KR20230033144A - Blind Spot Warning System FOR SELF DRIVING CARS - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a blind spot warning system which allows a separate blind spot confirmation module to sense blind spot information not detected by an autonomous vehicle and transmit the same to the autonomous vehicle. Accordingly, the blind spot warning system of the autonomous vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a sensing unit which senses any one of the front, the rear, and the lateral of the vehicle; a blind spot confirmation module which checks the vehicle or a pedestrian in a blind spot which the sensing unit cannot sense; and a communication unit receiving vehicle or pedestrian information confirmed by the blind spot confirmation module.

Description

Blind spot warning system for autonomous vehicles {Blind Spot Warning System FOR SELF DRIVING CARS}

The present invention relates to a blind spot warning system, and more particularly, to a blind spot warning system for an autonomous vehicle that warns an autonomous vehicle about a situation in a blind spot that the autonomous vehicle is not aware of.

Vehicles may be classified into internal combustion engine vehicles, external combustion engine vehicles, gas turbine vehicles, electric vehicles, and the like, depending on the type of prime mover used.

Autonomous vehicles are vehicles that can drive automatically without human intervention. Driverless cars drive autonomously by recognizing the surrounding environment with radar, LIDAR (light detection and ranging), GPS, and camera and designating a destination. Unmanned vehicles that are already in practical use include unmanned vehicles operated by the Israeli military that patrol preset routes and unmanned operation systems such as dump trucks that are operated at overseas mines or construction sites.

The first core technologies of these self-driving vehicles are the unmanned car system and the actual system. It is a technology that builds an unmanned car system in reality as well as simulation in the laboratory. It implements driving devices such as accelerators, decelerators, and steering devices to suit unmanned operation, and enables control using computers, software, and hardware installed in unmanned cars. do.

The second key technology is to receive and process visual information using vision and sensors. It is the basis of autonomous driving for unmanned operation, and it is a technology that accepts image information and extracts necessary information from the image. This uses not only a CCD (charge-coupled device) camera, but also sensors such as ultrasonic sensors and range filters to fuse information necessary for distance and driving, allowing obstacle avoidance and unexpected situations to be dealt with through analysis and processing.

The third core technology is the integrated control system and operation monitoring fault diagnosis system technology. This technology establishes an operation monitoring system that monitors vehicle operation and gives appropriate commands according to frequently changing situations, analyzes various situations generated by individual processors and sensors, diagnoses system failures, and provides appropriate information to the operator. or to perform the function of notifying an alarm.

The fourth key technology is intelligent control and intelligent driving devices. This technology generates control commands based on mathematical analysis using actual vehicle models as an unmanned driving technique. Intelligent forward control is a system based on radar guide technology that maintains the distance from the vehicle in front or obstacles by adjusting the speed on its own without the driver manipulating the pedals. When the driver inputs the distance to the vehicle in front, the long-range radar attached to the front of the vehicle detects the location of the vehicle in front, maintains a constant speed, decelerates or accelerates, and comes to a complete stop if necessary, which is useful in poor visibility weather.

The fifth applied technology is the lane departure prevention system. This is a technology in which a camera installed inside detects the lane and informs the driver of an unintended deviation situation.

The sixth applied technology is a parking assist system. When the driver searches for the assist button, puts the reverse gear in and presses the brake pedal, the car adjusts the steering to assist in parallel parking in reverse. It automatically guides the vehicle from the starting point to the parking space based on infrastructure as well as vehicle-mounted sensors to save unnecessary time and energy when parking, thereby minimizing cost and environmental pollution.

The seventh applied technology is an automatic parking system. This is a technology in which the driver stops the car in front of the parking lot, turns off the engine, gets off, and presses the remote control lock switch twice in a row. am.

The biggest advantage of an unmanned car is that it helps fuel efficiency by avoiding repeated stops by making the control device more even because the driving speed and traffic management data match, and that it can be used by people who cannot drive, such as the elderly, children, and the disabled. will be. In addition, it has the advantage of solving fatigue caused by long-time driving, greatly reducing the risk of traffic accidents, speeding up traffic flow on the road and reducing traffic congestion.

However, since self-driving vehicles are driven by algorithms, they are still at an unsatisfactory level in dealing with unpredictable and contingent situations. In particular, a method for providing information on a blind spot existing on a driving route is disclosed as in prior art literature, but the risk of an accident is high if there is a blind spot in which information cannot be obtained at all from the front of the route, but so far Related studies are incomplete.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2087046 (2020.3.10.), Method and apparatus for providing information on blind spots based on lanes using LDM in autonomous vehicles {METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION OF A BLIND SPOT BASED ON A LANE USING LOCAL DYNAMIC MAP IN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE}

The present invention is to solve the above problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to allow a separate blind spot confirmation module to detect blind spot information not detected by an autonomous vehicle and transmit it to the autonomous vehicle. To provide a warning system.

