WO2023017145A1

WO2023017145A1 - Motor vehicle, method for self-localization of a motor vehicle, and digital map

Info

Publication number: WO2023017145A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/072648
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roland Kube; Timo Iken; Carolin Last; Stefan Wappler; Thomas Dammeier; Sven-Garrit Czarnian
Original assignee: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft; HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA
Priority date: 2021-08-13
Filing date: 2022-08-12
Publication date: 2023-02-16
Also published as: DE102021208892B3

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle (1), wherein: the motor vehicle (1) is designed to travel in a partially or fully automated manner; the motor vehicle (1) comprises at least one environment sensor system (2, 4) and a digital map (DK); landmarks (15) are stored in the digital map (DK); the motor vehicle (1) is also designed to detect landmarks (15) by means of the environment sensor system (2, 4), to compare these landmarks to the landmarks (15) stored in the digital map (DK) and, on the basis of the comparison, to carry out self-localization. Landmarks (15) from parking garages are stored in the digital map (DK), wherein at least some of the landmarks (15) are metal objects in the parking garages. The environment sensor system (2) is at least one radar sensor system (3), and the landmarks (15) each comprise at least three corner reflectors (16) or triple reflectors (13), wherein: the at least three corner reflectors (16) or triple reflectors (13) form a region (B); at least one additional metal structure (14) is arranged in the region (B); the spacings of the metal structure (14) from the corner reflectors (16) or triple reflectors (13) are stored in the digital map (DK). The invention also relates to a method for self-localization of a motor vehicle (1) in a parking garage.

Description

Motor vehicle, method for self-localization of a motor vehicle and digital map

The invention relates to a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle being designed in such a way that it can be driven partially or fully automatically, a method for self-localization of a motor vehicle and a digital map.

Motor vehicles that are partially or fully automated must localize themselves to their surroundings. GNSS data, for example, are used for this purpose. Furthermore, localization takes place using landmarks that are located on a digital map. If an environment sensor system of the motor vehicle then detects such a landmark, a position of the motor vehicle in the digital map can be determined by comparing the detected landmark with the stored landmark. The environment sensor system typically includes at least one camera.

Self-localization in multi-storey car parks is problematic, which has various causes. Among other things, satellite reception is often interrupted. A further problem is that many multi-storey car parks have a very similar structure, so that they differ only slightly from one another and many areas of a multi-storey car park are structured in a similar way, with many parking garages also being able to cover them up.

DE 102018 218 182 A1 discloses a method for determining the position of a vehicle, in which a radar sensor in the vehicle transmits a radar signal into the area surrounding the vehicle and a radar signal reflected by a surrounding object in the area surrounding the vehicle is detected by the radar sensor an evaluation of the reflected radar signal determines information about the material of the surrounding object and the information about the material of the surrounding object is used to determine the position of the vehicle.

The invention is based on the technical problem of creating a motor vehicle in which self-localization in multi-storey car parks is improved. Another technical problem is to provide a suitable method and to create a suitable digital map. The technical problem is solved by a motor vehicle with the features of claim 1, a method with the features of claim 7 and a digital card with the features of claim 8. Further advantageous refinements of the invention result from the dependent claims.

The motor vehicle is designed to drive in a partially or fully automated manner, with the motor vehicle having at least one surroundings sensor system and a digital map. Landmarks are stored in the digital map. The motor vehicle is also designed to detect landmarks using the environment sensors, to compare them with the landmarks stored in the digital map and to carry out self-localization based on the comparison, with landmarks from multi-storey car parks being stored in the digital map.

The landmarks in the multi-storey car parks are at least partially metallic objects or other objects that can be easily detected by radar, with the at least one environmental sensor system being at least one radar sensor system. Furthermore, the landmarks have at least three corner reflectors or triple mirrors, with the at least three corner reflectors or triple mirrors forming one area. The area is spanned by the corner reflectors or triple mirrors. At least one further metallic structure is arranged in the area, with the distances between the metallic structure and the corner reflectors or triple mirrors being stored in the digital map. This allows improved self-localization in a parking garage. This exploits the fact that the radar echoes at the corner reflectors or triple mirrors are very large and can be detected very well, with location information then being able to be encoded by the at least one further metallic structure. An angle reflector is understood to be a structure in which two metal surfaces meet perpendicularly, with three metal surfaces colliding perpendicularly in the case of a triple mirror. The points can only be angle reflectors or only triple mirrors or any combination of angle reflectors and triple mirrors. The corner reflectors and triple mirrors are preferably built-in steel beams in the parking garage. The term metallic structure also includes other materials that can be easily detected by radar, although metal is preferably used. It should also be noted that not all landmarks have to be designed in this way.

