thus makes it possible in the Vehicle to retrieve the corresponding data, for example via a mobile phone connection.
Furthermore, the slope values could be determined indirectly from data available in the vehicle. About a kind of software sensor for the inclination z. As data of the drive train and / or the brakes, insbesondre the wear-free retarder in a commercial vehicle, are used to close the inclination. Other vehicle data, which are recorded anyway and allow appropriate conclusions, could be considered alternatively or additionally.
Further advantageous embodiments of the idea will become apparent from the embodiment, which is shown in more detail below with reference to the figures.
Showing:
1 a first possible scenario with a gradient in the form of a slope; and
2 a second possible scenario with a gradient in the form of a gradient.
In the presentation of the 1 is a vehicle 1 , shown here in the form of a commercial vehicle, which is a roadway or with a 2 designated lane on it. Opposite a horizontal 3 has this lane 2 one in the presentation of the 1 exaggerated inclination with the inclination angle α. The inclination is in the representation of 1 shown as a gradient. In the vehicle 1 is an image capture unit 4 arranged, for example, a stereo camera, via which in a conventional manner a course 2 ' . 20 the lane 2 is determined. Below the representation of the vehicle 1 is the actual lane 2 shown in a view from above. Right next to it is a representation of the image capture unit 4 recorded course of the lane 2 , which here by the reference numeral 20 is provided. This through the image acquisition unit 4 measured lane course 20 expands due to the slope accordingly, the farther from the image acquisition unit 4 or the vehicle 1 is removed. This can lead to an unrealistic assessment by the systems for autonomous or semi-autonomous driving, which must be corrected accordingly later, so that it can come in the course of driving to jerky changes in the lane course, which can contribute to an undesirable driving behavior.
In the vehicle 1 can, for example, have an implied and with 5 designated inclination sensor of the inclination angle α are determined directly. Alternatively, the inclination angle α could also be taken from a digital map, for example. The two methods can also be combined with one another in order to obtain a reliable estimate of the angle of inclination α, for example by averaging. In the presentation of the 1 is now below the lane 2 and the via the image capture unit 4 determined lane course 20 a lane course corrected using the inclination angle α 2 ' to recognize. As can be seen, corresponds to this lane course 2 ' almost exactly the actual course of the lane 2 so that even with a curve occurring, which is not shown in the illustration of the figures, sufficiently early, a corresponding feedforward control of the scheme can be done so that a continuous and smooth driving course can be ensured throughout.
In the presentation of the 2 In the same manner and using the same reference numbers, the same scenario is shown again, the inclination in this case being a gradient. In that case, it tends to be from the image acquisition unit 4 recorded lane course 20 to a reverse reaction, namely recorded so that the farther he runs away from the camera, a correspondingly smaller width. Again, a correction over the detected inclination angle α, which stands here for a slope, possible, so that a corrected lane course 2 ' can be achieved, which, as in the case of the slope described above as a slope largely the actual course of the lane 2 equivalent.
QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.
Cited patent literature

DE 102010020688 A1 [0002]

Claims

Method for detecting a lane course ( 2 ' . 20 ) in a vehicle ( 1 ) with an image capture unit ( 4 ), characterized in that additionally determines slope values and for correcting the detected lane course ( 20 ) be used.
Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the inclination values for the correction of distortions of the detected lane course resulting from inclines or inclines ( 20 ) be used.
Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inclination values are determined by means of a sensor ( 5 ) in the vehicle ( 1 ) be determined.
A method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the inclination values are determined from a digital map.
Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the inclination values indirectly from in vehicle ( 1 ) available data.
Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the inclination values in particular for correcting a track width of the detected traffic lane course ( 20 ), and in particular towards the end of the detection range of the image acquisition unit ( 4 ), be used.