KR20250074697A - LiDAR sensor automatic adjustment device for autonomous vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic adjustment device for a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle, which automatically adjusts the angle of a lidar sensor according to the inclination angle and rotation angle of the vehicle when the autonomous vehicle is in operation, and automatically adjusts the amplifier gain of the lidar sensor according to the object detection distance, so as to optimize the judgment of a dangerous situation. The invention includes a driving determination unit which determines whether the autonomous vehicle is driving based on acceleration information acquired from an autonomous driving sensor unit, a slope angle measurement unit which measures a slope angle using gyro sensor information of the autonomous driving sensor unit, a lidar control unit which controls the angle adjustment of the lidar sensor in the autonomous driving sensor unit according to the slope angle measurement value measured by the slope angle measurement unit, and an angle adjustment unit which adjusts the angle of the lidar sensor according to the control of the lidar control unit, thereby implementing an automatic adjustment device for a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle.

Description

LiDAR sensor automatic adjustment device for autonomous vehicles

The present invention relates to automatic adjustment of a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle, and more particularly, to an automatic adjustment device of a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle which automatically adjusts the angle of a lidar sensor according to the inclination angle and rotation angle of the vehicle when the autonomous vehicle is in operation, and automatically adjusts the amplifier gain of the lidar sensor according to the object detection distance, thereby optimizing judgment of a dangerous situation.

An autonomous vehicle is a car that can drive itself without the operation of a driver or passengers, and an autonomous driving system is a system that monitors and controls such a self-driving car so that it can drive itself.

These autonomous vehicles are equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that analyze the driver's condition and surroundings, and perform vision, screen display, guidance, warning, and control.

For example, one of the ADAS functions is the Blind-spot Collision Avoidance (BCA) function. BCA is a function that prevents collisions with other vehicles located in the blind spot of the destination lane when changing lanes. Another example is the Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning (RCCW) function. RCCW is a function that detects and warns of cars approaching from the side of the rear of the vehicle using a radar sensor while the vehicle is moving in reverse. RCCW detects approaching vehicles in the rear blind spot that is difficult to see with the side mirror or rearview mirror and outputs a warning.

Since these autonomous vehicles drive without driver intervention, they must have a variety of sensors to quickly and accurately sense the surrounding terrain and objects in real time.

Lidar systems and cameras are currently widely used to prevent vehicle collisions, such as forward collisions, through object detection.

Light Imaging Detection and Ranging (RIDAR) systems can detect the size and arrangement of objects and measure the distance to them by shining laser light pulses on objects and analyzing the light reflected from the objects.

However, current autonomous vehicles use the Lidar sensor at a fixed viewing angle. When going downhill, drivers tend to look down to check for obstacles below. However, the Lidar sensor used for autonomous driving is fixed to look at the front of the vehicle, so it cannot properly recognize vehicles or obstacles approaching from below. The same applies to uphill roads.

Accordingly, active angle adjustment of the lidar sensor is required depending on the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle (especially, slope and turn).

Republic of Korea Publication Patent No. 10-2023-0000567 (Vehicle angle calculation device and method using a sensor)

Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed to solve the problem of reduced ability to judge dangerous situations due to the fixed gaze angle of the lidar sensor for ADAS applied to the above-mentioned conventional autonomous vehicles, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic adjustment device for a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle, which automatically adjusts the angle of the lidar sensor according to the inclination angle and rotation angle of the vehicle when the autonomous vehicle is driven, and automatically adjusts the amplifier gain of the lidar sensor according to the object detection distance, thereby optimizing judgment of dangerous situations.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the "autonomous vehicle lidar sensor automatic adjustment device" according to the present invention,

An autonomous driving sensor unit that obtains information on the operation of an autonomous vehicle and its surrounding environment;

A driving determination unit that determines whether an autonomous vehicle is driving based on acceleration information acquired from the autonomous driving sensor unit;

A slope angle measuring unit that measures the slope angle using the gyro sensor information of the autonomous driving sensor unit;

A lidar control unit that controls the angle adjustment of the lidar sensor in the autonomous driving sensor unit according to the slope angle measurement value measured by the slope angle measurement unit;

It is characterized by including an angle adjustment unit that adjusts the angle of the lidar sensor according to the control of the lidar control unit.

In the above, the autonomous driving sensor part is

Acceleration sensor that detects the speed of an autonomous vehicle;

A gyro sensor that detects the inclination angle of a self-driving vehicle;

A lidar sensor that detects objects ahead of the autonomous vehicle's driving path; and

It is characterized by including at least one camera that acquires information on the surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle.

In the above, the lidar control unit,

The invention is characterized in that the roll and yaw angles for adjusting the angle of a support device that rotatably supports a lidar sensor are calculated based on the angle information of the ramp measured by the above ramp angle measuring unit, and the angle adjustment control signal of the lidar sensor is generated using the calculation result.

