KR102220407B1 - System and method for blind spot detection using navigation information - Google Patents

Abstract

The blind spot warning system according to the present invention includes: a navigation unit that detects a current location of a vehicle and provides environmental information on the predetermined environment when the current location is in a predetermined environment or near the predetermined environment; By performing a predetermined signal processing on the radar signal from the radar antenna, the vehicle list of the currently recognized vehicle is output, and a signal processing parameter for the signal processing is determined according to the environmental information provided from the navigation unit, and the determined signal processing parameter A signal processing unit that performs the signal processing by using; And an alarm determination unit determining whether there is a vehicle that satisfies a predetermined alarm condition from the vehicle list.

Description

Blind spot warning system and method using navigation information {SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BLIND SPOT DETECTION USING NAVIGATION INFORMATION}

The present invention relates to a blind spot warning system and method in a vehicle.

In general, the blind sport detection (BSD) system in vehicles detects vehicles in the rear-side view blind spot and vehicles approaching at high speed from the rear side of the vehicle with a rear radar to provide a variety of visual, auditory, and tactile senses. It refers to a state-of-the-art safety system that helps prevent collision by alerting the driver as a means.

1 shows an example of a configuration of a conventional blind spot warning system. Referring to FIG. 1, the blind spot warning system includes a radar antenna 110, a signal processing unit 120, an alarm determination unit 130, and an alarm unit 140.

The signal processing unit 120 performs predetermined signal processing on the radar signal from the radar antenna 110, for example, CFAR (Constant False Alarm Rate), FFT (Fast Fourier Transform), and tracking. A vehicle list of recognized vehicles is output.

The alarm determination unit 120 determines whether there is a vehicle that satisfies a predetermined alarm condition (e.g., distance to the own vehicle, relative speed, etc.) among vehicles included in the vehicle list from the signal processing unit 110, and an alarm is performed according to the determination result. Decide whether or not.

The alarm unit 140 transmits the alarm to the user through a human machine interaction (HMI), for example, an alarm sound, LED lighting, vibration, etc., according to the alarm determination unit 120's determination of whether or not to be alert. The user can then recognize this alert and pay attention or take the necessary action to prevent a crash.

Since the existing blind spot warning system is designed for a typical road environment, the probability of a false alarm increases when a vehicle is located in a special environment such as a toll gate, guard rail, or tunnel.

In order to improve the probability of false alarms in a specific environment, a radar signal processing method suitable for the environment may be used, but if such a radar signal processing method is used in a general situation, blind spot warning performance may be rather deteriorated. For example, if more time is devoted to processing the reflected wave during the radar signal processing process to suit the tunnel environment, the false alarm rate in the tunnel can be lowered. However, even in a general situation, if more time is devoted to processing the reflected wave, false alarms due to the reflected wave can be reduced, but other signal processing time may be reduced or the processing speed may be delayed, causing false alarms or the required alarm performance cannot be achieved.

Accordingly, a technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a blind spot warning system and method capable of lowering the false alarm rate in a special environment with a high false alarm probability while maintaining a desired alarm performance in a general environment.

The blind spot warning system according to the present invention for solving the above technical problem is to identify the current location of the vehicle and provide environmental information on the predetermined environment when the current location is in a predetermined environment or near the predetermined environment. Navigation unit; By performing a predetermined signal processing on the radar signal from the radar antenna, the vehicle list of the currently recognized vehicle is output, and a signal processing parameter for the signal processing is determined according to the environmental information provided from the navigation unit, and the determined signal processing parameter A signal processing unit that performs the signal processing by using; And an alarm determination unit determining whether there is a vehicle that satisfies a predetermined alarm condition from the vehicle list.

The blind spot warning system is provided with a lookup table in which information on a signal processing parameter corresponding to the predetermined environment is recorded, and the signal processing unit may determine the signal processing parameter by referring to the lookup table.

When the current position is not in the predetermined environment, the signal processing unit may perform the signal processing using a signal processing parameter set as a default.

The navigation unit provides the environment information including a distance from the vehicle to the predetermined environment when the vehicle enters the predetermined environment, and the signal processing unit is based on the distance to the predetermined environment and the speed of the vehicle. By determining a change time to change the signal processing parameter, the determined signal processing parameter may be set at the change time.