A blind spot warning system for an autonomous vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes a sensing unit for detecting any one of the front, rear, and side of the vehicle, and a blind spot for identifying a vehicle or a pedestrian in a blind spot that the sensing unit cannot detect. A confirmation module and a communication unit receiving the vehicle or pedestrian information confirmed by the blind spot confirmation module.

At this time, the blind spot warning system of the self-driving vehicle further includes an output unit, and the output unit may include a field of view expansion output module that outputs a vehicle or pedestrian in a blind spot that the sensing unit cannot detect or exceeds the driver's field of view. can

In addition, the viewing angle extension output module may output the vehicle or pedestrian to a specific position of the display to correspond to the movement line of the vehicle or pedestrian.

In addition, the blind spot warning system of the self-driving vehicle may further include an output unit, and the output unit may include a non-vision output module for outputting a vehicle or pedestrian in a blind spot that is not detected by the sensing unit because the output unit is blocked by terrain or features. there is.

In addition, the blind spot confirmation module senses at least one of the speed, expected route, and real-time location of a vehicle or pedestrian that is entering or expected to enter a blind spot to detect the user terminal of an autonomous vehicle or pedestrian that is expected to enter the blind spot. can be sent

According to the present invention, since a separate blind spot confirmation module detects blind spot information not detected by the self-driving vehicle and transmits the information to the self-driving vehicle for display, it is possible to significantly reduce the occurrence of safety accidents in the blind spot.

1 is a configuration diagram of a blind spot warning system for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the sensing unit in FIG. 1 in more detail.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the output unit in FIG. 1 in more detail.
4 is a configuration diagram showing the blind spot check module in FIG. 1 in more detail.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the viewing angle expansion output module of FIG. 3 .
6 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the non-view output module of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the remote output module of FIG. 3 .

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are given the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used together in consideration of ease of writing the specification, and do not have meanings or roles that are distinct from each other by themselves.

In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the embodiment disclosed in this specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention , it should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

It is 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, but other elements may exist in the middle. It should be. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another element, it should be understood that no other element exists in the middle.

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

Hereinafter, a pedestrian communication system 1000 for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1 is a configuration diagram of a blind spot warning system for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the detection unit in FIG. 1 in more detail, and FIG. 3 is an output unit in FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the blind spot confirmation module in more detail in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the viewing angle expansion output module of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is FIG. 3 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the remote output module of FIG. 3 .

Referring to the drawings, first, the blind spot warning system 1000 of an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an autonomous vehicle 100 and a blind spot confirmation module 200 disposed in a blind spot. In addition, the user terminal 300 carried by the pedestrian may be further included. In this case, the autonomous vehicle 100 includes an input unit 110, a sensing unit 120, an output unit 130, a control unit 140, a communication unit 150, and a driving unit 160.

The input unit 110 is a device that receives a user input for driving. In the manual mode, the input unit of the autonomous vehicle 100 may include a steering input device, an acceleration input device, and a brake input device. In addition, the input unit 110 serves to input the destination of the autonomous vehicle, receives information from a server (not shown) according to the input destination, and continuously sets a route.

The detector 120 may include a radar 121 and a lidar 122, and may further include a camera 123.

First, the radar 121 may generate information about an object outside the self-driving vehicle 100 by using radio waves. The radar 121 may include an electromagnetic wave transmitter, an electromagnetic wave receiver, and at least one processor electrically connected to the electromagnetic wave transmitter and electromagnetic wave receiver, processing a received signal, and generating data about an object based on the processed signal. there is.

The radar 121 may be implemented in a pulse radar method or a continuous wave radar method in terms of radio wave emission principles. The radar 121 may be implemented in a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) method or a frequency shift keyong (FSK) method according to a signal waveform among continuous wave radar methods. The radar 121 detects an object based on a Time of Flight (TOF) method or a phase-shift method through electromagnetic waves, and measures the position of the detected object, the distance to the detected object, and the relative speed. can be detected. In this case, the radar 121 may be disposed at an appropriate location outside the vehicle to detect an object located in front, rear or side of the vehicle.

Next, the lidar 122 may generate information about an object including a pedestrian outside the self-driving vehicle 100 by using laser light. The LIDAR 122 is electrically connected to the light transmitter (not shown), the light receiver (not shown), and the light transmitter and the light receiver, processes the received signal, and generates data for an object based on the processed signal. It may include at least one processor that

The lidar 122 may be implemented in a Time of Flight (TOF) method or a phase-shift method. The lidar 122 may be implemented as a driven or non-driven type. When implemented as a driven type, the lidar 122 is rotated by a motor and detects objects such as vehicles or pedestrians around the autonomous vehicle 100. can do. When implemented as a non-driving type, the lidar 122 may detect an object located within a predetermined range with respect to the vehicle by light steering. The autonomous vehicle 100 may include a plurality of non-driven lidars.

