An autonomous vehicle calibration device

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of sensor calibration technology, specifically to a calibration device for autonomous vehicles. The device includes a graduated central track with a calibration reference on it. Above the central track is a platform for placing the vehicle. The platform has a drive assembly for moving the vehicle horizontally along and perpendicular to the central track. Above the platform is a main positioning device that emits positioning light rays that vertically illuminate the central track. The positioning light rays, in conjunction with the 0-degree line on the central track, are used to mark points, allowing predetermined calibration reference points on the vehicle to be located at corresponding points to determine the vehicle's position. The graduations on the central track are then used to determine the position of the calibration reference, achieving the required calibration distance between the calibration reference and the vehicle's calibration reference point. This reduces manual operation and improves calibration efficiency.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of sensor calibration, in particular to an automatic driving vehicle calibration device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Sensor calibration is a basic requirement and lifeline of automatic driving vehicles. The automatic driving sensor system mainly consists of monocular cameras, binocular cameras, laser radars, millimeter wave radars, etc., and each scene and range is different in the entire three-dimensional space of calibration. In the production process of automatic driving vehicles, the accuracy of the system calibration is a decisive factor for the probability of accidents in the subsequent application and promotion process of the vehicles.

[0003] The offline calibration of automatic driving vehicles includes radar calibration and camera calibration. The current calibration method of laser radars and millimeter wave radars is as follows: (1) find a horizontal site, park the vehicle at a set position, draw a center line and make the three-dimensional intersection point of the front windshield of the vehicle correspond to the upper and lower parts of the center line, fix and paste the center line on the ground, and the three-dimensional intersection point of the front windshield of the vehicle is the calibration reference point for the front radar calibration of the vehicle; (2) find 3 meters, 4 meters, 6 meters, 10 meters, 50 meters, etc. related distance points based on the calibration reference point, and paste markers on the center line based on the corresponding distance points to manually create points; (3) place reference objects corresponding to each distance point, and the reference objects can be calibration rods with strong reflective plates; (4) perform initialization calibration, screening, saving, configuration file generation and uploading based on each manually created point. The current calibration method of monocular cameras and binocular cameras is as follows: (1) find a horizontal site with lane lines, and park the vehicle in the center, draw a center line and make the three-dimensional intersection point of the front windshield of the vehicle correspond to the upper and lower parts of the center line, fix and paste the center line on the ground, and the three-dimensional intersection point of the front windshield of the vehicle is the calibration reference point for the camera calibration of the vehicle; (2) find 8 meters, 12 meters, 16 meters, 20 meters, etc. related distance points based on the calibration reference point, and paste markers on the center line based on the corresponding distance points to manually create points; (3) measure the left and right, up and down distances of the camera with a box ruler; (4) use a standard chessboard to calibrate at the corresponding distance points; (5) perform initialization calibration, screening, saving, configuration file generation and uploading based on each manually created point.

[0004] However, since the above calibration method is manual calibration, the vehicle parking, center line drawing and reference object placement are all manually operated. In the calibration process of automatic driving vehicles, a large number of personnel are required, the calibration efficiency is low, the accuracy error is large, and repetitive calibration is prone to occur. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application aims to provide an automatic driving vehicle calibration device to solve the problem of low calibration efficiency of current automatic driving vehicles.

[0006] The technical scheme of the automatic driving vehicle calibration device of the present application is:

[0007] The automatic driving vehicle calibration device comprises a center track with scales, a calibration reference object is arranged on the center track, a rack for placing a vehicle is arranged above the center track, a driving assembly for driving the vehicle to move horizontally in the extension direction of the center track and perpendicular to the extension direction of the center track is arranged on the rack, and a main positioning device is arranged above the rack and is used for emitting positioning light rays vertically irradiating on the center track.

