WO2018114244A1

WO2018114244A1 - Method for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle when parking using a driver assistance device, corresponding computer program product and driver assistance device

Info

Publication number: WO2018114244A1
Application number: PCT/EP2017/080671
Authority: WO
Inventors: Catherine Enright; Ciáran HUGHES; Jonathan Horgan; Olivia Donnellan; German Feijoo; Gustavo Pelaez; Bassam Abdallah
Original assignee: Connaught Electronics Ltd
Current assignee: Connaught Electronics Ltd
Priority date: 2016-12-20
Filing date: 2017-11-28
Publication date: 2018-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 2019-06-20
Also published as: DE102016124888A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle (12) when parking in a parking space (P) using a driver assistance device of the motor vehicle (12), the method comprising: in a training mode of the driver assistance device: recording and storing reference data about a trajectory (14) to the parking space (P), while the motor vehicle (12) is driven on said trajectory (14) under driver control, wherein at least some of these reference data comprise image-based reference information created by use of at least one camera device mounted on the vehicle; and in a subsequent replay mode different from the training mode: recording, by the driver assistance device, image-based information by use of the at least one camera device and comparing the image-based information with the image-based reference information, wherein depending on a result of the comparison, determining, by the driver assistance device, a current position (22) of the motor vehicle (12) with respect to the trajectory (14). The invention further relates to a corresponding computer program product, and a corresponding driver assistance device.

Description

Method for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle when parking using a driver assistance device, corresponding computer program product and driver assistance device

The invention relates to a method for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle when parking in a parking space using a driver assistance device of the motor vehicle.

The invention further relates to a corresponding computer program product and driver assistance device for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle when parking in a parking space.

Automated Parking systems are already in the market. A new category of automated parking systems is the trained parking system. Modern semi-autonomous cars are designed to park themselves. In order to do this they need to be aware of the geometry of their environment. Trained parking systems use various sensors to record information from the environment (landmarks) corresponding to a driven ("trained") trajectory, and on a subsequent "replay" they relate the newly sensed information to the previously stored information to work out their position relative to the stored trajectory, which is then used to make decisions on how to manoeuvre the vehicle until it eventually parks at the stored parking place (park slot) location.

Document DE 10 2013 015 348 A1 describes a method for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle when parking in a parking space using a driver assistance device of the motor vehicle. The method comprises a training (or learning) mode of the driver assistance device and an operating mode of the driver assistance device. In both, the training mode and the operating mode, the motor vehicle has to drive along a trajectory (path) from a starting point to a final position of the parking procedure at the parking space, the parking position.

It is an object of the invention to provide a method for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle when parking in a parking space using a driver assistance device of the motor vehicle, a corresponding computer program product, and the corresponding driver assistance device which are cost-effective and suitable for many applications. This object is achieved by a method, a computer program product, as well as driver assistance device having the features according to the respective independent claims. Advantageous implementations of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims, of the description and of the figures.

According to the inventive method for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle when parking in a parking space using a driver assistance device of the motor vehicle, the method comprises (i) in a training mode of the driver assistance device: recording and storing reference data about a trajectory (path) to the parking space, while the motor vehicle is driven on said trajectory under driver control, wherein at least some of these reference data comprise image-based reference information created by use of at least one camera device mounted on the vehicle; and (ii) in a subsequent replay mode different from the training mode: recording, by the driver assistance device, image-based information by use of the at least one camera device and comparing the image-based information with the image-based reference information, wherein depending on a result of the

comparison, determining, by the driver assistance device, a current position of the motor vehicle with respect to the trained trajectory. Furthermore the method may comprise a step of determining the remaining section of the trajectory from the current position to the parking space and identify the parking space using the knowledge about the determined current position and the trained trajectory.

