KR102086131B1 - Tractor having blind spot detection system and method for estimating trailer hitch rotation angle thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The hitch rotation angle estimation method of a tractor for detecting a blind spot according to an embodiment of the present invention, receiving radar information and vehicle information, calculating the radius of rotation of the tractor, the radar information adjacent to the rotation radius Calculating the lateral data of the trailer and the intercept data from the central axis of the tractor, and estimating the hitch rotation angle using the lateral data and the intercept data.

Description

TRACTOR HAVING BLIND SPOT DETECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ESTIMATING TRAILER HITCH ROTATION ANGLE THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a tractor with a blind spot monitoring device and a method for estimating its trailer hitch rotational angle.

Recently, vehicle manufacturers have been promoting traffic safety by providing blind spot detection systems (BSD) that detect blind spots in various ways. The blind spot monitoring device uses a variety of sensors such as radar, laser, and ultrasonic to warn the driver in advance of the presence of a vehicle or obstacle in a location that the driver does not recognize, thereby helping to drive safely. The blind spot monitoring device assists in driving by informing the presence or absence of a relative vehicle by transmitting and receiving means such as radar and ultrasonic waves or by directly displaying an image of the blind spot using a camera.

Large vehicles such as commercial vehicles require longer, wider and wider characteristics than cars, requiring more precise and granular blind spot detection, but such blind spot monitoring devices are mainly applied to passenger cars.

Patent Publication: 10-2004-0023348, Publication Date: March 18, 2004, Title: Vehicle Radar System. Patent Publication: 2001-004118, Publication Date: May 15, 2001, Title: High Performance Vehicle Radar System. Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2015-0055738, Publication Date: May 22, 2015, Title: A blind spot detection system for a vehicle using a radar and a method of indicating a failure thereof. Patent Registration: 10-1605660, registered date: March 16, 2016, title: blind spot information display device and blind spot information display method for commercial vehicles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a tractor and its trailer hitch rotation angle estimating method which solve the blind spot problem at low cost.

A hitch rotation angle estimation method of a tractor for detecting blind spots according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: receiving radar information and vehicle information; Calculating a radius of rotation of the tractor; Calculating side slope of a trailer and intercept data at the central axis of the tractor using the radar information adjacent to the turning radius; And estimating the side slope of the trailer as the hitch rotation angle.

In an embodiment, the radar information may include first radar information received from a left radar sensor disposed on the left side of the tractor and second radar information received from a right radar sensor disposed on the right side of the tractor.

In an embodiment, the vehicle information may include vehicle speed information, gear information, and steering angle information.

In an embodiment, the calculating of the radius of rotation may include calculating the radius of rotation by dividing the wheelbase by sin (str), where str is the steering angle.

In an embodiment, the method may further include determining whether the driving of the tractor is rotating.

In an embodiment, when the driving of the tractor is to turn left, the radar information may include left radar information.

In an embodiment, when the driving of the tractor is a right turn, the radar information may include right radar information.

In an embodiment, the side slope of the trailer may be calculated using data of radar reflection points of the side of the trailer through a least square method.

In an embodiment, the central axis of the tractor may pass through a kingpin connecting the tractor and the trailer.

In an embodiment, the area of the blind spot of the tractor may vary according to the hitch rotation angle.

An apparatus for detecting a blind spot of a tractor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a cognitive sensor input unit configured to receive radar information from a left radar sensor and a right radar sensor; A vehicle information input unit for receiving vehicle information having vehicle speed information, gear information, and steering angle information; A trailer rotation angle estimator for estimating a hitch rotation angle of a trailer connected to the tractor using the radar information and the vehicle information; And a blind spot detection unit configured to detect a blind spot area of the tractor by using the radar information and the hitch rotation angle.

In an embodiment, the trailer rotation angle estimating unit calculates a radius of rotation when the tractor rotates using the vehicle information, and when it is determined that the vehicle rotates through the calculated radius of rotation, the side surface points of the collected trailer Radar data for the field can be calculated by using the least-squares method, and the side slope of the trailer can be estimated as the hitch rotation angle.

In an embodiment, the blind spot detector may detect an obstacle present in the blind spot using the hitch rotation angle.