[0008] Beneficial effects: The center track with scales and the rack are matched to facilitate moving the vehicle to a set position, the vertical positioning light rays emitted by the main positioning device above the rack can be matched with the 0-degree line of the scales on the center track to mark the point position, so that the set calibration reference point on the vehicle reaches the corresponding point position to determine the position of the vehicle, and then the scales of the center track are used to determine the position of the calibration reference object, so that the calibration reference object and the calibration reference point of the vehicle reach the set distance required for calibration, which can reduce manual operation and improve the calibration efficiency.

[0009] Further, at least one side of the center track is provided with a side track.

[0010] Beneficial effects: The rack is arranged on the side track to facilitate controlling the moving track of the rack, thereby facilitating moving the vehicle to a set position.

[0011] Further, a transition track is arranged between the side track and the center track.

[0012] Beneficial effects: The transition track connects the side track and the center track, so that the calibration reference object can be transformed in position between the side track and the center track, which facilitates the calibration of the camera on the vehicle.

[0013] Further, scales are arranged on the side track, and the scales on the side track are consistent with the scales on the center track.

[0014] Beneficial effects: The relative position of the rack can be determined, and when the calibration reference object is on the side track, the position of the calibration reference object can be determined.

[0015] Further, a main positioning device support is arranged on the side track and moves, and the main positioning device is installed on the main positioning device support.

[0016] Beneficial effects: The main positioning device can move along the track, which is flexible to use and improves the adaptability.

[0017] Further, the center track extends in the front-rear direction, and calibration reference objects are arranged on the center track on the front and rear sides of the rack.

[0018] Beneficial effects: With the calibration reference objects before and after the rack, it is beneficial to realize the calibration of the front and rear parts of the vehicle together, and improve the calibration efficiency.

[0019] Further, the first positioning device is arranged on the rack and moves in the front-rear direction, the first positioning device is used to emit a first horizontal light corresponding to the calibration reference point of the rear part of the vehicle in the left-right direction, the second positioning device is connected to the rear of the first positioning device through a connecting body with a set length, the second positioning device is arranged to move forward and backward, and the second positioning device is used to emit a second horizontal light corresponding to the calibration reference object behind the vehicle in the left-right direction.

[0020] Beneficial effects: The distance between the calibration reference object behind the vehicle and the calibration reference point of the rear part of the vehicle can be determined through the cooperation of the first positioning device and the second positioning device, which is beneficial to adapt to the calibration of vehicles with different lengths.

[0021] Further, the connecting body is provided with a scale.

[0022] Beneficial effects: The position of the calibration reference object behind the vehicle can be changed by referring to the scale on the connecting body.

[0023] Further, the calibration reference object has at least one of a simulation robot, a calibration rod, and a chessboard, and the simulation robot is arranged to move on the center track.

[0024] Beneficial effects: The simulation robot moves in cooperation with the track, which can realize artificial calibration point replacement, and is beneficial to improve the calibration accuracy.

[0025] Further, the calibration rod and / or the chessboard are of a folding structure.

[0026] Beneficial effects: By setting a folding structure, it can be stood up when in use and folded on the ground when not in use, which is beneficial to reduce manual carrying operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 It is a structure schematic view of embodiment 1 of the automatic driving vehicle calibration device of the application.

[0028] Figure 2 It is a top view. Figure 1

[0029] In the figure: 100, vehicle; 1, rack; 2, hydraulic device; 3, scale track; 31, center track; 32, side track; 4, main positioning device; 5, proximity switch; 6, transition track; 7, simulation robot; 8, calibration rod; 9, chessboard; 10, air pressure device; 11, range finder; 12, first positioning device; 13, second positioning device; 14, moving support.​ Detailed Implementation

[0030] Embodiment 1 of the autonomous vehicle calibration device of the present invention:

[0031] The autonomous vehicle calibration device in this embodiment is used for the calibration of the lidar, millimeter-wave radar, monocular camera, and binocular camera of the autonomous vehicle 100. For example... Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the autonomous vehicle calibration device includes a scale track 3, a test bench 1, a calibration reference object, a positioning device, and supporting control equipment for human operation.