This method allows a trained parking assistance with cameras providing the only sensor input. The core idea is that saved information extracted from camera images can be used to localise the vehicle position at a subsequent point in time.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the image-based reference information and/or the image-based information comprises characteristic features detected in an image frame of an image taken by the camera device, which

characteristic feature is linked to a corresponding image descriptor. The characteristic features are related to objects in the surrounding of the vehicle (landmarks) when driving along the trajectory. The descriptors are such that they uniquely define a feature and they can be associated with the features extracted in the subsequent replay. The image- based reference information and/or the image-based information preferably is a description of a 3D characteristic feature in the environment in the surrounding area of the trajectory. This description is based on the 2D representation of the 3D feature in the image. The core idea is that saved characteristic features extracted from camera images can be used to localise the vehicle position at a subsequent point in time.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the training mode comprises the following steps:

Step 1 :detection of the characteristic features in the image frames of the camera;

Step 2: matching of the characteristic features to image frames;

Step 3: 3D-reconstruction of the positions of the characteristic features; and

Step 4: bundle adjustment of 3D-positions of the characteristic features and the vehicle position.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the 3D reconstruction step (Step 3) also provides an estimation of the vehicle motion via the estimation of the corresponding essential/fundamental matrix.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the bundle adjustment step (Step 4) involves a non-linear optimisation where the reprojection error of the 3D features is minimised.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the replay mode comprises the following steps:

Step 1 : detection of the characteristic features in the image frames of the camera;

Step 2: association of said characteristic features with the characteristic features detected in the training mode; and

Step 3: bundle adjustment of vehicle position using the 3D-positions of the characteristic features for vehicle pose optimisation.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, there are two types of image frames, namely key frames and normal frames, wherein in training both frame types are processed but only the trained reference points of the trajectory (trajectory points) and trained features associated with key frames are saved in a trained map and used for replay. Key frames are dynamically selected based on distance travelled by the vehicle, the number of features matched to the previous key frame or a combination of both. According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention information of a navigation satellite system is stored for at least some of the image frames, especially the key frames. This information can be GPS data.

The computer program product according to the invention comprises computer- executable program code portions having program code instructions configured to execute the aforementioned method.

The invention further relates to a driver assistance device for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle when parking in a parking space, wherein the driver assistance device is configured

(i) to record and store reference data about a trajectory to the parking space in a training mode, while the motor vehicle is driven on said trajectory controlled by the driver;

wherein at least some of these reference data comprise image-based reference information created by use of at least one camera device mounted on the vehicle;

(ii) to record image-based information by use of the at least one camera device in a subsequent replay mode different from the training mode and

(iii) to compare the image-based information with the image-based reference information in said replay mode, wherein depending on a result of the comparison, the driver assistance device determines a current position of the motor vehicle with respect to the trajectory. Furthermore the driver assistance device can be configured to determine the remaining section of the trajectory from the current position to the parking space and identify the parking space using the knowledge about the determined current position and the trained trajectory. The driver assistance device preferably is computer-based device comprising a processor and a data memory.

According to a preferred embodiment of this driver assistance device, this driver assistance device is arranged for performing the aforementioned method.

Further features of the invention are apparent from the claims, the figures and the description of figures. All of the features and feature combinations mentioned above in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned below in the description of figures and/or shown in the figures alone are usable not only in the respectively specified combination, but also in other combinations or else alone. Now, the invention is explained in more detail based on a preferred embodiment as well as with reference to the attached drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a map of the parking zone with a trained trajectory of a parking generated in the training mode;

Fig. 2 shows a flow chart of a training mode of a driver assistance device for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle when parking in a parking space of a parking zone;

Fig. 3 shows an image frame and a map of the parking zone with a replay

trajectory of a parking, both generated in the replay mode; and

Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of a replay mode of the driver assistance device for assisting the driver when parking in a parking space.

In the following an example for a trained parking assistance case is described: The driver "trains" the vehicle by driving into a parking space P (parking slot) and selecting to save the trajectory; in "Replay" mode the vehicle recognises the scene and replays the trained trajectory.

This requires two modes of operations: "Training" and "Replay", in "Training" a map 10 of the scene is created while a motor vehicle 12 is driven on a trajectory 14 under driver control, wherein this trajectory 14 travelled by the vehicle 12 is recorded. In "Replay" mode the vehicle 12 must recognise the scene and its location within the scene.