The blind spot detector may vary the blind spot area according to the hitch rotation angle and output information about the blind spot area to a display device.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method of estimating a tractor and a hitch angle of a trailer thereof may include extracting an outer side line of the trailer using a blind spot detection radar sensor mounted on the left and right sides of the tractor, and weighting the outer side line and the vehicle weight. By calculating the angle of the center line to calculate the hitch rotation angle, the blind spot can be detected at low cost without a separate hitch rotation angle sensor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings are provided to assist in understanding the present embodiment, and provide embodiments with a detailed description. However, the technical features of the present embodiment are not limited to the specific drawings, and the features disclosed in the drawings may be combined with each other to constitute a new embodiment.
1 is a view showing a tractor 10 for monitoring a blind spot according to an embodiment of the present invention by way of example.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a trailer estimation method of the blind spot monitoring apparatus 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing a radius of rotation of the tractor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention by way of example.
4 is a diagram illustrating a mounting position of the radar sensors 100 and 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating a radar detection range of the tractor 10 and a side outer line detection function of the trailer when the trailer 10 rotates according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view showing the positional relationship between the radar side reflection points and the king pin during the right turn of the tractor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram illustrating an obstacle detection in the blind spot of the tractor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a view showing that the variable blind spot area of the tractor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, the contents of the present invention will be described clearly and in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the drawings.

As the inventive concept allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific disclosure form, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms.

The terms may be used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component. When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to or connected to that other component, but it may be understood that other components may exist in between. Should be. On the other hand, when a component is said to be "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there is no other component in between.

Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" and "immediately between" or "neighboring to," and "directly neighboring to" should be interpreted as well. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In this application, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof that is implemented, and that one or more other features or numbers are present. It should be understood that it does not exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of steps, actions, components, parts or combinations thereof. Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Terms such as those defined in the commonly used dictionaries should be construed as meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art, and shall not be construed in ideal or excessively formal meanings unless expressly defined in this application. .

The tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention relates to a blind spot detection technology, and specifically, estimates a hitch rotation angle of a trailer through measurement values of a radar sensor provided in a commercial vehicle, and a blind spot of a commercial vehicle at an obstacle in a blind spot other than the trailer. Can be detected. The prior art requires an additional hitch rotation angle sensor to measure the rotation angle and further the cost of the system.

1 is a view showing a tractor 10 for monitoring a blind spot according to an embodiment of the present invention by way of example. Referring to FIG. 1, the tractor 10 may include a left radar sensor 100, a right radar sensor 200, and a blind spot monitoring device 300.

The left radar sensor 100 may be installed on the left side of the tractor 10 and may be implemented to generate location information on an object by transmitting and receiving radar signals.

The right radar sensor 200 may be installed on the right side of the tractor 10 and may be implemented to generate location information on an object by transmitting and receiving radar signals.

Meanwhile, although the tractor 10 is shown as being composed of two radar sensors 100 and 200 in FIG. 1, it should be understood that the number of radar sensors of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The blind spot monitoring device 300 uses a tractor using position information received from the radar sensors 100 and 200 and vehicle information (eg, vehicle speed information, gear information, steering angle information, etc.) related to driving of the tractor 10. It may be implemented to estimate the trailer rotation angle connected to (10), and to detect blind spots in consideration of the estimated trailer rotation angle.

The blind spot monitoring device 300 may include a cognitive sensor input unit 310, a vehicle information input unit 320, a trailer rotation angle estimation unit 330, and a blind spot detection unit 340.

The recognition sensor input unit 310 may be implemented to receive location information (eg, radar point cloud information) from the left radar sensor 100 and the right radar sensor 200.

The vehicle information input unit 320 may be implemented to receive vehicle information such as vehicle speed information, steering angle information, gear information, etc. according to the wheel pulse.

The trailer rotation angle estimator 330 may estimate a trailer hitch rotation angle using the position information of the cognitive sensor input unit 310 and the vehicle information of the vehicle information input unit 320.

In an embodiment, the trailer rotation angle estimator 330 calculates a turning radius when the vehicle rotates by using the vehicle information of the tractor 10, and uses the calculated turning radius to calculate the straightness and rotation state (left turn, The right turn), and collect the signals output as the radar reflection signal when the left turn or right turn, and the trailer is attached to the tractor 10, the relative speed is determined to be the side of the trailer among the radar reflection points in consideration of the characteristics close to zero Signals can be separated from other obstacles.

