KR102599748B1 - Steering control apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a steering control device and method. Specifically, the steering control device according to the present disclosure includes a transmitter that controls the transmission of a frequency-modulated transmission signal for a predetermined period, a receiver that receives a reception signal in which the transmitted transmission signal is reflected from an object, and FFT (Fast Transformation) for the reception signal. Fourier Transform) is performed to calculate the voltage (Amplitude) value corresponding to the frequency (Frequency), and a track is generated for each object whose voltage peak value is greater than the first reference value during a predetermined period. and a control unit that adjusts a first reference value based on whether or not a track is created when the object exists within a predetermined distance.

Description

Steering control device and method {STEERING CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD}

The present disclosure relates to a steering control device and method, and more specifically, to a steering control device and method for removing ghost peaks caused by multiple reflections.

Recently, many vehicle control systems that control vehicles using radar devices to detect surrounding objects have been developed. In order for this vehicle control system to perform accurate vehicle control, accurate object detection by a radar device is essential.

Meanwhile, in radar, angular accuracy is very important for stable detection performance. Radar operates with a specific cycle. It detects a target by extracting the distance, speed, and angle at each cycle (scan). When the road environment such as tunnels or guardrails becomes complicated, it uses multi-path. The angle information may be distorted or overlap with the frequency of a signal from another object, causing the angle information to differ from the angle of the actual object. Additionally, due to distorted information, a ghost signal that detects a non-existent target may be generated, making it difficult for the vehicle control system to accurately control the vehicle.

Accordingly, research is continuing on methods of filtering or removing ghost signals detected by radar devices.

Against this background, the present disclosure seeks to provide a steering control device and method for removing ghost peaks by adjusting a reference value for generating a track.

In order to solve the above-described problem, in one aspect, the present disclosure provides a transmitter that controls to transmit a frequency-modulated transmission signal for a predetermined period, a receiver that receives a reception signal in which the transmitted transmission signal is reflected from an object, and a reception signal. FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) is performed on the voltage (Amplitude) value corresponding to the frequency (Frequency), and each object whose voltage peak value is greater than the first reference value during a predetermined period is tracked. ) and a control unit that adjusts a first reference value based on whether or not a track is created when the object exists within a predetermined distance.

In another aspect, the present disclosure includes a transmission and reception step of controlling to transmit a frequency-modulated transmission signal for a predetermined period, receiving a reception signal reflected from an object, and FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) for the reception signal. A track generation step of calculating a voltage (Amplitude) value corresponding to the frequency (Freqeuncy) and generating tracks for each object whose voltage peak value is greater than or equal to the first reference value during a predetermined period, and A steering control method including a ghost signal removal step of adjusting a first reference value based on whether or not a track is created when an object exists within a predetermined distance.

According to the present disclosure, the steering control device and method can remove ghost signals generated according to multiple reflected radar signals by adjusting the first reference value and the second reference value.

1 is a diagram for explaining vehicle radar technology related to the present disclosure.
Figure 2 is a block diagram for explaining a steering control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining a peak value calculated based on a received signal, according to an embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating adjusting a first reference value when a track for an object is not created, according to an embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating adjusting a first reference value when a track for an object is created, according to an embodiment.
Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining the first reference value and the second reference value in more detail, according to one embodiment.
Figure 7 is a flowchart explaining a steering control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining step S720 of FIG. 7 in more detail.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining step S730 of FIG. 7 in more detail.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the illustrative drawings. Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to the illustrative drawings. Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the illustrative drawings. This will be explained in detail. In adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, the same components may have the same reference numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. Additionally, in describing the present embodiments, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present technical idea, the detailed description may be omitted. When “comprises,” “has,” “consists of,” etc. mentioned in the specification are used, other parts may be added unless “only” is used. When a component is expressed in the singular, it can also include the plural, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Additionally, in describing the components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the nature, sequence, order, or number of the components are not limited by the term.

In the description of the positional relationship of components, when two or more components are described as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected,” the two or more components are directly “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected.” ", but it should be understood that two or more components and other components may be further "interposed" and "connected," "combined," or "connected." Here, other components may be included in one or more of two or more components that are “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected” to each other.