In the above, the angle adjustment part is,

It is characterized by driving a motor provided in a support device that rotatably supports a lidar sensor according to an angle adjustment control signal generated from the above lidar control unit to adjust the main angle of the lidar sensor.

In addition, the "autonomous vehicle lidar sensor automatic adjustment device" according to the present invention,

A region of interest setting unit that sets a main region of interest (ROI) according to the inclination angle of the above lidar sensor;

It further includes a detection distance measuring unit that measures the detection distance between the autonomous vehicle and the object based on the signal of the lidar sensor measured by the autonomous driving sensor unit, and transmits the detection distance measurement value to the lidar control unit.

The above lidar control unit is characterized by generating a gain adjustment control signal of a preamplifier that amplifies and outputs a signal of a lidar sensor according to the detection distance measured by the detection distance measuring unit.

In addition, the "autonomous vehicle lidar sensor automatic adjustment device" according to the present invention,

It is characterized by further including a gain adjustment unit that adjusts the gain of a preamplifier that amplifies a signal output from a lidar sensor in the autonomous driving sensor unit according to a gain adjustment control signal generated from the lidar control unit.

According to the present invention, when an autonomous vehicle is driven, the angle of the lidar sensor is automatically adjusted according to the inclination angle and rotation angle of the vehicle, thereby optimizing detection of front objects, thereby achieving the effect of ensuring accuracy in judging dangerous situations.

In addition, according to the present invention, there is also an effect of automatically adjusting the amplifier gain of the lidar sensor according to the object detection distance using the lidar sensor, thereby optimizing the judgment of a dangerous situation.

Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of an automatic adjustment device for a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of the angle adjustment device of the lidar sensor applied to Fig. 1.
FIG. 3a is an example of the gaze angle of a lidar sensor when the ramp is a hill in the present invention, and FIG. 3b is an example of the gaze angle of a lidar sensor when the ramp is a downhill.

Hereinafter, a lidar sensor automatic adjustment device for an autonomous vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

The terms or words used in the present invention described below should not be interpreted as limited to their usual or dictionary meanings, and should be interpreted as meanings and concepts that conform to the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term in order to explain his or her own invention in the best way.

Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modified examples that can replace them at the time of filing this application.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an automatic adjustment device for a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which may include an autonomous driving sensor unit (110), a driving determination unit (120), a slope angle measurement unit (130), a detection distance measurement unit (140), an environmental information acquisition unit (150), a lidar control unit (160), an area of interest setting unit (170), a gain adjustment unit (180), and an angle adjustment unit (190).

The autonomous driving sensor unit (110) acquires information on the driving and surrounding environment for autonomous driving of an autonomous vehicle.

The autonomous driving sensor unit (110) may include at least one of an acceleration sensor for detecting the speed of the autonomous vehicle (2), a gyro sensor for detecting the inclination angle of the autonomous vehicle (2), a lidar sensor for detecting a front object on the driving path of the autonomous vehicle (2), and a camera for obtaining information on the surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle (2). In addition to the sensors mentioned above, a radar, an ultrasonic sensor, etc. may be further included for safer autonomous driving.

The driving determination unit (120) determines whether the autonomous vehicle is driving based on the acceleration information obtained from the autonomous driving sensor unit (110). In order to determine the vehicle driving situation more accurately, the driving determination unit (120) may additionally use the inclination information of the gyro sensor in addition to the acceleration information.

The ramp angle measuring unit (130) measures the ramp angle using the gyro sensor information of the autonomous driving sensor unit (110).

The lidar control unit (160) controls the angle adjustment of the lidar sensor in the autonomous driving sensor unit (110) according to the slope angle measurement value measured by the slope angle measurement unit (130).

This lidar control unit (160) calculates the roll and yaw angles for adjusting the angle of a support device that rotatably supports the lidar sensor based on the angle information of the slope measured by the slope angle measuring unit (130), and can generate an angle adjustment control signal of the lidar sensor using the calculation result.

The angle adjustment unit (190) adjusts the angle of the lidar sensor according to the control of the lidar control unit (160). This angle adjustment unit (190) can be referred to as a lidar controller.

This angle adjustment unit (190) can adjust the viewing angle of the lidar sensor by driving a motor provided in a support device that rotatably supports the lidar sensor according to an angle adjustment control signal generated from the lidar control unit (160).

The region of interest setting unit (170) sets the main region of interest (ROI) according to the inclination angle of the lidar sensor, and the detection distance measuring unit (140) measures the detection distance between the autonomous vehicle (2) and an object based on the signal of the lidar sensor measured by the autonomous driving sensor unit (110), and transmits the detection distance measurement value to the lidar control unit (160).

