KR20190060574A - Tractor having blind spot detection system and method for estimating trailer hitch rotation angle thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for estimating a hitch rotation angle of a tractor detecting a blind spot comprises the following steps of: receiving radar information and vehicle information; calculating a rotation radius of the tractor; calculating an inclination of a side surface of a trailer and slice data at a central axis of the tractor by using the radar information adjacent to the rotation radius; and estimating a hitch rotation angle by using the inclination of the side surface and the slice data.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tractor having a dead zone monitoring apparatus and a method of estimating a trailer hitch rotation angle of the tractor.

The present invention relates to a tractor having a dead zone monitoring apparatus and a method for estimating a trailer hitch rotation angle thereof.

In recent years, vehicle manufacturers have been providing traffic safety by providing a blind spot detection system (BSD) that detects blind spots in various ways. The rectangular area monitoring device uses various sensors such as radar, laser, and ultrasonic wave to warn the driver in advance of the existence of a vehicle or an obstacle in a position that the driver can not recognize. The blind spot monitoring device assists the driving by transmitting / receiving means such as radar and ultrasonic waves to inform the existence of the opponent vehicle or to show the image of the blind spot by using the camera.

A large-sized vehicle such as a commercial vehicle has a longer overall length of the vehicle than the passenger car, and a wider range of characteristics, which requires more precise and detailed blind spot detection. However, such a blind spot monitoring apparatus is mainly applied to a passenger car.

Published Patent: 10-2004-0023348, Published on: Mar. 18, 2004 Title: Automotive radar system. Published Patent: 2001-004118, Published on: May 15, 2001, Title: High Performance Vehicle Radar System. Open Patent: 10-2015-0055738, Disclosure Date: May 22, 2015 Title: Detection system of a dead zone for a vehicle using a radar and a method for displaying the fault. Registered Patent: 10-1605660, Registered: March 16, 2016 Title: Blind spot information display device for commercial vehicle and blind spot information display method.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tractor and a trailer hitch rotation angle estimation method thereof that solve a blind spot problem at low cost.

A method of estimating a hitch rotational angle of a tractor for detecting a dead zone according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: receiving radar information and vehicle information; Calculating a turning radius of the tractor; Calculating slope data on the side surface inclination of the trailer and the center axis of the tractor using the radar information adjacent to the turning radius; And estimating a hitch rotation angle using the slope and the slice data.

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, calculating the turning radius may include calculating the turning radius by dividing the wheelbase by sin (str), where str is the steering angle.

In an embodiment, it may further comprise determining whether the running of the tractor is rotating.

In an embodiment, when the traveling of the tractor is left-turned, the radar information may include left radar information.

In an embodiment, when the running 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 the data of the radar reflection points on the side of the trailer through the least squares method.

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

In an embodiment, the area of the blind spot of the tractor can be varied according to the hitch rotation angle.

An apparatus for detecting a dead zone of a tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a cognitive sensor input unit for receiving 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 estimating unit estimating a rotation angle of a trailer connected to the tractor using the radar information and the vehicle information; And a blind spot detection unit for detecting a blind spot area of the tractor using the radar information and the hitch rotation angle.

In an embodiment, the trailer rotational angle estimator may calculate the slope of the trailer through the least squares method, and calculate the hitch rotation angle corresponding to the slope, using the radar data for the outer surface points of the side surface of the trailer .

In an exemplary embodiment, the blind spot detection unit may calculate a turning radius at the time of turning the tractor using the vehicle information, and may detect an obstacle existing in the blind spot by using the turning radius and the hitch rotation angle .

In one embodiment, the blind zone sensing unit may vary the blind spot zone according to the hitch rotational angle, and output information on the blind spot zone to a display device.

A method of estimating a tractor and a trailer hitch rotation angle of the tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes extracting an outer line of a side surface of a trailer by using a radar sensor for detecting a dead zone mounted on right and left sides of a tractor, By calculating the angle of the center line and calculating the hitch rotation angle, it is possible to detect the dead zone at low cost without a separate hitch rotation angle sensor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 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 an exemplary illustration of a tractor 10 monitoring a blind spot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of trailer estimation of a blind spot monitoring apparatus 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an exemplary view showing the turning radius of the tractor 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view illustrating an exemplary mounting position of the radar sensors 100 and 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a view illustrating an example of a radar detection range of the tractor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention and an outer line detection function of a side surface of a trailer when the vehicle is rotated.
FIG. 6 is an exemplary view showing the positional relationship between the side reflection points of the radar and the king pin when the tractor 10 is turning right according to the embodiment of the present invention.
7 is an exemplary illustration of obstacle detection within a blind spot of a tractor 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a view showing varying the blind spot area of the tractor 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG.