Training Phase

Fig. 1 shows the corresponding map 10 of the scene, e.g. a parking zone, with the motor vehicle 12 driving across this zone during the training mode. The motor vehicle 12 is for example a passenger car. The motor vehicle 12 comprises a driver assistance device with a plurality of cameras (not shown). The cameras are, e.g., located at the front area and the rear area of the vehicle 12. The cameras are environal regions at the front and rear area of the motor vehicle 12. The vehicle 12 is driving along a trajectory 14 across a parking zone from a reference starting position not shown) to a parking space P of the parking zone, which parking space P is the reference target position of said trajectory 14. The trajectory 14 comprises a straight section followed by a curved section and is sufficiently described by a plurality of reference points 16 (trajectory points) on the trajectory 14. There is a number of characteristic features 18, 20 in a surrounding area of the trajectory 14 detected by the driver assistance device in image frames of images taken by the camera.

Fig. 2 shows a kind of flow chart of a training mode of a driver assistance device for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle when parking in a parking space P. This training mode comprises four training steps TS1 - TS4. The aim of the corresponding training phase is to create a sparse consistent map 10 of trained trajectory points and trained features. Step TS1 is a step of feature detection; step TS2 a step of feature matching; step TS3 a step of 3D reconstruction and step TS4 a step of bundle adjustment of 3D positions/points and vehicle position.

The aim of the training phase is to create a sparse consistent map 10 of trained trajectory points 16 and trained features, as shown in Fig.1 . Trained trajectory points 16 are key locations in the world that together identify the path (trajectory) 14 followed by the vehicle 12 in training.

Trained features are visual features with a 3D position "in the world" and an associated visual descriptor. The descriptors are such that they uniquely define a feature and they can be associated with the features extracted in a subsequent replay. The driver assistance device is designed to work with any feature descriptor but a sufficiently robust descriptor is recommended. AKAZE is the proposed feature descriptor for this solution. The feature descriptor storage during training and matching during replay is the key enabler for the vehicle 12 to localise (associate) itself during replay against the training data.

There are two types of image frames, namely key frames and normal frames, wherein during training both frame types are processed but only the trained trajectory points and trained features associated with key frames are saved in the trained map and used for replay. The concept of these "key frames" and "normal frames" is important for this solution. Frames are bundled into windows with a key frame at the start followed by normal frames. Key frames are dynamically selected based on a combination of distance travelled and the number of features matched to previous key frame.

In the training phase, a set of visual features are extracted from each live camera frame, a visual descriptor is stored for each feature. The number of features extracted is limited to a fixed number to ensure an efficient run-time is achieved.

Features are matched according to their descriptor to subsequent frames and using these matches a 3D reconstruction is performed to give an estimate for each feature position in a 3D world. The 3D reconstruction also provides an estimate of the vehicle motion, via the estimation of the essential/fundamental matrix.

Each window consisting of a key frame and subsequent normal frames is bundle adjusted to give the optimal trajectory positions and 3D feature positions. The bundle adjustment step involves a non-linear optimisation where the reprojection error of the 3D features is minimised. GPS information can be also stored for each key frame in the trajectory 14, obviously this position will not be accurate enough for replay but it can be used for absolute position reference.

Replay Phase

Fig. 3 shows a map 10 of the scene in the replay phase and a corresponding image I taken by the camera from the current vehicle position. The point 22 in the map 10 is the estimate of the current vehicle position on the sparse map. The big points 24 are the trained features from the full trained trajectory. The smaller points 26 are those trained features that have been matched to the current replay frame. The characteristic features 24, 26 are connected to the different objects 28 in the scene.

In the replay phase, a new set of features 24, 26 is detected, and each feature 24, 26 is given a visual descriptor. Using these visual descriptors, the new features 24, 26 are matched to the trained features 18, 20. For initial relocalisation a subset of the new features 24, 26 is selected and the complete trained trajectory 14 is searched to find matching descriptors. The key frame with the most matches is selected as the "closest key frame" and then an attempt is made to match the complete set of new features to the features in the "closest key frame". With GPS information for the current position and the key frames in the stored trajectory 14 a more refined search space for the feature descriptor matches can be used to reduce the runtime and ensure a more robust match.

If a sufficient number are matched the current vehicle position relative to the trained trajectory 14 is determined using a bundle adjustment technique. The matched trained features 24 are re-projected into the current live frame and the reprojection error is calculated as the difference between the re-projected position and the observed position in the current frame. This error is minimised by selecting the optimal vehicle position relative to the trained trajectory 14. Strict filtering of outliers ensures a reliable position.