The predetermined environment may include at least one of a toll gate, a guard rail, and a tunnel.

The signal processing may include at least one of a Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR), a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and tracking.

In the blind spot warning method according to the present invention for solving the technical problem, when the current location is in a predetermined environment or near the predetermined environment by identifying a current location of a vehicle, environmental information on the predetermined environment is provided. step; By performing predetermined signal processing on the radar signal from the radar antenna, a vehicle list of the currently recognized vehicle is generated, and a signal processing parameter for the signal processing is determined according to the provided environment information, and the determined signal processing parameter is used. Performing the signal processing; And determining whether there is a vehicle that satisfies a predetermined warning condition from the vehicle list.

In the performing of the signal processing, the signal processing parameter may be determined by referring to a lookup table in which information on a signal processing parameter corresponding to the predetermined environment is recorded.

In the performing of the signal processing, when the current location is not in the predetermined environment, the signal processing may be performed using a signal processing parameter set as a default.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to reduce the false alarm rate in a special environment with a high probability of false alarm while maintaining a desired alarm performance in a general environment.

1 shows an example of a configuration of a conventional blind spot warning system.
2 shows the configuration of a blind spot warning system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart of a blind spot warning method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description and the accompanying drawings, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted. In addition, when it is determined that a detailed description of known functions or configurations related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In an embodiment of the present invention, an environment in which the false alarm probability of the blind spot warning system is high may be predefined, such as toll gates, guard rails (especially metal guard rails), tunnels, and the like. In the following specification, a predetermined environment having a high probability of false alarms will be referred to as a'false alarm generating environment' for convenience. The gist of the present invention is to apply a normal signal processing method to a radar signal in a general situation, but by detecting whether a vehicle is in a false alarm environment through navigation and applying another signal processing method suitable for the vehicle in a false alarm environment, the false alarm environment It is to reduce the false alarm rate in

2 shows the configuration of a blind spot warning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the blind spot warning system according to the present embodiment includes a navigation antenna 210, a navigation unit 220, a radar antenna 230, a signal processing unit 240, an alarm determination unit 250, and an alarm unit ( 260).

As is well known, the navigation unit 220 receives a GPS signal through the navigation antenna 210 and determines the current position of the vehicle based on the received GPS signal. Further, the navigation unit 220 has predefined false alarm environments such as toll gates, guard rails, and tunnels, and determines whether the vehicle is in a false alarm environment or near the false alarm environment from the current location and map information of the vehicle. Here, the fact that the vehicle is near the false alarm environment means that the vehicle and the false alarm environment are within a certain distance or when the vehicle approaches the false alarm environment within a certain distance on the path of the vehicle.

Depending on the embodiment, types of false alarm environments, that is, types of toll gates, guard rails, tunnels, etc., are defined in the navigation unit 220, and information on terrain or installations such as toll gates, guard rails, tunnels, etc. May be defined. Then, the navigation unit 220 may determine whether the vehicle is in the false alarm environment or near the false alarm environment by using the current location of the vehicle, the type of the false alarm environment, and the terrain or location information of the installation displayed on the map information.

Depending on the embodiment, it may be defined that specific areas on the map information correspond to false alarm environments. Then, the navigation unit 220 may determine whether the vehicle is in the false alarm environment or near the false alarm environment by comparing the current location of the vehicle with the location information of the false alarm environment region defined in the map information.

As described above, when it is determined that the vehicle is in a false alarm environment or near the false alarm environment, the navigation unit 220 provides environmental information on the false alarm environment to the signal processing unit 240. Here, the environmental information may include, for example, information indicating that there is a false alarm environment or near it, a distance from a vehicle to a false alarm environment (if nearby), a type of a corresponding false alarm environment, and the like. For communication between the navigation unit 220 and the signal processing unit 240, for example, controller area network (CAN) communication may be used. The navigation unit 220 can continuously determine whether the vehicle is in a false alarm environment and provide the corresponding environmental information to the signal processing unit 240 periodically, and when the vehicle leaves the false alarm environment, it signals information indicating that the vehicle has exited the false alarm environment. It is provided to the processing unit 240.

