Patent application EP19181069A (EP), filed 2019-06-18
Publication number: EP3754373A1
Title: METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING INFORMATION REGARDING AN OBJECT
Abstract: A system for a vehicle (10) is described, wherein the system comprises an environment sensor (12) which is configured to capture sensor data (20) regarding an environment of the vehicle (10), and a control unit (11) coupled to the environment sensor (12). The control unit (11) is configured to detect, based on the sensor data (20), a retroreflective component (42) which is attached to an object (44). Furthermore, the control unit (11) is configured to determine, based on the sensor data (20), a reflectometer type of the detected retroreflective component (42) from a plurality of pre-determined retroreflector types. In addition, the control unit (11) is configured to determine information regarding the object (44) to which the detected retroreflective component (42) is attached, based on the reference data set which is associated with the determined reflectometer type of the detected retroreflective component (42).
IPC codes: G01S  13/    75            A I
G01S  13/   931            A I
G01S  17/    74            A I
G01S  17/   931            A I
G01S   7/    40            A I
G01S   7/    41            A I
G01S   7/    48            A I
G01S   7/   497            A I
G06K   7/    10            A I
Claims: number: 1
text: A system for a vehicle (10), the system comprising:
number: 2
text: The system of claim 1, wherein
different reference data sets from the plurality of reference data sets are indicative of different types of objects (43, 44);
the different types of objects (43, 44) comprise one or more different types of road users, a car, a truck, a bus, a pedestrian, a bicyclist, a motorcyclist, a building, and/or one or more different types of road infrastructure, a road barrier, a marker post and/or a traffic sign; and
the control unit (11) is configured to determine the type of the object (44) to which the detected retroreflective component (42) is attached, based on the reference data set which is associated with the determined reflectometer type of the detected retroreflective component (42).
number: 3
text: The system of any previous claims, wherein different retroreflective components (41, 42) having different retroreflector types from the plurality of pre-determined retroreflector types differ at least with regards to one or more of the following properties
a number of retroreflective elements (51, 52) comprised within the retroreflective component (41, 42);
a spatial arrangement of two or more retroreflective elements (51, 52) comprised within the retroreflective component (41, 42);
a distance (D) between at least two retroreflective elements (51, 52) comprised within the retroreflective component (41, 42);
a location of an object (43, 44), at which the retroreflective component (41, 42) is attached to the object (43, 44);
a size of a retroreflective element (51, 52) of the retroreflective component (41, 42);
a shape of a retroreflective element (51, 52) of the retroreflective component (41, 42); and/or
a reflection property of a retroreflective element (51, 52) of the retroreflective component (41, 42).
number: 4
text: The system of claim 3, wherein the control unit (11) is configured to
determine, based on the sensor data (20), measured values of one or more properties of the detected retroreflective component (42); and
determine the reflectometer type of the detected retroreflective component (42) based on the one or more measured values.
number: 5
text: The system of claim 4, wherein
the plurality of reference data sets for the plurality of pre-determined retroreflector types comprises a corresponding plurality of lists of reference values for one or more properties of retroreflective components (41, 42) of the respective retroreflector type; and
the control unit (11) is configured to compare the one or more measured values with the plurality of lists of reference values for the corresponding plurality of pre-determined retroreflector types, in order to determine the reflectometer type of the detected retroreflective component (42).
number: 6
text: The system of any of claims 5, wherein
the list of reference values of the reflectometer type of the detected retroreflective component (42) is indicative of at least one reference value for a size related property of the detected retroreflective component (42);
the control unit (11) is configured to determine, based on the sensor data (20), a measured value for the size related property of the detected retroreflective component (42); and
the control unit (11) is configured to determine the information regarding the object (44) to which the detected retroreflective component (42) is attached, based on the reference value and based on the measured value for the size related property.
number: 7
text: The system of claim 6, wherein the size related property comprises
the size of a retroreflective element (51, 52) of the detected retroreflective component (42); and/or
the distance (D) between at least two retroreflective elements (51, 52) comprised within the detected retroreflective component (42).
number: 8
text: The system of any of claims 6 to 7, wherein the control unit (11) is configured to
determine distance information regarding a distance (X) of the detected object (44) from the environment sensor (12) based on the reference value and based on the measured value for the size related property; and/or
determine size information regarding a size of the detected object (44) based on the reference value and based on the measured value for the size related property.
number: 9
text: The system of any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the control unit (11) is configured to determine the information regarding the object (44) to which the detected retroreflective component (42) is attached, based on one or more sensor parameters of the environment sensor (12).
number: 10
text: The system of any of the previous claims, wherein the control unit (11) is configured to detect the retroreflective component (42), determine the reflectometer type of the detected retroreflective component (42) and/or determine the information regarding the object (44) to which the detected retroreflective component (42) is attached, using one or more machine-learned object detection units (16).
number: 11
text: The system of claim 10, wherein
the one or more machine-learned object detection units (16) each comprise a neural network (30); and/or
the one or more machine-learned object detection units (16) each comprise a convolutional neural network (30); and/or
the one or more machine-learned object detection units (16) have been trained using training data comprising a plurality of training data sets; and/or
the one or more machine-learned object detection units (16) have been trained for the plurality of different retroreflector types.
number: 12
text: The system of any previous claims, wherein.
the detected retroreflective component (42) comprises a plurality of retroreflective elements (51, 52) which form a machine-readable code that is indicative of encoded information; and
the control unit (11) is configured to extract the encoded information from the machine-readable code.
number: 13
text: The system of any previous claims, wherein
the vehicle (10) comprises a first and a second environment sensor (12); and the control unit (11) is configured to
determine the information regarding the object (44) based on the sensor data (20) captured by the first environment sensor (12); and
calibrate the second environment sensor (12) using the determined information regarding the object (44).
number: 14
text: The system of any previous claims, wherein
the environment sensor (12) is configured to sense data regarding electromagnetic and/or acoustic waves within the environment of the vehicle (10); and
a retroreflective component (41, 42) is configured to reflect electromagnetic and/or acoustic waves with a reflectance greater than 50% and/or to reflect electromagnetic and/or acoustic waves into a direction of the environment sensor (12).
number: 15
text: A method (60) for determining information regarding an object (44) within an environment of a vehicle (10); the method (60) comprising,
capturing (61) sensor data (20) regarding the environment of the vehicle (10);
detecting (62), based on the sensor data (20), a retroreflective component (42) which is attached to an object (44) within the environment of the vehicle (10);
determining (63), based on the sensor data (20), a reflectometer type of the detected retroreflective component (42) from a plurality of pre-determined retroreflector types; wherein the plurality of pre-determined retroreflector types is associated with a corresponding plurality of reference data sets comprising information regarding objects (43, 44); and
determining (64) information regarding the object (44) to which the detected retroreflective component (42) is attached, based on the reference data set which is associated with the determined reflectometer type of the detected retroreflective component (42).
Office action: search_report, dated 2020-12-23
Rejection reasons: novelty_epc_54
inventive_step_epc_56
Prior art cited: ref_id: US2016162747A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2019079194A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: WO02097715A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2018107904A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: JPH06317670A
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: JPH06317670
ref_type: patent
severity: novelty_destroying
ref_id: WO02097715
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
ref_id: US2016162747
ref_type: patent
severity: novelty_destroying
ref_id: US2018107904
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
ref_id: US2019079194
ref_type: patent
severity: novelty_destroying
Final disposition: pending (2020-12-23)