[0032] The graduated track 3 includes a central track 31 and two side tracks 32 located on the left and right sides of the central track 31. Both the central track 31 and the side tracks 32 extend in the front-to-back direction, and the distance between the central track 31 and the two side tracks 32 is equal. Transition tracks 6, which are C-shaped, are provided at both ends of the central track 31. Transition tracks 6 are also provided between the two side tracks 32 and the central track 31, smoothly connecting to both the central track 31 and the side tracks 32. Both the central track 31 and the side tracks 32 have graduations. The graduations on the side tracks 32 are consistent with those on the central track 31, with the 0-degree line located near the center of the corresponding track. The 0-degree line on the side tracks 32 is directly opposite the 0-degree line on the central track 31. Figure 1 The right side of the track represents the front of vehicle 100, and the left side represents the rear of vehicle 100. The markings on the track extend from the 0-degree line towards the front of the vehicle.

[0033] The platform 1 is square and equipped with four rollers located at the four corners. Each roller is supported on a side track 32, allowing the platform 1 to be movably positioned on the side track 32 and above the central track 31. The platform 1 is equipped with a hydraulic device 2, which has a support platform for placing the vehicle 100. The hydraulic device 2 is used to move the vehicle 100 left and right, forming a drive assembly on the platform 1 for horizontal movement of the vehicle 100 perpendicular to the extension direction of the central track 31. The platform 1 also has front and rear drive units for driving the rollers to roll on the side track 32, forming another drive assembly on the platform 1 for horizontal movement of the vehicle 100 along the extension direction of the central track 31.

[0034] The side rail 32 is provided with a moving support 14, which constitutes a main positioning device support. The moving support 14 is of a gantry structure and is supported on the two side rails 32 and can move forward and backward. The main positioning device 4 is arranged on the moving support 14. The main positioning device 4 is a horizontal laser instrument. The main positioning device 4 is arranged above the gantry 1 and directly above the center rail 31. The main positioning device 4 is used to emit a positioning light ray vertically along the up-down direction and vertically irradiate on the center rail 31. The positioning light ray can correspond to the 0-degree line on the center rail 31.

[0035] The gantry 1 is provided with a proximity switch 5 on each of the front and rear sides. The proximity switch 5 located in front of the gantry 1 is used to be triggered when the calibration reference point at the front of the vehicle 100 reaches the position of the 0-degree line of the corresponding scale in the front-rear direction, so as to control the action of the forward and backward movement of the gantry 1. The calibration reference point at the front of the vehicle 100 is the three-dimensional intersection point of the front windshield of the vehicle 100. The three-dimensional intersection point is the highest point of the arching direction at the center position of the windshield. The front part of the gantry 1 is also provided with a range finder 11. The range finder 11 is used to detect the distance from the proximity switch 5 and transmit the detected distance information to the control device so that the personnel can know the position of the gantry 1.

[0036] The center rail 31 is provided with a calibration reference on each of the front and rear sides of the gantry 1. The calibration reference on the front and rear sides of the gantry 1 is beneficial to realize the calibration of the front and rear parts of the vehicle 100 together and is beneficial to improve the calibration efficiency. The calibration reference includes a simulation robot 7, a calibration rod 8, and a chessboard 9. The simulation robot 7, the calibration rod 8, and the chessboard 9 are arranged on each of the front and rear sides of the gantry 1. The simulation robot 7 is movably arranged on the rail and can move on the center rail 31, the transition rail 6, and the side rail 32, so as to realize the position conversion between the side rail 32 and the center rail 31. In this way, the left and right side rails 32 are used as lane lines, which is convenient for the calibration of the camera on the vehicle 100. The simulation robot 7 moves in cooperation with the rail, which can replace manual calibration point setting and is beneficial to improve the calibration accuracy. The calibration rod 8 and the chessboard 9 are of a folding structure. The calibration rod 8 and the chessboard 9 are respectively provided with a pneumatic device 10 at the bottom. The pneumatic device 10 inflates the folding calibration rod 8 and the folding chessboard 9, so that they can stand up when in use and fold on the ground when not in use, which is beneficial to reduce manual carrying operation.