In the description of temporal flow relationships related to components, operation methods, production methods, etc., for example, temporal precedence relationships such as “after”, “after”, “after”, “before”, etc. Or, when a sequential relationship is described, non-continuous cases may be included unless “immediately” or “directly” is used.

On the other hand, when a numerical value or corresponding information (e.g., level, etc.) for a component is mentioned, even if there is no separate explicit description, the numerical value or corresponding information is related to various factors (e.g., process factors, internal or external shocks, It can be interpreted as including the error range that may occur due to noise, etc.).

Hereinafter, the steering control device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram for explaining vehicle radar technology related to the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, vehicle radars may generally be installed behind various vehicle exterior modules such as bumpers and fascias. And, signals can be transmitted through these external modules of the vehicle body. However, these external modules can cause multi-reflected radar signals, increasing the possibility of ghosts. When a ghost occurs, a failure may occur in the detection of the surroundings of the host vehicle 11, and accordingly, the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) may generate assist torque to avoid the actually detected object and the virtual image.

To overcome this problem, there is a method of installing the radar in an open direction rather than inside the external module of the vehicle body, but depending on the manufacturing process distribution and assembly tolerances, ghosts due to multiple reflections that did not occur during the development or verification period may be generated. .

Hereinafter, a steering control device 10 capable of removing ghost signals resulting from multiple reflections of radar signals according to the present disclosure will be described.

Figure 2 is a block diagram for explaining the steering control device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, the steering control device 10 may include a transmitter 110, a receiver 120, a generator 130, and a control unit 140.

The transmitter 110 can be controlled to transmit a frequency-modulated transmission signal during a predetermined period. The radar transmission/reception module may be provided in the host vehicle 11 to transmit a transmission signal, and may transmit a transmission signal whose frequency is modulated during a predetermined period. For example, a radar transmit/receive module can transmit an FMCW signal that linearly changes the transmit frequency. Additionally, a fast chirp transmission signal can be transmitted.

The radar transmitting/receiving module may include one or more transmitting antennas and one or more receiving antennas, and each transmitting/receiving antenna may be an array antenna in which one or more radiating elements are connected in series by a feed line, but is not limited thereto. Additionally, the radar transmitting/receiving module may include a plurality of transmitting antennas and a plurality of receiving antennas, and may have various types of antenna array structures depending on the array order and array spacing.

The radar transmission/reception module can switch to one of a plurality of antennas and transmit a transmission signal through the switched transmission antenna or transmit a transmission signal through a multi-transmission channel assigned to a plurality of transmission antennas.

As long as the radar transmitting/receiving module can detect a surrounding object and calculate the distance, speed, and angle of the object, known technologies can be applied, and it is not limited to a specific signal.

The receiving unit 120 can receive the received signal by having the radar transmitting and receiving module receive a received signal that is reflected within a predetermined detection range and transmitting the received signal back to the receiving unit 120. That is, the receiver 120 can receive a reception signal in which the transmission signal is reflected by an object.

The radar transmitting and receiving module switches to one of the plurality of receiving antennas and receives a received signal in which the transmitted signal transmitted through the switched receiving antenna is a reflected signal reflected by the target or receives it through a multi-receiving channel assigned to the plurality of receiving antennas. A signal can be received.

The radar transmitting and receiving module has a low noise amplifier (LNA: Low Noise Amplifier) that amplifies the received signal received through one receiving channel assigned to the switched receiving antenna or through the T receiving channel assigned to a plurality of transmitting antennas. A mixing unit (Mixer) that mixes the low-noise amplified received signal, an amplifier that amplifies the mixed received signal, and a converter (ADC: Analog) that digitally converts the amplified received signal to generate received data. Digital Converter), etc.

Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining a peak value calculated based on a received signal, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3, the generator 130 performs FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) on the received signal to calculate the voltage (Amplitude) value corresponding to the frequency (Freqeuncy), and calculates the voltage peak during a predetermined period. ) A track can be created for each object whose value is greater than or equal to the first reference value (310).

Specifically, the generator 130 may synchronize the transmitted signal and the received signal based on the transmitted signal and the received signal, and convert the transmitted signal and the received signal from the time domain to the frequency domain. The generator 130 may perform frequency conversion after sampling the transmission signal and data in a unit sample size that can be processed per cycle. This frequency conversion can use Fourier transform, such as fast Fourier transform (FFT).