In an embodiment, the trailer rotation angle estimator 330 does not calculate the hitch rotation angle when the vehicle is in a straight state. When the vehicle is determined to rotate, the trailer rotation angle estimator 330 uses the least square method to collect data of the outer sides of the collected trailers. The slope of the side surface can be calculated and the calculated slope can be calculated as the hitch rotation angle of the trailer.

The blind spot detector 340 may be implemented to determine whether an obstacle exists in a predetermined blind spot, and to generate a warning when the obstacle exists.

In an embodiment, the blind spot detection unit 340 may be implemented to extract obstacle information other than the trailer from a predetermined blind spot and change the blind spot according to the hitch rotation angle.

The blind spot monitoring device 300 of the tractor 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may extract obstacle information other than the trailer from a predetermined blind spot, and may change the blind spot according to the hitch rotation angle. Thus, compared with the blind spot monitoring device using the hitch rotation angle sensor, the blind spot monitoring apparatus of the present invention can calculate the hitch value without the hitch rotation angle sensor, it can be expected to reduce the cost. In addition to the blind spot detection system, it can be applied to various systems requiring a hitch rotation angle.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a trailer estimation method of the blind spot monitoring apparatus 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 and 2, the trailer estimator 330 of the blind spot monitoring apparatus 300 may proceed as follows.

First, it may be determined whether a trailer exists in the vehicle (S110). If there is a trailer, vehicle speed information, gear information, steering angle sensor (SAS) information, and left / right radar information may be received (S120). The turning radius of the tractor 10 may be received (S130). It may be determined whether the tractor 10 is driving left / right (S140). Here, the driving of the tractor 10 may include both forward driving and rear driving. If the driving of the tractor 10 is a left turn driving, the slope of the trailer side and the intercept from the vehicle center axis may be calculated using the left radar information (S150). If the driving of the tractor 10 is a right turn driving, the slope of the trailer side and the intercept from the center axis of the vehicle may be calculated using the right radar information (S160). Left / right inclination may be estimated as the rotation angle (S170). Afterwards or if the trailer does not exist, the trailer rotation angle estimation operation can be completed.

The steps and / or actions according to the invention may occur simultaneously in different embodiments in different order, in parallel, or for other epochs, etc., as would be understood by one skilled in the art. Can be.

In some embodiments, some or all of the steps and / or actions may be directed to instructions, programs, interactive data structures, clients, and / or servers stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readable media. At least some may be implemented or performed using one or more processors. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media may be illustratively software, firmware, hardware, and / or any combination thereof. In addition, the functionality of the "module" discussed herein may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware, and / or any combination thereof.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media and / or means for implementing / performing one or more operations / steps / modules of embodiments of the present invention may be used in application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), standard integrated circuits, A controller that performs appropriate instructions, including a microcontroller, and / or an embedded controller, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and the like. Does not.

3 is a view showing a radius of rotation of the tractor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention by way of example. Referring to FIG. 3, the rotation radius R may be expressed by a formula of Wb / sin (str). Where Wb is the wheel base and str is the steering angle. The turning radius R is the distance to the outer wheel position during the rotation of the tractor 10. Wheelbase refers to the distance between the front wheel axle and the rear wheel axle.

4 is a diagram illustrating a mounting position of the radar sensors 100 and 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the radar sensors 100 and 200 may be disposed on the left side or the right side of the tractor 10. As illustrated in FIG. 4, there may be a trailer kingpin for connecting the tractor 10 and the trailer between the rear wheels.

5 is a diagram illustrating a radar detection range of the tractor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention and a trailer outer surface detection function when the trailer rotates. Referring to FIG. 5, the right radar sensor 200 has a detection range of 120 ° during normal driving. At the right turn, the right radar sensor 200 can detect the outer surface of the trailer.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between radar side reflection points (or outer points) and a kingpin when the tractor 10 performs a right turn according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, there is an intercept value a ₀ between the central axis of the vehicle passing through the kingpin and the straight line created by the side reflection points of the trailer. W is the width of the trailer, x is the x-coordinate of the point, and p (x) is the y-coordinate of the point.

In an embodiment, the slope and intercept may be calculated through the least squares method.

Where a ₁ is the side slope of the trailer, which is theoretically equal to the hitch rotation angle.

In addition, since the trailers have different widths W, trailers satisfy the following formula.