[0037] The rear part of the rack 1 is provided with a first positioning device 12, which is movably arranged on the rack 1 in the front-rear direction, and is used to emit a first horizontal light ray corresponding to the rear calibration reference point of the vehicle 100 in the left-right direction. That is, by moving the first positioning device 12, the first horizontal light ray emitted in the left-right direction can be positioned directly below the rear calibration reference point of the vehicle 100, which is the three-dimensional intersection point of the rear windshield of the vehicle 100. The three-dimensional intersection point is the highest point of the arching direction at the center position of the windshield, and the windshield has a certain arching curvature. The rear part of the first positioning device 12 is connected to a second positioning device 13 through a connecting body of a certain length, which is not shown in the figure. The connecting body can be a soft connection, and the second positioning device 13 is movably arranged in the front-rear direction. When the first positioning device 12 moves forward and backward, the second positioning device 13 can be moved forward and backward through the connecting body. The first positioning device 12 and the second positioning device 13 are kept at a certain distance through the connecting body. The second positioning device 13 is used to emit a second horizontal light ray corresponding to the simulated robot 7 at the rear of the vehicle 100 in the left-right direction. That is, the second horizontal light ray emitted by the second positioning device 13 in the left-right direction can be irradiated to the corresponding position of the simulated robot 7. In this way, the position of the simulated robot 7 can be determined by using the second positioning device 13. The distance between the first positioning device 12 and the second positioning device 13 can be equivalent to the distance between the simulated robot 7 and the rear calibration reference point of the vehicle 100. Thus, the distance between the calibration reference at the rear of the vehicle 100 and the rear calibration reference point of the vehicle 100 can be determined. In this way, when calibrating vehicles 100 of different lengths, the first positioning device 12 can be moved to find the set distance between the calibration reference at the rear of the vehicle 100 and the rear calibration reference point of the vehicle 100, which is suitable for calibrating vehicles 100 of different lengths. Moreover, the connecting body is provided with a scale. When multiple distance data need to be measured, the position of the robot can be determined by referring to the scale on the connecting body. The first positioning device 12 and the second positioning device 13 are both horizontal laser instruments.

[0038] In use, the specific calibration process includes the following steps:

[0039] 1) Select an appropriate site to place the automatic driving vehicle calibration device, place the automatic driving vehicle 100 on the rack 1, turn on the main positioning device 4 above the vehicle 100, and move the main positioning device 4 so that the positioning light ray emitted thereby is irradiated to the 0-degree line of the scale of the center track 31;

[0040] 2) For the front of the vehicle 100 to be calibrated, the front and rear driving device on the bench 1 is used to make the bench 1 move forward and backward in coordination with the side rail 32, and the hydraulic device 2 is started, and the positioning light is checked to drive the vehicle 100 on the bench 1 to move, and the position of the calibration reference point of the front of the vehicle 100 is checked to reach the position corresponding to the 0-degree line of the scale of the center rail 31; when the bench 1 moves forward and backward, the calibration reference point of the front of the vehicle 100 on the bench 1 can reach the 0-degree line of the scale through the proximity switch 5 and stop;

[0041] 3) For the rear of the vehicle 100 to be calibrated, the main positioning device 4 is moved to make the positioning light emitted by it vertically irradiate on the calibration reference point of the rear of the vehicle 100, and then the positioning light is checked to move the first positioning device 12 to make the first horizontal light emitted by it vertically intersect with the positioning light, at this time, the first horizontal light is located directly below the calibration reference point of the rear of the vehicle 100;

[0042] 4) The first positioning device 12 drags the second positioning device 13 to move through the soft connection during the movement, and the distance between the first positioning device 12 and the second positioning device 13 is the integer distance set for calibration;