The generator 130 may determine whether the peak value calculated through FFT is greater than or equal to the first reference value 310 and generate tracks for each object that is greater than or equal to the first reference value 310. The generator 130 can track the object by calculating the distance, speed, and angle of the object based on the calculated peak value. If the peak value exceeds the first reference value 310, the specified object is tracked. You can create tracks that contain Accordingly, if the peak value exceeds the first reference value 310, it may be determined that the object is detected in the specific direction described above.

The predetermined period may refer to the time between the transmission signal being emitted from the radar transmission/reception module and the transmission signal being emitted again. And, the peak value calculated by FFT may be a received signal received from a specific direction.

The generator 130 performs CFAR (Constant False Alarm Rate) calculation, tracking calculation, and target selection calculation based on the frequency-converted received signal, and provides angle information, speed information, and information about the object. Distance information can be extracted.

The generator 130 generates the track for the object when the number of peak values that are more than the first reference value 310 for a predetermined time is more than the second reference value, and the peak value that is more than the first reference value 310 for a predetermined time If the number of times is less than the second reference value, a track for the object may not be created.

The transmitter 110 can control the transmission signal reflected by the object to be repeatedly transmitted for a predetermined period of time, and the receiver 120 can receive the signal reflected by the object. Based on this, the generator 130 can determine whether the peak value converted based on the received signal at a predetermined period is greater than or equal to the first reference value 310, and if the peak value is greater than or equal to the first reference value 310, it counts and generates a predetermined value. If the value counted during the time is greater than or equal to the second reference value, a track for the object can be created.

Conversely, the generator 130 may not generate a track for an object when the value counted for a predetermined time is less than the second reference value.

If an object exists within a predetermined distance, the controller 140 may adjust the first reference value 310 based on whether or not a track is created.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating adjusting the first reference value 310 when a track for an object is not created, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4 , if an object exists within a predetermined distance and a track for the object is not created, the control unit 140 may adjust the first reference value 310 upward.

Specifically, as described above, the generator 130 may count if the peak value converted and calculated through FFT is greater than or equal to the first reference value 310, and may not count if the peak value is less than the first reference value 310. The generator 130 performs this counting for a predetermined time, and when the number of peak values calculated in this way is equal to or greater than the first reference value 310 is equal to or greater than the second reference value, a track may be generated. Additionally, if the number of peak values that are equal to or greater than the first reference value 310 is less than the second reference value, the track may not be created.

Based on this, if an object exists within a predetermined distance and a track for the object is not created, the control unit 140 determines it to be a signal for a non-existent object, that is, a ghost signal, and sets the first reference value 310. can be upgraded. And, the first reference value 310 may be adjusted to a value greater than the peak value for an object for which a track is not created. Accordingly, the steering control device 10 determines a ghost signal for an intermittently detected object and adjusts the first reference value 310 upward, so that the peak value of the received signal reflected from the object is equal to the first reference value 310. cannot exceed , and thus the ghost signal can be eliminated.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating adjusting the first reference value 310 when a track for an object is created, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5 , if an object exists within a predetermined distance and a track for the object is created, the control unit 140 may adjust the first reference value 310 downward. Specifically, since the creation of a track for an object means that a real object, not a ghost signal, exists, the first reference value 310 is adjusted downward to explore whether another object with a smaller peak value than the above-described object exists. You can.

The first reference value 310 that is adjusted downward exists within a predetermined distance, and if another object with a peak value greater than the first reference value 310 has a track created, it continues to be adjusted downward, and if the other object has not created a track, The first reference value 310 may be adjusted to a value higher than the peak value of other objects. That is, the first reference value 310 can be adjusted downward until a ghost signal is received.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the first reference value 310 and the second reference value in more detail, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6A is a diagram showing the location of the object estimated by transmitting a transmission signal from the radar sensor of the own vehicle 11 and receiving the reception signal reflected by the object, and FIG. 6B is the reception signal of the object. This is a diagram showing the peak values for each. The peak value in FIG. 6B may vary depending on the location of the object in FIG. 6A. That is, since A in FIG. 6A is closest to the host vehicle 11 on which the radar sensor is mounted, the peak value may be the largest, and since C in FIG. 6A is farthest from the host vehicle 11, the peak value may be the smallest. . And, A, B, and C all exist within a predetermined distance (dotted line). Accordingly, the generator 130 can generate tracks according to the peak values for each of A, B, and C.