The signal processing unit 240 performs predetermined signal processing on the radar signal from the radar antenna 230 and outputs a vehicle list of currently recognized vehicles. In particular, in the embodiment of the present invention, the signal processing unit 240 performs signal processing on the radar signal using the signal processing parameter set as default in a general situation according to the environmental information provided from the navigation unit 220, but the vehicle When in the environment, signal processing parameters corresponding to the false alarm environment are determined, and signal processing is performed on the radar signal using the determined signal processing parameters.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the signal processing unit 240 may include a parameter setting unit 241, a CFAR unit 242, an FFT unit 243, and a tracking unit 244 as shown in detail.

The parameter setting unit 241 determines when and what signal processing parameter to change the current signal processing parameter to based on environmental information provided from the navigation unit 220. Specifically, when the vehicle enters the vicinity of the false alarm environment and receives environmental information including the distance to the false alarm environment and the type of the false alarm environment from the navigation unit 220, the parameter setting unit 241 signals the signal based on the distance. The time to change the processing parameter is determined, the signal processing parameter to be changed based on the type of the false alarm environment is determined, and the signal processing parameters of the CFAR unit 242, the FFT unit 243, and the tracking unit 244 are set at the determined time. Set. In addition, when information indicating that the vehicle is out of the false alarm environment is received from the navigation unit 220, the parameter setting unit 241 includes a CFAR unit 242, an FFT unit 243, and a tracking unit 244. The signal processing parameters of are set as defaults.

The time to change the signal processing parameter can be determined by using the expected time for the vehicle to enter the false alarm environment and the time required to change the parameter. For example, [Time to change = distance to the false alarm environment/vehicle speed- It can be determined as the time required for parameter change]. Here, the time required to change the parameter may be determined in advance, and the speed of the vehicle may be provided from the navigation unit 220.

In order to determine the signal processing parameter to be changed, the signal processing unit 240 may be provided with a lookup table in which information on the signal processing parameter corresponding to false alarm environments is recorded. Specific values of the signal processing parameters to be recorded in the lookup table may be pre-calculated as optimal values capable of minimizing errors while satisfying the required signal processing time through experiments or simulations in a false alarm environment. The parameter setting unit 241 determines a signal processing parameter to be changed based on the type of false alarm environment provided from the navigation unit 220 and the lookup table.

In the embodiment of the present invention, as signal processing performed by the signal processing unit 240 on a radar signal, a constant false alarm rate (CFAR), a fast fourier transform (FFT), and tracking will be described as examples. However, in addition to such signal processing, other signal processing techniques may be added or omitted, and signal processing parameters may vary accordingly.

As signal processing parameters for CFAR, there may be a size of a gate defining a threshold value on the CFAR and a CFAR method. Signal processing parameters for FFT may include a sampling frequency and the number of samples. Signal processing parameters for tracking may include a size of a gate for tracking a target and a track holding time.

The table below shows an example of a lookup table in which information on signal processing parameters corresponding to false alarm environments of toll gates, tunnels, and guardrails is recorded in an embodiment of the present invention. In the table below, the values of signal processing parameters are expressed as normalized values based on default values.

Referring to the above table, since the overall noise level is high in an environment where a large number of reflected waves are generated, such as a tunnel, the size of the gate determining the threshold value on the CFAR is increased, and the sampling frequency of the FFT is increased. Then, the threshold value on the CFAR is obtained more stably and the resolution of the FFT is increased. Although the signal processing time slightly increases due to the change of such signal processing parameters, false alarms can be reduced and stable alarm performance can be achieved even in a noisy tunnel environment.

When the parameter setting unit 241 determines the CFAR parameter, FFT parameter, and tracking parameter, the value of each signal processing parameter at the time to change the signal processing parameter is the CFAR unit 242, FFT unit 243, and tracking unit 244 The CFAR unit 242, the FFT unit 243, and the tracking unit 244 are set to the supplied signal processing parameter values.

The CFAR unit 242 receives a radar signal from the radar antenna 230 and performs CFAR according to the set CFAR parameter.