The steel girders can be free-standing or embedded in concrete or clad in some other way. The at least one further metallic structure can also be a component that is built in anyway. However, this is preferably a special one Built-in structure, such as a metal sign, placed between the corner reflectors or corner cubes (e.g., attached or suspended from a wall).

In one embodiment, the landmark has at least four angle reflectors or triple mirrors, which further improves reliable detection.

In a further embodiment, the at least four corner reflectors or triple mirrors lie in one plane, which further improves the ability to identify and unambiguous assignment.

The at least one further structure preferably lies in this plane.

More preferably, several other metallic structures are present, which then result in an unambiguous coding, similar to a QR code. As a result, a large number of different landmarks can be generated so that, if desired, any number of locations in a multi-storey car park can be clearly determined, or identical locations in different multi-storey car parks can be clearly distinguished.

In an alternative embodiment, the metal structures are arranged in different planes, so that their position relative to a reference plane can be used as further coding.

The method for self-localization of a motor vehicle in a multi-storey car park is carried out using a radar sensor system and a digital map, with landmarks of the multi-storey car park being stored in the digital map, with the landmarks being at least three corner reflectors or triple mirrors, with the at least three corner reflectors or triple mirrors forming or .define. At least one additional metallic structure is arranged in the area, with the distances between the metallic structure and the at least three angle reflectors or triple mirrors being stored in the digital map, with a landmark being determined using the radar signals and being compared with the stored landmarks and a position derived from this of the motor vehicle is determined in the digital map.

With regard to other possible configurations, reference is made to the previous statements. It should also be noted that optical landmarks, which are captured by a camera, for example, can also be used for self-localization in the multi-storey car park. Landmarks of multi-storey car parks are stored in the digital map, the landmarks being at least partially metallic objects in the multi-storey car parks, the landmarks being at least three corner reflectors or triple mirrors which form an area in which at least one further metallic structure is arranged, with the The distances between the metallic structure and the angle reflectors or triple mirrors are stored on a digital map.

The invention is explained in more detail below using preferred exemplary embodiments. The figures show:

1 shows a schematic block diagram of a motor vehicle,

Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a landmark with four corner cubes and

3 shows a schematic representation of a landmark with four corner reflectors.

1 schematically shows a block diagram of a motor vehicle 1 which is designed in such a way that it can be driven at least partially in a partially or fully automated manner. The motor vehicle 1 has at least one first environment sensor 2 embodied as a radar sensor 3 and at least one second environment sensor 4 embodied as a camera 5 . The motor vehicle 1 also has an evaluation and control unit 6 and a memory 7 in which a digital map DK with landmarks from multi-storey car parks is stored. Finally, the motor vehicle 1 has an actuator 8 in order to carry out the partially or fully automated journey. In this case, the digital map DK does not have to be stored permanently in the memory 7 . Rather, provision can also be made for the corresponding digital map DK to be downloaded in advance from a server or from a cloud by motor vehicle 1 for an area traveled through. At least some landmarks of the multi-storey car parks have at least three, preferably four, angled reflectors or triple mirrors, with at least one additional metallic structure being arranged in the area defined by the angled reflectors or triple mirrors.