In FIG. 6B, only A is greater than the first reference value 310, so only A can generate a track. Specifically, the generator 130 may generate a track for A when the number of times the peak value of A is greater than or equal to the first reference value 310 during a predetermined period of time is greater than or equal to the second reference value. Also, if A exists within a predetermined distance and a track for A has been created, the control unit 140 may lower the first reference value 310. In addition, in setting the second standard value, A, which is closest to the own vehicle 11, may have the second standard value set to the highest among A, B, and C, and C, which is furthest from the own vehicle 11, may have the second standard value set to the highest. Among A, B, and C, the second reference value may be set to the lowest.

When the first reference value 310 decreases, the peak value of B becomes more than the first reference value 310, so the generator 130 can generate a track for B. Likewise, the generator 130 may generate a track for B when the number of peak values of B that are greater than or equal to the first reference value 310 during a predetermined period of time is greater than or equal to the second reference value, and when the number of times the peak value of B is greater than or equal to the second reference value, the number of times for B is equal to or greater than the first reference value 310. You may not create a track for it.

If a track for B has been created, the control unit 140 lowers the first reference value 310 so that the peak value for C becomes more than the first reference value 310, and can be adjusted downward again depending on whether the track is created. .

Conversely, if a track for B has not been created, the control unit 140 may adjust the first reference value 310 upward to a value greater than the peak value of B.

Additionally, A's second reference value for track creation may be higher than B's second reference value for track creation, and B's second reference value for track creation may be higher than C's second reference value for track creation.

As described above, the steering control device 10 can remove the ghost signal by adjusting the first reference value 310 depending on whether a track is created for the detected object.

The steering control device 10 of the present disclosure may be implemented as an electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit may include at least one of one or more processors, memory, storage, user interface input, and user interface output, which may communicate with each other through a bus. Additionally, the electronic control unit may also include a network interface for connecting to a network. A processor may be a CPU or a semiconductor device that executes processing instructions stored in memory and/or storage. Memory and storage may include various types of volatile/non-volatile storage media. For example, memory may include ROM and RAM.

Hereinafter, a steering control method using the steering control device 10 that can perform all of the above-described present disclosure will be described.

Figure 7 is a flowchart explaining a steering control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 7, the steering control method according to the present disclosure includes a transmission and reception step (S710) of controlling to transmit a frequency-modulated transmission signal for a predetermined period and receiving a reception signal reflected from an object of the transmitted transmission signal, By performing FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) on the received signal, the voltage (Amplitude) value corresponding to the frequency (Frequency) is calculated, and the voltage peak value is more than the first reference value 310 during a predetermined period. A track creation step (S720) of generating a track for each track, and a ghost signal removal step (S730) of adjusting the first reference value 310 based on whether or not a track is created when an object exists within a predetermined distance. may include.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining step S720 of FIG. 7 in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 8, the steering control device 10 may determine whether the number of peak values that are greater than or equal to the first reference value 310 during a predetermined period of time is greater than or equal to the second reference value (S810). Here, the predetermined time may mean the time during which the above-mentioned predetermined cycle can be repeated several times. Therefore, a plurality of peak values calculated during a predetermined period are calculated, and the steering control device 10 compares the plurality of peak values with the first reference value 310 to calculate the number of times, and the calculated number is equal to the second reference value. By comparing, you can determine whether or not a track has been created.

If the number of peak values that are greater than or equal to the first reference value 310 during a predetermined period of time is greater than or equal to the second reference value (Yes in S810), the steering control device 10 may generate a track (S820). The steering control device 10 may generate a track in the form of a polygon or circle that can include the object based on the calculated distance, speed, and angle of the object.

If the number of peak values that are greater than or equal to the first reference value 310 during a predetermined period of time is less than the second reference value (No in S810), the steering control device 10 may not generate a track (S830). The steering control device 10 may determine the detected object to be a ghost signal because the plurality of peak values calculated over a predetermined period of time rarely exceed the first reference value 310 value.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining step S730 of FIG. 7 in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 9, the steering control device 10 may determine whether the detected object is within a predetermined range (S910). Here, the predetermined range may be the detection range of a sensor mounted on the host vehicle 11, and may be a range in which the host vehicle 11 can perform evasive braking after detecting an object, and is not limited to a specific range. And, if the detected object is outside the predetermined range (No in S910), the first reference value 310 may not be adjusted.