Here, the width W of the trailer may correspond to an area of the blind spot that varies according to the size and position of the trailer.

7 is a diagram illustrating an obstacle detection in the blind spot of the tractor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the blind spot monitoring device 300 of the tractor 10 may determine an obstacle other than the trailer in the blind spot warning area by using a radar sensor.

8 is a view showing that the variable blind spot area of the tractor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the blind spot monitoring device 300 of the tractor 10 may vary the blind spot area according to the trailer rotation angle.

The blind spot monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention utilizes a vehicle information input unit for receiving vehicle information such as wheel pulses, steering angles, and vehicle speeds, and a cognitive sensor input unit for receiving radar point cloud information, radar information, and vehicle information. The trailer rotation angle estimator for estimating the hitch rotation angle and the blind spot detection unit for determining whether there is an obstacle in the designated blind spot may give a warning.

The present invention utilizes the vehicle information of the tractor, obtains the turning radius when the vehicle rotates, and when the left turn to the right turn, collect the signals output as the radar reflection signal and see the relative speed among the radar reflection points, the trailer is attached to the tractor relative speed Considering the characteristics close to 0, signals determined to be trailer side can be separated from other obstacles. The slope of the side surface can be obtained by using the least squares method of the collected data of the outer sides of the trailer, and the slope can be calculated as the hitch rotation angle of the trailer.

In addition, the width of the trailer can be obtained to accommodate blind spots that vary with the size and location of the trailer. By using the method of the present invention, it is possible to extract obstacle information other than the trailer from a predetermined blind spot, and the blind spot may be changed according to the hitch rotation angle.

On the other hand, the contents of the present invention described above are only specific embodiments for carrying out the invention. The present invention will include not only specific and practically usable means per se, but also technical ideas as abstract and conceptual ideas that can be utilized in future technologies.

10: Tractor
100: left radar sensor
200: right radar sensor
300: blind spot monitoring device
310: recognition sensor input unit
320: vehicle information input unit
330: trailer rotation angle estimation unit
340: blind spot detection unit

Claims (14)

In the method of estimating the hitch rotation angle of a tractor for detecting blind spots:
Receiving radar information and vehicle information;
Calculating a radius of rotation of the tractor;
Calculating side slope of a trailer and intercept data at the central axis of the tractor using the radar information adjacent to the turning radius; And
Estimating the side slope of the trailer as a hitch rotation angle. The method of claim 1,
The radar information includes first radar information received from a left radar sensor disposed on the left side of the tractor and second radar information received from a right radar sensor disposed on the right side of the tractor. The method of claim 1,
The vehicle information includes vehicle speed information, gear information and steering angle information. delete The method of claim 1,
Determining whether the driving of the tractor is rotating. The method of claim 5, wherein
And when the driving of the tractor is left turning, the radar information includes left radar information. The method of claim 5, wherein
And when the driving of the tractor is a right turn, the radar information includes right radar information. The method of claim 1,
And the side slope of the trailer is calculated using data of radar reflection points of the side of the trailer via a least squares method. The method of claim 8,
The central axis of the tractor passes through a kingpin connecting the tractor and the trailer. The method of claim 1,
And the area of the blind spot of the tractor is varied according to the hitch rotation angle. In the blind spot monitoring device of the tractor:
A recognition sensor input unit configured to receive radar information from a left radar sensor and a right radar sensor;
A vehicle information input unit for receiving vehicle information having vehicle speed information, gear information, and steering angle information;
A trailer rotation angle estimator for estimating a hitch rotation angle of a trailer connected to the tractor using the radar information and the vehicle information; And
A blind spot monitoring device including a blind spot detector for detecting the blind spot area of the tractor using the radar information and the hitch rotation angle. The method of claim 11,
The trailer rotation angle estimator calculates a turning radius when the tractor rotates using the vehicle information, and when it is determined that the vehicle rotates through the calculated turning radius, the radar data of the outer sides of the collected trailers The blind spot monitoring device for calculating the side slope of the trailer through a least square method, and the calculated side slope as the hitch rotation angle. The method of claim 11,
The blind spot detection unit, the blind spot monitoring device for detecting an obstacle present in the blind spot using the hitch rotation angle. The method of claim 11,
The blind spot detecting unit varies the blind spot area according to the hitch rotation angle, and outputs information on the blind spot area to a display device.

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