This will first be explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 . 2 shows a greatly simplified steel girder construction 10 with four vertical longitudinal girders 11 and eight transverse girders 12, whereby the longitudinal girders 11 and transverse girders 12 can be free-standing or can also be embedded in concrete. For example, the lower crossbeams 12 can be embedded in a concrete floor and the upper crossbeams 12 in a concrete ceiling. In this case, three steel girders 11, 12 collide perpendicularly. the longitudinal and crossbeams 11, 12 each have faces which abut one another to form corner cubes 13, the rear four corner cubes 13 being identified. The four triple seals 13 lie in a plane E, which is also the area B defined by the triple mirror 13 . In the plane E or in the region B there are further metallic structures 14 which are designed, for example, as metal plates and are fastened to a wall. The metallic structures 14 can be of different sizes. Triple mirror 13 and metallic structures 14 together form a landmark 15. If motor vehicle 1 is now driving in the multi-storey car park in the area of landmark 15, radar sensor system 3 emits radar beams and receives radar echoes, which are evaluated by evaluation and control unit 6. The four triple mirrors 13 deliver particularly strong echoes that can be detected very well. The radar echoes are also received by the metallic structures 14 . The arrangement of the metallic structures 14 relative to the triple mirrors 13 allows a position in the parking garage to be encoded in a manner similar to a QR code. The evaluation and control unit 6 can then carry out a self-localization by comparison with the landmarks stored in the digital map DK. The metallic structures 14 or other structures can also be stored as optical landmarks in the digital map DK, so that the self-localization can be improved even further as a result.

3 shows an alternative steel girder construction 10 which has two longitudinal girders 11 and two cross girders 12 . In this case, only two carriers collide perpendicularly, so that corner reflectors 16 are formed. The corner reflectors 16 also produce very pronounced radar echoes, so that the corner points of the landmark 15 can be easily detected. In this case, the four angle reflectors 16 can also span a plane E again, with the metallic structures 14 being able to lie in the plane E. However, it is also possible to arrange individual structures 14 in front of or behind the plane E, in which case this depth information can also be used to encode the position.

Reference List

1 motor vehicle first environment sensors

Radar sensor system second environment sensor system

camera

Evaluation and control unit

7 storage

8 Actuators

10 steel beam construction

11 longitudinal beams

12 crossbars

13 triple mirrors

14 metallic structure

15 landmark

16 angle reflector

DK digital map

E level

B area

Claims

- 7 -

Claims Motor vehicle (1), wherein the motor vehicle (1) is designed to drive partially or fully automated, the motor vehicle (1) having at least one environment sensor system (2, 4) and a digital map (DK), wherein in the digital Map (DK) Landmarks

(15) are stored, wherein the motor vehicle (1) is further designed to detect landmarks (15) using the environment sensors (2, 4), to compare them with the landmarks (15) stored in the digital map (DK) and based on them to carry out a self-localization of the comparison, with landmarks (15) from multi-storey car parks being stored in the digital map (DK), with the landmarks (15) being at least partially metallic objects in the multi-storey car parks, with the surroundings sensor system (2) having at least one radar sensor system (3) is characterized in that the landmarks (15) each have at least three angle reflectors (16) or triple mirrors (13), the at least three angle reflectors (16) or triple mirrors (13) forming an area (B), in which area ( B) at least one further metallic structure (14) is arranged, the distances between the metallic structure (14) and the corner reflectors (16) or triple mirrors (13) being stored in the digital map (DK). Motor vehicle according to Claim 1, characterized in that the landmark (15) has at least four corner reflectors (16) or triple mirrors (13). Motor vehicle according to Claim 2, characterized in that the four corner reflectors

(16) or triple mirror (13) lie in a plane (E). Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one further structure (14) lies in the plane (E) of the corner reflectors (16) or triple mirror (13). Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that there are several metallic structures (14) which form a QR code. - 8 - Motor vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the metallic structures (14) are arranged in different planes. Method for self-localization of a motor vehicle (1) in a parking garage, using a radar sensor system (3) and a digital map (DK), landmarks (15) of the parking garage being stored in the digital map (DK), the landmarks (15) each have at least three angle reflectors (16) or triple mirrors (13), the at least three angle reflectors (16) or triple mirrors (13) forming an area (B), at least one further metallic structure (14) being arranged in the area (B). , the distances between the metallic structure (14) and the angle reflectors (16) or triple mirrors (13) being stored in the digital map (DK), with a landmark (15) being detected on the basis of the radar signals and with the stored landmarks (15) is compared and from this a position of the motor vehicle (1) in the digital map (DK) is determined. Digital map (DK), with landmarks (15) of parking garages being stored in the digital map (DK), with the landmarks (15) being at least partially metallic objects in the parking garages, with the landmarks (15) each having at least three corner reflectors (16 ) or triple mirrors (13) which form an area (B) in which at least one further metallic structure (14) is arranged, the distances between the metallic structure 14) and the corner reflectors (16) being shown in the digital map (DK) or triple mirrors (13) are stored.