The above lidar control unit (160) can generate a gain adjustment control signal of a preamplifier that amplifies and outputs a signal of the lidar sensor according to the detection distance measured by the detection distance measuring unit (140).

The gain adjustment unit (180) adjusts the gain of the preamplifier that amplifies the signal output from the lidar sensor in the autonomous driving sensor unit according to the gain adjustment control signal generated from the lidar control unit (160).

The environmental information acquisition unit (150) processes image information acquired by the camera in the autonomous driving sensor unit (110) and transmits it as environmental information to the lidar control unit (160).

The operation of the automatic adjustment device for the lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention configured as described above is described in detail as follows.

First, when power is supplied to the vehicle, the autonomous driving sensor unit (110) acquires and outputs driving and surrounding environment information for autonomous driving of the autonomous vehicle.

The autonomous driving sensor unit (110) may include at least one of an acceleration sensor for detecting the speed of the autonomous vehicle (2), a gyro sensor for detecting the inclination angle of the autonomous vehicle (2), a lidar sensor for detecting a front object on the driving path of the autonomous vehicle (2), and a camera for obtaining information on the surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle (2).

Here, the output of the lidar sensor may include object detection information and detection distance information, and a preamplifier that amplifies and outputs the detection signal is essential, so that the output signal detected by the lidar sensor is preamplified and output.

When a detection signal is generated by the autonomous driving sensor unit (110), the driving determination unit (120) determines whether the autonomous driving vehicle is driving based on acceleration information among the detection signals acquired from the autonomous driving sensor unit (110). That is, if acceleration information exists, it is determined that the vehicle is driving, and if acceleration information does not exist, it is determined that the vehicle is stopped. The vehicle driving status information determined in this manner is transmitted to the lidar control unit (160).

In addition, the slope angle measuring unit (130) measures the slope angle using the gyro sensor information of the autonomous driving sensor unit (110). The principle of measuring the slope angle using the output signal of the gyro sensor is a technology already known in the automotive field, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The measured slope angle measurement value is transmitted to the lidar control unit (160).

The above lidar control unit (160) controls the angle adjustment of the lidar sensor in the autonomous driving sensor unit (110) according to the slope angle measurement value measured by the slope angle measurement unit (130). For example, the lidar control unit (160) calculates the roll and yaw angles for adjusting the angle of a support device that rotatably supports the lidar sensor based on the slope angle information measured by the slope angle measurement unit (130), and generates an angle adjustment control signal of the lidar sensor using the calculation result. Here, the method of calculating the roll and yaw using the slope angle information is also a known method, and the calculated roll and yaw calculation results are used to extract the angle adjustment control value of the lidar sensor stored in the internal memory. Here, the internal memory has the angle adjustment control value of the lidar sensor mapped in a table format using the calculated roll and yaw values of the calculated slope angle as an index, so that the angle adjustment control value of the lidar sensor can be easily calculated by calculating the slope angle value.

Here, the lidar control unit (160) uses the angle adjustment control value of the lidar sensor set in advance by the region of interest setting unit (170) so that the main region of interest of the lidar sensor can be measured according to the inclination angle. Even if the inclination angle of the lidar sensor occurs, the user sets the range and center point of the region of interest by considering the moving speed and direction of the autonomous vehicle, which is a moving object, so that even if the inclination angle of the autonomous vehicle occurs, the object in front can always be detected optimally using the lidar sensor.

The above lidar control unit (160) generates an angle adjustment control signal to the angle adjustment unit (190) based on the angle adjustment control value of the lidar sensor produced.

The above angle adjustment unit (190) adjusts the angle of the lidar sensor according to the control of the lidar control unit (160). Here, the angle adjustment unit (190) can be referred to as a lidar controller.

This angle adjustment unit (190) drives a motor provided in a support device that rotatably supports the lidar sensor according to an angle adjustment control signal generated from the lidar control unit (160), thereby optimally adjusting the gaze angle of the lidar sensor according to the inclination angle of the autonomous vehicle.

Figure 2a is a configuration diagram of a lidar sensor (113) applied to the present invention. The lidar sensor (113) may include a laser scanner (113a) and a driving jig (113b).

The laser scanner (113a) is configured to have laser transmitters and receivers aligned in one direction. In the present invention, the laser transmitters and receivers are aligned in the up-down direction or in the left-right direction. Here, the up-down direction and the left-right direction represent the appearance when the laser scanner (113a) is mounted on a vehicle.

When the laser transceivers are aligned vertically, the laser transceiver located at the bottom is used to create a reference range for calculating the viewing angle. On the other hand, when the laser transceivers are aligned left-right, the laser transceiver located in the middle can be used to create a reference range.

The driving jig (113b) is configured to rotate the laser scanner (113a) in the up-and-down direction using a motor (113d) and a worm gear (113c), as shown in (c). The angle adjustment unit (190), which is a LIDAR controller, is configured to control the operation of the driving jig (113b).