The present invention is capable of various modifications and various forms, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. The terms first, second, etc. 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. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

Other expressions that describe the relationship between components, such as "between" and "between" or "neighboring to" and "directly adjacent to" should be interpreted as well. The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this application, the terms "comprises" or "having" are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, wherein one or more other features, , Steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, as a matter of course. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be construed as meaning consistent with meaning in the context of the relevant art and are not to be construed as ideal or overly formal in meaning unless expressly defined in the present application .

More particularly, the tractor according to the embodiment of the present invention estimates a hitch rotation angle of a trailer through a measurement value of a radar sensor provided in a commercial vehicle, and estimates a hitch rotation angle of a trailer by using a blind spot of a commercial vehicle Can be detected. Conventional technology requires additional cost of the system by measuring the rotation angle by mounting the hitch rotation angle sensor.

1 is an exemplary illustration of a tractor 10 monitoring a blind spot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the tractor 10 may include a left radar sensor 100, a right radar sensor 200, and a blind zone monitor 300.

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

The right radar sensor 200 is installed on the right side of the tractor 10 and can be implemented to generate positional information on the object by transmitting and receiving a radar signal.

1, it is to be understood that the number of radar sensors of the present invention is not limited thereto, although it is shown that the tractor 10 is composed of two radar sensors 100 and 200.

The dead zone monitoring apparatus 300 detects the position of the tractor 10 using the position information received from the radar sensors 100 and 200 and the vehicle information (e.g., vehicle speed information, gear information, steering angle information, Estimating the trailer rotation angle connected to the trailer 10, and detecting the blind zone in consideration of the estimated trailer rotation angle.

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

The cognitive sensor input unit 310 may be configured to receive position information (e.g., radar point cloud information) from the left and right radar sensors 100 and 200. [

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

The trailer rotation angle estimator 330 can estimate the trailer hitch rotation angle using the position information of the perception sensor input unit 310 and the vehicle information of the vehicle information input unit 320. [

In the embodiment, the trailer rotational angle estimating unit 330 calculates the turning radius at the time of vehicle rotation using the vehicle information of the tractor 10, collects the signals output as the radar return signal at the time of turning clockwise, Considering the relative speed among the reflection points, the trailer is attached to the tractor 10, so that the signals judged as the trailer side in the area adjacent to the turning radius in consideration of the characteristics near the relative speed of 0 and the turning radius of the tractor 10, .

In the embodiment, the trailer rotation angle estimating unit 330 may calculate the slope of the side surface through the least squares method of the data of the outer surface points of the side surface of the collected trailer, and calculate the corresponding slope as the hitch rotation angle of the trailer.

The blind spot detection unit 340 may be configured to determine whether an obstacle exists in a predetermined blind spot and generate an alarm when an obstacle is present.

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

The blind spot monitoring apparatus 300 of the tractor 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention can extract obstacle information other than the trailer in a predetermined blind spot and change the blind spot to the rotation angle of the hitch. Therefore, compared with the dead zone monitoring apparatus using the hitch rotation angle sensor, the dead zone monitoring apparatus of the present invention can calculate the hitch value without the hitch rotation angle sensor, so that the cost reduction effect can be expected. It can be applied to various systems that require a hitch rotation angle besides a dead zone detection system.

2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of trailer estimation of a blind spot monitoring apparatus 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the trailer estimating unit 330 of the blind spot monitoring apparatus 300 can proceed as follows.

Firstly, it can be discriminated whether a trailer exists in the vehicle (S110). If a trailer is present, 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 can be discriminated whether the tractor 10 is traveling in the left / right direction (S140). Here, on the other hand, the running of the tractor 10 may include both the forward running or the backward running. If the running of the tractor 10 is a left-handed run, the trailer side slope and the intercept in the vehicle center axis can be calculated using the left-side radar information (S150). If the running of the tractor 10 is a right-hand drive, the trailer side slope and the intercept in the vehicle center axis can be calculated using the right-side radar information (S160). The rotation angle can be estimated using the left / right slope and slice data (S170). Thereafter, or when the trailer does not exist, the trailer rotational angle estimating operation can be completed.

The steps and / or operations in accordance with the present invention may occur in different orders, in parallel, or concurrently in other embodiments for other epochs or the like, as may be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art .

Depending on the embodiment, some or all of the steps and / or operations may be performed on one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, including instructions, programs, interactive data structures, At least some of which may be implemented or performed using one or more processors. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media can be, by way of example, software, firmware, hardware, and / or any combination thereof. Further, the functions 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 implemented as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), standard integrated circuits, But are not limited to, controllers that perform appropriate instructions, including microcontrollers, and / or embedded controllers, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs) .

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view showing the turning radius of the tractor 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the radius of gyration R may be expressed by the equation 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 when the tractor 10 is rotated. The wheel base means the distance between the front axle and the rear axle.