The FFT unit 243 performs FFT on the output data from the CFAR unit 242 according to the set FFT parameters.

The tracking unit 243 tracks a vehicle from the output data from the FFT unit 242 and outputs a vehicle list of currently recognized vehicles.

The alarm determination unit 250 determines whether there is a vehicle that satisfies a predetermined alarm condition (e.g., distance to the own vehicle, relative speed, etc.) among vehicles included in the vehicle list from the signal processing unit 240, and an alarm is performed according to the determination result. Decide whether or not.

The alarm unit 260 transmits the corresponding alarm to the user through a human machine interaction (HMI), such as an alarm sound, LED lighting, and vibration, according to the alarm determination unit 250's determination of whether or not to alarm.

3 is a flowchart of a blind spot warning method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The blind spot warning method according to the present embodiment includes steps processed by the above-described blind spot warning system. Therefore, even if omitted below, the above description of the blind spot warning system is also applied to the blind spot warning method according to the present embodiment.

In step 310, the signal processing unit 240 sets a signal processing parameter for signal processing of the radar signal as a default.

In step 320, the signal processing unit 240 receives the vehicle location information and/or the environment information of a false alarm environment area from the navigation unit 220.

If it is determined in step 330 that the current position of the vehicle does not correspond to the false alarm occurrence environment as a result of the analysis of the location information and the environment information, the signal processing unit 240 proceeds to step 350 and the signal processing unit 240 uses the signal processing parameter set as a default. Signal processing such as CFAR, FFT, and tracking is performed. As a result of signal processing, a vehicle list of vehicles currently recognized through radar is obtained.

If it is determined in step 330 that the current position of the vehicle corresponds to the false alarm generating environment as a result of the analysis of the location information and the environment information, the signal processing unit 240 proceeds to step 340 to determine the signal processing parameter corresponding to the false alarm generating environment where the vehicle is Set. Then, the process proceeds to step 350, and the signal processing unit 240 performs signal processing such as CFAR, FFT, and tracking on the radar signal using the signal processing parameters set in step 240. As a result of signal processing, a vehicle list of vehicles currently recognized through radar is obtained.

In step 360, the alarm determination unit 250 determines whether there is a vehicle that satisfies a predetermined alarm condition among the vehicles included in the vehicle list obtained above, and proceeds to step 370 when it is determined that there is a vehicle that satisfies the alarm condition. Otherwise, it returns to step 320.

In step 370, the alarm unit 260 transmits the alarm to the user through a human machine interaction (HMI), for example, an alarm sound, LED lighting, and vibration.

Meanwhile, the above-described embodiments of the present invention can be written as a program that can be executed in a computer, and can be implemented in a general-purpose digital computer that operates the program using a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes a storage medium such as a magnetic storage medium (for example, a ROM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, etc.) and an optical reading medium (for example, a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc.).

So far, the present invention has been looked at around its preferred embodiments. Those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to understand that the present invention can be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered from an illustrative point of view rather than a limiting point of view. The scope of the present invention is shown in the claims rather than the above description, and all differences within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the present invention.

Claims (14)