Fig. 3a is an example of optimizing the gaze angle by adjusting the angle of the lidar sensor downward when the ramp (1) is a hill while driving an autonomous vehicle (2), and Fig. 3b is an example of optimizing the gaze angle by adjusting the angle of the lidar sensor upward when the ramp (1) is a downhill while driving an autonomous vehicle (2).

In this way, the present invention automatically adjusts the angle of the lidar sensor according to the inclination and rotation angle of the vehicle when the autonomous vehicle is in operation, thereby optimizing detection of front objects and thereby ensuring accuracy in judging dangerous situations.

Meanwhile, as another feature of the present invention, the measurement signal of the lidar sensor is optimized for the object detection distance, thereby ensuring accuracy in judging a dangerous situation.

For example, the detection distance measuring unit (140) measures the detection distance between the autonomous driving vehicle (2) and an object based on the signal (distance detection signal) of the lidar sensor measured by the autonomous driving sensor unit (110), and transmits the detection distance measurement value to the lidar control unit (160).

The above lidar control unit (160) generates a gain adjustment control signal of a preamplifier that amplifies and outputs a signal of the lidar sensor according to the detection distance measured by the detection distance measuring unit (140) and transmits the signal to the gain adjustment unit (180). Here, the intensity of the detected reception signal, etc. may vary depending on the object detection distance, and thus the accuracy of object detection may vary.

Therefore, in order to improve these shortcomings, the present invention adds a gain adjustment unit (180) to automatically adjust the gain of a preamplifier that amplifies a signal output from a lidar sensor in the autonomous driving sensor unit according to a gain adjustment control signal generated from the lidar control unit (160).

By controlling the gain, even if the distance between the object detected by the lidar sensor and the autonomous vehicle changes, the object detection signal detected and output by the lidar sensor can always be optimized, thereby ensuring accuracy in judging dangerous situations.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described according to the above embodiments, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

110: Autonomous driving sensor section
111: Acceleration sensor
112: Gyro sensor
113: Lidar sensor
114: Camera
120: Driving Determination Unit
130: Ramp angle measuring section
140: Detection distance measuring unit
150: Environmental Information Acquisition Department
160: Lidar control unit
170: Area of Interest Setting Section
180: Gain Adjustment Unit
190: Angle adjustment section

Claims (6)

An autonomous driving sensor unit that obtains information on the operation of an autonomous vehicle and its surrounding environment;
A driving determination unit that determines whether an autonomous vehicle is driving based on acceleration information acquired from the autonomous driving sensor unit;
A slope angle measuring unit that measures the slope angle using the gyro sensor information of the autonomous driving sensor unit;
A lidar control unit that controls the angle adjustment of the lidar sensor in the autonomous driving sensor unit according to the slope angle measurement value measured by the slope angle measurement unit; and
An automatic adjustment device for a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle, characterized by including an angle adjustment unit that adjusts the angle of the lidar sensor according to the control of the lidar control unit.
In claim 1, the autonomous driving sensor unit,
Acceleration sensor that detects the speed of an autonomous vehicle;
A gyro sensor that detects the inclination angle of a self-driving vehicle;
A lidar sensor that detects objects ahead of the autonomous vehicle's driving path; and
An automatic adjustment device for a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle, characterized in that it includes at least one camera that acquires information on the surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle.
In claim 1, the lidar control unit,
An automatic adjustment device for a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle, characterized in that it calculates roll and yaw angles for adjusting the angle of a support device that rotatably supports a lidar sensor based on angle information of a ramp measured by the above-mentioned ramp angle measuring unit, and generates an angle adjustment control signal of the lidar sensor using the calculation result.
In claim 1, the angle adjustment unit,
An automatic adjustment device for a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle, characterized in that the angle of incidence of the lidar sensor is adjusted by driving a motor provided in a support device that rotatably supports the lidar sensor according to an angle adjustment control signal generated from the above lidar control unit.
In claim 1,
A region of interest setting unit that sets a main region of interest (ROI) according to the inclination angle of the above lidar sensor;
It further includes a detection distance measuring unit that measures the detection distance between the autonomous vehicle and the object based on the signal of the lidar sensor measured by the autonomous driving sensor unit, and transmits the detection distance measurement value to the lidar control unit.
An automatic adjustment device for a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle, characterized in that the above lidar control unit generates a gain adjustment control signal of a preamplifier that amplifies and outputs a signal of the lidar sensor according to the detection distance measured by the detection distance measuring unit.
In claim 5,
An automatic adjustment device for a lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle, characterized in that it further includes a gain adjustment unit that adjusts the gain of a preamplifier that amplifies a signal output from a lidar sensor in the autonomous driving sensor unit according to a gain adjustment control signal generated from the lidar control unit.

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