The lidar 122 detects an object based on a time of flight (TOF) method or a phase-shift method using a laser light medium, and calculates the position of the detected object, the distance to the detected object, and the relative speed. can be detected. At this time, the lidar 122 may be disposed at an appropriate location outside the vehicle to detect an object located in the front, rear, or side of the vehicle.

Meanwhile, the camera 123 may generate information about an object such as a pedestrian outside the self-driving vehicle 100 by using an image. The camera 123 may include at least one lens, at least one image sensor, and at least one processor electrically connected to the image sensor to process a received signal and to generate object data based on the processed signal. can

The camera 123 may be at least one of a mono camera, a stereo camera, and an AVM (Around View Monitoring) camera. The camera 123 may obtain position information of an object, distance information with respect to the object, or relative speed information with the object by using various image processing algorithms.

For example, the camera 123 may obtain distance information and relative speed information with respect to the object based on a change in the size of the object over time in the obtained image. In addition, the camera 123 may obtain distance information and relative speed information with an object through a pinhole model, road profiling, and the like.

In addition, the camera 123 may obtain distance information and relative speed information with respect to an object based on disparity information in a stereo image obtained from a stereo camera. The camera 123 may be mounted in a position where a field of view (FOV) can be secured in the vehicle in order to photograph the exterior of the vehicle.

The camera 123 may be disposed close to the front windshield inside the vehicle to obtain an image of the front of the vehicle. Furthermore, the camera 123 may be disposed around a front bumper or a radiator grill. The camera 123 may be disposed close to the rear glass inside the vehicle to obtain an image behind the vehicle. In this case, the camera 123 may be disposed around a rear bumper, a trunk, or a tailgate. The camera 123 may be disposed close to at least one of the side windows in the interior of the vehicle in order to acquire an image of the side of the vehicle. Alternatively, the camera 123 may be disposed around side mirrors, fenders, or doors.

In addition, since the sensing unit 120 needs to utilize the location information of the self-driving vehicle, the GPS 124 is essentially further included. The GPS 124 may include at least one of a general Global Positioning System (GPS) and a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) to generate location data of the autonomous vehicle 100 . Location data of the self-driving vehicle 10 may be generated based on a signal generated by at least one of the GPS and DGPS.

In this case, the GPS 124 may correct the location data based on at least one of an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and the camera 123 of the sensing unit 120 . Also, the GPS 124 may be referred to as a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

Meanwhile, the sensing unit 120 may further include a microphone 125 so that the occupant, in addition to the guardian, may intervene in autonomous driving by voice or the like even if the occupant does not perform a steering operation. Furthermore, the biometric information sensor 126 not only senses the heart rate, blood pressure, and brain waves of passengers to prepare for emergencies, but additionally performs a function to prevent erroneous boarding by sensing fingerprint and iris information when entering and exiting the vehicle. can Utilizing the biometric information sensor 126, the self-driving vehicle 100 can detect that a passenger has boarded or alighted.

Meanwhile, the output unit 130 is normally disposed inside or outside the self-driving vehicle 100 to display a driving-related situation. Furthermore, any one of shape, shape, and color may be displayed on the outside of the vehicle to provide predictability to the owner of the vehicle and people around.

Furthermore, the output unit 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a viewing angle expansion output module 131, a non-view output module 132, and a remote output module 132.

The viewing angle expansion output module 131 outputs a vehicle or pedestrian in a blind spot that the above-described detection unit 120 cannot detect. At this time, vehicle or pedestrian information in the blind spot that the detection unit 120 cannot detect is detected by the blind spot confirmation module 200 and transmitted to the communication unit 150 .

In this case, the viewing angle expansion output module 131 serves to output the vehicle or pedestrian detected by the blind spot confirmation module 200 to an area corresponding to the actual location when the target is located outside the driver's viewing angle and cannot be seen, as shown in FIG. do.

At this time, the viewing angle expansion output module 131 outputs the vehicle or pedestrian to a specific position of the display to correspond to the movement line of the vehicle or pedestrian. In FIG. 5 , a case where a pedestrian is approaching from a far left distance is illustrated, a car is approaching at a right short distance, and a motorcycle is proceeding at a far right distance.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 6 , the non-view output module 132 outputs a vehicle or pedestrian that is not detected by the detector 120 because it is blocked by a terrain feature. As shown in FIG. 6, when the target is located behind a building, wall, vehicle, street tree, etc., the Visaya output module 132 outputs vehicles or pedestrians on the terrain feature by augmented output and checks their movement. In this way, safety accidents can be prevented when a blind spot is caused by a geographical feature.