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

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating an example of a radar detection range of the tractor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention and a trailer side outer line detection function during rotation. Referring to FIG. 5, the right radar sensor 200 has a detection range of 120 degrees during normal driving. The right side radar sensor 200 can detect the outline of the side surface of the trailer.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary view showing the positional relationship between the side surface reflection points (or outer points) of the tractor 10 and the king pin when the tractor 10 is turning right according to the embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, there is a slice value a ₀ between the center axis of the vehicle passing through the king pin and the straight line formed by the side surface reflection points of the trailer. W is the width of the trailer.

In an embodiment, the slope and intercept can be computed by least squares.

Where a ₁ is the hitch rotation angle.

Further, since the width W of the trailer differs from trailer to trailer, the following equation is satisfied if a piece is used.

Here, the width W of the trailer may correspond to the area of the dead zone varying with the size and position of the trailer.

7 is an exemplary illustration of obstacle detection within a blind spot of tractor 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the blind spot monitoring apparatus 300 of the tractor 10 may be able to determine obstacles other than the trailer from the blind zone warning area using the radar sensor.

FIG. 8 is a view showing varying the blind spot area of the tractor 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. 8, the blind spot monitoring apparatus 300 of the tractor 10 can vary the blind spot area to match the trailer rotation angle.

The blind spot monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a vehicle information input unit that receives vehicle information such as a wheel pulse, a steering angle, and a vehicle speed, a cognitive sensor input unit that receives radar point cloud information, A trailer rotation angle estimating unit for estimating a hitch rotation angle, and a dead zone detecting unit for discriminating whether there is an obstacle in a designated blind spot and giving a warning.

The present invention utilizes the vehicle information of the tractor to obtain the turning radius at the time of turning of the vehicle and to collect the signals outputted as the radar return signal at the time of turning to the right of the left turn and to see the relative speed among the radar reflection points, The signals judged as the side of the trailer in the area in contact with the turning radius can be separated from other obstacles in consideration of the characteristics close to zero and the turning radius of the tractor. The slope of the side surface of the trailer can be calculated by the hitch rotational angle of the trailer by obtaining the slope of the side surface through the least squares method.

In addition, the width of the trailer can be determined to accommodate a dead zone that varies depending on the size and location of the trailer. By using the method of the present invention, obstacle information other than the trailer can be extracted from a predetermined blind spot and the blind spot can be changed to match the rotation angle of the hitch.

The above-described contents of the present invention are only specific examples for carrying out the invention. The present invention will include not only concrete and practical means themselves, but also technical ideas which are abstract and conceptual ideas that can be utilized as future technologies.

10: Tractor
100: Left radar sensor
200: Right radar sensor
300: Blind spot monitor
310: Cognitive sensor input part
320: vehicle information input unit
330: Trailer rotation angle estimating unit
340: Dead zone detection unit

Claims (14)

A method for estimating a hitch rotational angle of a tractor for detecting a dead zone, comprising:
Receiving radar information and vehicle information;
Calculating a turning radius of the tractor;
Calculating slope data on the side surface inclination of the trailer and the center axis of the tractor using the radar information adjacent to the turning radius; And
And estimating a hitch rotational angle using the side slope and the slice data. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the radar information includes first radar information received from a left radar sensor disposed on a left side of the tractor and second radar information received from a right radar sensor disposed on a right side of the tractor. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the vehicle information includes vehicle speed information, gear information, and steering angle information. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein calculating the turning radius comprises:
Calculating the turning radius by dividing the wheelbase by sin (str), where str is the steering angle. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising the step of determining whether the running of the tractor is rotating. 6. The method of claim 5,
And the radar information includes left radar information when the running of the tractor is left-turned. 6. The method of claim 5,
And when the running of the tractor is a right turn, the radar information includes right radar information. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the side slope of the trailer is calculated using data of radar reflection points on a side surface of the trailer through a least squares method. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the central axis of the tractor passes through a king pin connecting the tractor and the trailer. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the area of the blind spot of the tractor is varied according to the hitch rotational angle. CLAIMS 1. A blind spot monitoring apparatus for a tractor, comprising:
A cognitive sensor input unit for receiving radar information from the left and right radar sensors;
A vehicle information input unit for receiving vehicle information having vehicle speed information, gear information, and steering angle information;
A trailer rotation angle estimating unit estimating a rotation angle of a trailer connected to the tractor using the radar information and the vehicle information; And
And a blind spot detection unit for detecting a blind spot area of the tractor using the radar information and the hitch rotation angle. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the trailer rotation angle estimating unit calculates radar data of outer edges of the side surface of the trailer using the least squares method and calculates the hitch rotation angle corresponding to the inclination of the trailer. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the blind spot detection unit calculates a turning radius at the time of rotation of the tractor using the vehicle information and detects an obstacle existing in a dead zone by using the turning radius and the hitch rotation angle. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the blind spot detection 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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