On subsequent frames the search is restricted to the "closest key frame" and its neighbours. The "closest key frame" is reset to one of this group as appropriate. If however a sufficient number of matches are not made within this set the complete trajectory is once again searched.

Fig. 4 shows a kind of flow chart of a replay mode of the driver assistance device for assisting a driver when parking in a parking space P. This training mode comprises three replay steps RS1 - RS3. Step RS1 is a step of feature detection; step RS2 is a step of feature association with trained features; and step RS3 is a step of bundle adjustment for vehicle pose optimisation.

List of Reference Signs

10 Map

12 vehicle

14 trajectory, trained 16 trajectory points (trained trajectory)

18 3D-features (big circles) 20 3D-features, other (small circles)

22 point of view

24 features, trained

26 features, detected

28 object, environal

P parking space

I image

TS1 training step, first

TS2 training step, second

TS3 training step, third

TS4 training step, fourth

RS1 replay step, first

RS2 replay step, second

RS3 replay step, third

Claims

Claims A method for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle (12) when parking in a parking space (P) using a driver assistance device of the motor vehicle (12), the method comprising: in a training mode (TS1 - TS4) of the driver assistance device: recording and storing reference data about a trajectory (14) to the parking space (P), while the motor vehicle (12) is driven on said trajectory (14) under driver control, wherein at least some of these reference data comprise image-based reference information created by use of at least one camera device mounted on the vehicle; and in a subsequent replay mode (RS1 - RS3) different from the training mode: recording, by the driver assistance device, image-based information by use of the at least one camera device and comparing the image-based information with the image-based reference information, wherein depending on a result of the comparison, determining, by the driver assistance device, a current position (22) of the motor vehicle (12) with respect to the trajectory (14). The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the image-based reference information and/or the image- based information comprises characteristic features (18, 20; 24, 26) detected in an image frame of an image taken by the camera device, which characteristic feature is linked to a corresponding image descriptor. The method according to claim 2, characterized by the following steps of the training mode: detection of the characteristic features (18, 20) in the image frames of the camera

(TS1 );

matching of the characteristic features (18, 20) to image frames

(TS2);

3D-reconstruction of the positions of the characteristic features (18, 20)

(TS3); and bundle adjustment of 3D-positions of the characteristic features (18, 20) and the vehicle position (TS4).

4. The method according to claim 3,

characterized in that the 3D reconstruction step (TS3) also provides an estimation of the vehicle motion.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4,

characterized in that the bundle adjustment step (TS4) involves a non-linear optimisation where the reprojection error of the 3D features is minimised.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5,

characterized by the following steps of the replay mode:

detection of the characteristic features (24, 26) in the image frames of the camera ( S1 );

association of said characteristic features (24, 26) with the characteristic features (18, 20) detected in the training mode (RS2); and

bundle adjustment of vehicle position using the 3D-positions of the characteristic features (18, 20) and the vehicle position for vehicle pose optimisation (RS3).

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6,

characterized by two types of image frames, namely key frames and normal frames, wherein in training both frame types are processed but only the trained reference points of the trajectory and trained features associated with key frames are saved in a trained map and used for replay.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7,

characterized in that information of a navigation satellite system is stored for at least some of the image frames, especially the key frames.

9. A computer program product comprising computer-executable program code portions having program code instructions configured to execute the method according to one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A driver assistance device for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle (12) when

parking in a parking spaces (P), wherein the driver assistance device is configured to record and store reference data about a trajectory (14) to the parking space (P) in a training mode, while the motor vehicle (12) is driven on said trajectory (14) controlled by the driver; wherein at least some of these reference data comprise image-based reference information created by use of at least one camera device mounted on the vehicle;

to record image-based information by use of at least one camera device in a subsequent replay mode different from the training mode and

to compare the image-based information with the image-based reference information in said replay mode, wherein depending on a result of the comparison, the driver assistance device determines a current position (22) of the motor vehicle (12) with respect to the trajectory.

The device according to claim 10,

characterized in that the driver assistance device is arranged for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.