The remote output module 133 outputs vehicle or pedestrian information located close to or near the blind spot confirmation module 200 from the autonomous vehicle in advance when the target is located remotely at a distance of 100 m or more and cannot be seen.

Meanwhile, the control unit 140 may be configured as a main ECU and controls the driving unit 160 of the self-driving vehicle 100 .

In particular, the control unit 140 may include a power train driving control device, a chassis driving control device, a door/window driving control device, a safety device driving control device, a lamp driving control device, and an air conditioning driving control device. The power train driving control device may include a power source driving control device and a transmission driving control device. The chassis drive control device may include a steering drive control device, a brake drive control device, and a suspension drive control device. Meanwhile, the safety device driving control device may include a seat belt driving control device for controlling seat belts.

The controller 140 includes at least one electronic control device (eg, a control ECU (Electronic Control Unit)). In particular, the vehicle driving device may be controlled based on the received signal. For example, the controller 140 may control a power train, a steering device, and a brake device based on a signal received from the sensor 120 .

On the other hand, the communication unit 150 can exchange signals with the blind spot confirmation module 200 located outside the autonomous vehicle 100, and at least one of infrastructure (eg, server, broadcasting station), other vehicles, and terminals. It can also exchange signals with The communication unit 150 may include at least one of a transmission antenna, a reception antenna, a radio frequency (RF) circuit capable of implementing various communication protocols, and an RF element to perform communication. For example, the communication device may exchange signals with an external device based on C-V2X (Cellular V2X) technology. In addition, the communication unit 150 transmits external devices and signals based on Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) technology based on IEEE 802.11p PHY/MAC layer technology and IEEE 1609 Network/Transport layer technology or Wireless Access in Vehicular Environment (WAVE) standard. can be exchanged.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 4 , the blind spot checking module 200 includes a display module 210 , a sensing module 220 , a communication module 230 and a driving unit 240 .

The display module 210 blind spot confirmation module 200 functions as a traffic light by itself, and pedestrian information and vehicle operation information are displayed so that pedestrians or vehicles in all directions can see them.

The sensing module 220 senses at least one of the speed, expected path, and real-time location of a vehicle or pedestrian entering or expected to enter a blind spot, and the communication module 230 senses an autonomous vehicle or pedestrian expected to enter a blind spot. This information is transmitted to the pedestrian's user terminal.

The driving unit 240 is a component that allows the blind spot confirmation module 200 itself to perform autonomous driving, and moves to an area with a high frequency of accidents as needed or according to a command from the server to reduce the risk of accidents in the blind spot. .

As such, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to understand that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without changing its technical spirit or essential features.

In addition, the present specification and drawings disclose preferred embodiments of the present invention, and although specific terms are used, they are only used in a general sense to easily explain the technical content of the present invention and help understanding of the present invention. It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that other modified examples based on the technical spirit of the present invention can be implemented in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

1000: blind spot warning system
100: autonomous vehicle
110: input unit
120: sensing unit
130: output unit
140: control unit
150: communication department
160: driving unit
200: blind spot confirmation module
300: user terminal

Claims (5)

a sensing unit that senses any one of the front, rear, and side of the vehicle;
a blind spot confirmation module that checks a vehicle or pedestrian in a blind spot that the sensing unit cannot detect; and
a communication unit for receiving vehicle or pedestrian information confirmed by the blind spot checking module;
Blind spot warning system for autonomous vehicles including a.
According to claim 1,
The blind spot warning system of the autonomous vehicle further includes an output unit, and the output unit includes a field of view extension output module that outputs a vehicle or pedestrian in a blind spot that the sensing unit cannot detect or exceeds the driver's viewing angle. A blind spot warning system for autonomous vehicles.
According to claim 2,
The viewing angle expansion output module is a blind spot warning system for an autonomous vehicle, characterized in that for outputting the vehicle or pedestrian to a specific position on the display to correspond to the movement of the vehicle or pedestrian.
According to claim 1,
The blind spot warning system of the autonomous vehicle further includes an output unit, and the output unit includes a non-vision output module for outputting a vehicle or pedestrian in a blind spot that the sensing unit cannot detect due to being blocked by terrain or features. A blind spot warning system for autonomous vehicles.
According to claim 1,
The blind spot confirmation module senses at least one of the speed, expected path, and real-time location of a vehicle or pedestrian entering or expected to enter a blind spot and transmits the information to a user terminal of an autonomous vehicle or pedestrian expected to enter the blind spot. Blind spot warning system for autonomous vehicles, characterized in that.

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