If the detected object is within a predetermined range (Yes in S910), the steering control device 10 may determine whether a track has been created for the detected object (S920).

If a track is created for the detected object (Yes in S920), the steering control device 10 may adjust the first reference value 310 downward (S930). And, as the first reference value 310 is lowered, the peak value of another object exceeds the first reference value 310, and the steering control device 10 determines whether a track is created for another object and 1 It is possible to decide whether to adjust downward the reference value 310.

If a track is not created for the detected object (No in S920), the steering control device 10 may adjust the first reference value 310 upward (S940). And, the upwardly adjusted first reference value 310 may be a value greater than the peak value of the detected object. Objects for which no tracks are created are judged to be ghost signals and the first reference value 310 is adjusted upward as described above, thereby removing non-existent objects.

As described above, according to the present disclosure, the steering control device and method can remove ghost signals generated according to multiple reflected radar signals by adjusting the first reference value 310 and the second reference value.

The above description is merely an illustrative explanation of the technical idea of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the present disclosure. In addition, the present embodiments are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present disclosure, but rather to explain it, so the scope of the present technical idea is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of this disclosure should be interpreted in accordance with the claims below, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this disclosure.

10: steering control device 110: transmitting unit
120: receiving unit 130: generating unit
140: control unit

Claims (12)

A transmitting unit that controls to transmit a frequency-modulated transmission signal during a predetermined period;
A receiving unit that receives a signal in which the transmitted signal is reflected from an object;
Performing FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) on the received signal to calculate the voltage (Amplitude) value corresponding to the frequency (Frequency), and for the object whose peak value of voltage is greater than the first reference value during the predetermined period A generation unit that generates each track; and
A steering control device comprising a control unit that adjusts the first reference value based on whether or not the track is created when the object exists within a predetermined distance. According to paragraph 1,
The generating unit,
If the number of times the peak value is more than the first reference value during a predetermined period of time is more than the second reference value, generate the track for the object,
A steering control device that does not generate the track for the object when the number of times the peak value is greater than the first reference value during a predetermined period of time is less than the second reference value. According to paragraph 2,
The control unit,
A steering control device that adjusts the first reference value upward when the object exists within the predetermined distance and a track for the object is not created. According to paragraph 3,
The first standard value is
A steering control device adjusted to a value greater than the peak value. According to paragraph 2,
The control unit,
A steering control device that adjusts the first reference value to be lowered when the object exists within the predetermined distance and a track for the object is created. According to paragraph 2,
The second standard value is,
A steering control device that adjusts the position of the object to increase as it gets closer to the host vehicle, and adjusts to decrease the position of the object as it moves away from the host vehicle. A transmission/reception step of controlling to transmit a frequency-modulated transmission signal for a predetermined period and receiving a reception signal in which the transmitted transmission signal is reflected from an object;
Performing FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) on the received signal to calculate the voltage (Amplitude) value corresponding to the frequency (Frequency), and for the object whose peak value of voltage is greater than the first reference value during the predetermined period A track creation step of generating each track; and
A steering control method comprising a ghost signal removal step of adjusting the first reference value based on whether or not the track is created when the object exists within a predetermined distance. In clause 7,
The track creation step is,
If the number of times the peak value is more than the first reference value during a predetermined period of time is more than the second reference value, generate the track for the object,
A steering control method that does not generate the track for the object when the number of times the peak value is greater than the first reference value during a predetermined period of time is less than the second reference value. According to clause 8,
The ghost signal removal step is,
A steering control method for adjusting the first reference value upward when the object exists within the predetermined distance and a track for the object is not created. According to clause 9,
The first standard value is
A steering control method adjusted to a value greater than the peak value. According to clause 8,
The ghost signal removal step is,
A steering control method for adjusting the first reference value downward when the object exists within the predetermined distance and a track for the object is created. According to clause 8,
The second standard value is,
A steering control method in which the position of the object is adjusted to increase as it gets closer to the host vehicle, and the position of the object is adjusted to decrease as it moves away from the host vehicle.

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