A navigation unit that provides environmental information on the false alarm environment when the current position of the vehicle is in a predetermined false alarm environment or near the false alarm environment;
Based on the environmental information provided from the navigation unit, signal processing parameters for signal processing of at least one of CFAR (Constant False Alarm Rate), FFT (Fast Fourier Transform), and tracking are determined, and the radar signal A signal processing unit for outputting a vehicle list of currently recognized vehicles by performing the signal processing using the determined signal processing parameter;
An alarm determination unit that determines whether there is a vehicle that satisfies a predetermined alarm condition from the vehicle list, and determines whether to be alarmed according to the determination result; And
In accordance with the determination of whether to be alarmed by the alarm determination unit, it includes an alarm unit that generates an alarm through HMI (Human Machine Interaction),
A lookup table in which information on signal processing parameters corresponding to the false alarm environment is recorded is provided,
The false alarm environment includes at least one of a toll gate, a guard rail, and a tunnel,
The lookup table is set to increase the size of the gate, the FFT sampling frequency, and the track holding time for determining a threshold value on the CFAR according to the false alarm environment,
In the lookup table, the size of the gate defining the threshold value on the CFAR in the order of the guard rail, the toll gate, and the tunnel is set to increase, and the FFT sampling frequency and the track duration increase in the order of the toll gate, the tunnel and the guard rail. Blind spot warning system, characterized in that it is set to be.
The method of claim 1,
The navigation unit,
A blind spot warning system, characterized in that it determines whether the vehicle is in a false alarm environment or near the false alarm environment based on at least one of the current location of the vehicle, the type of the false alarm environment, the location of the false alarm environment area, and map information. .
The method of claim 1,
And the signal processing unit determines the signal processing parameter based on the look-up table and the environmental information.
delete The method of claim 1,
And the signal processing unit performs the signal processing using a signal processing parameter set as a default when the current position is not in the predetermined environment.
The method of claim 1,
The environmental information includes a distance from the vehicle to the false alarm environment and a type of the false alarm environment,
The signal processing unit determines a change time to change the signal processing parameter based on the distance to the false alarm environment and the speed of the vehicle, and sets the determined signal processing parameter at the change time. system.
The method of claim 1,
The signal processing parameter for the CFAR includes a gate size and a CFAR method for determining a threshold value on the CFAR, and the signal processing parameter for the FFT includes a sampling frequency and the number of samples, and the The signal processing parameter for tracking includes a size of a gate for tracking a target and a track maintenance time.
Providing environmental information on the false alarm environment to a signal processing unit when the current position of the vehicle is in a predetermined false alarm environment or near the false alarm environment;
The signal processor determines a signal processing parameter for signal processing of at least one of CFAR (Constant False Alarm Rate), FFT (Fast Fourier Transform), and tracking based on the environmental information, and the radar signal Outputting a vehicle list of currently recognized vehicles by performing the signal processing using the determined signal processing parameter;
Determining whether there is a vehicle that satisfies a predetermined alarm condition from the vehicle list, and determining whether or not to be alarmed according to the determination result; And
In accordance with the determination of whether or not to be alarmed by the alarm determination unit, the alarm unit generates an alarm through a Human Machine Interaction (HMI),
A lookup table in which information on signal processing parameters corresponding to the false alarm environment is recorded is provided,
The false alarm environment includes at least one of a toll gate, a guard rail, and a tunnel,
The lookup table is set to increase the size of the gate, the FFT sampling frequency, and the track holding time for determining a threshold value on the CFAR according to the false alarm environment,
In the lookup table, the size of the gate defining the threshold value on the CFAR in the order of the guard rail, the toll gate, and the tunnel is set to increase, and the FFT sampling frequency and the track duration increase in the order of the toll gate, the tunnel and the guard rail. Blind spot warning method, characterized in that it is set to be.
The method of claim 8,
In the step of providing environmental information on the false alarm environment to a signal processing unit,
The navigation unit is characterized in that to determine whether the vehicle is in a false alarm environment or near the false alarm environment based on at least one of the current location of the vehicle, the type of the false alarm environment, the location of the false alarm environment area, and map information. Blind spot warning method.
The method of claim 8,
In the step of outputting a vehicle list of currently recognized vehicles by performing the signal processing,
And the signal processing unit determines the signal processing parameter based on the look-up table and the environmental information.
delete The method of claim 8,
In the step of outputting a vehicle list of currently recognized vehicles by performing the signal processing,
And the signal processing unit performs the signal processing using a signal processing parameter set as a default when the current position is not in the predetermined environment.
The method of claim 8,
The environmental information includes a distance from the vehicle to the false alarm environment and a type of the false alarm environment,
In the step of outputting a vehicle list of currently recognized vehicles by performing the signal processing,
The signal processing unit determines a change time to change the signal processing parameter based on the distance to the false alarm environment and the speed of the vehicle, and sets the determined signal processing parameter at the change time. .
The method of claim 8,
The signal processing parameter for the CFAR includes a gate size and a CFAR method for determining a threshold value on the CFAR, and the signal processing parameter for the FFT includes a sampling frequency and the number of samples, and the The signal processing parameter for tracking includes a size of a gate for tracking a target and a track maintenance time.

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