[0043] 5) Before the calibration of the laser radar, the folding calibration rod in front of the vehicle is folded on the ground, the calibration rod corresponds to the integer position of the scale of the center rail 31, the air pressure device is started to support the folding calibration rod to stand, and the distance between the calibration rod and the calibration reference point of the front of the vehicle is the integer distance set for calibration; the calibration rod is replaced by the simulation robot behind the vehicle as a reference, the simulation robot is located on the center rail, and the positions of the two are aligned left and right by checking the second positioning light emitted by the second positioning device, at this time, the distance between the simulation robot and the calibration reference point of the rear of the vehicle is the integer distance set for calibration, and the precise positioning of the calibration tool is completed;

[0044] 6) Adjust each laser radar parameter using the point cloud display tool, adjust the radar point cloud (heading angle > pitch angle > roll angle > z offset > x offset > y offset), check the calibration effect of the point cloud under each viewing angle, slightly adjust the six parameters of each radar to make the position coincidence degree of multiple laser radar point clouds and reference points higher, after all the radar parameters are adjusted, save the data, and the calibration is completed;

[0045] 7) Calibrate the single and double cameras, the left and right side rails 32 are used as lane lines, the folding chessboard 9 in front of the vehicle is folded on the ground, corresponding to the integer position of the scale of the center rail 31, the air pressure device 10 is started to support the folding chessboard 9 to stand, and the chessboard 9 is used to manually adjust the angle of the double camera according to the pseudo myopia principle, and the calibration is completed according to the chessboard 9;

[0046] 8) C type track is connected with the center track 31 and the side track 32, and forms an O type track closed loop in front and back of the platform 1, and the simulation robot 7 is moved in front and back of the vehicle to perform final calibration.

[0047] Thus, the platform is used to adjust and calibrate according to the position of the calibrated vehicle, which is beneficial to realize rapid adjustment and calibration, and is beneficial to realize automatic calibration according to the specific position of the automatic driving vehicle, avoid the influence of manual operation on the efficiency of normal calibration of the vehicle, reduce the calibration accuracy of the calibrated vehicle, and improve the driving safety of the automatic driving vehicle; when calibrating the radar and the monocular and binocular camera, the corresponding adjustment can be performed on the checkerboard and the calibration rod, which is beneficial to rapid calibration and can avoid manual carrying and holding a card, which affects the efficiency of normal calibration of the vehicle; the simulation robot is moved in cooperation with the track, and initialization calibration, screening, saving, generation of a configuration file, uploading and the like can be performed according to the preset logic point, which can realize replacement of manual calibration of the point, avoid the influence on the accuracy of normal calibration of the vehicle, and can quickly and accurately complete calibration of the radar, the camera and the like for the vehicle with the automatic driving system, reduce manual operation, and be beneficial to improve the calibration efficiency.

[0048] Embodiment 2 of the automatic driving vehicle calibration device in the application:

[0049] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that the side tracks are arranged on both sides of the center track in embodiment 1, and the platform is arranged to move on the side tracks. In this embodiment, the side tracks are not arranged, and the platform is arranged to move on the ground.

[0050] Embodiment 3 of the automatic driving vehicle calibration device in the application:

[0051] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that the main positioning device support is arranged to move on the side track in embodiment 1, and the main positioning device is arranged on the main positioning device support. In this embodiment, the main positioning device support is arranged on the ground, and the main positioning device is arranged to move on the main positioning device support.

[0052] Embodiment 4 of the automatic driving vehicle calibration device in the application:

[0053] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that the calibration reference is arranged on both sides of the platform in the center track in embodiment 1. In this embodiment, the calibration reference is arranged only on the front side of the platform in the center track.

[0054] Finally, it should be noted that the above description is only the preferred embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications can be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments without departing from the spirit and principle of the present application, or some technical features thereof can be replaced by equivalent features. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An autonomous vehicle calibration device, characterized in that, The center track is provided with scale marks and calibration reference objects, and a rack for placing vehicles is arranged above the center track, and a driving assembly for driving the vehicles to move horizontally along and perpendicular to the extension direction of the center track is arranged on the rack, and a main positioning device for emitting positioning light vertically irradiating on the center track is arranged above the rack, and the center track extends in the front-rear direction, and calibration reference objects are arranged on the center track on both sides of the rack in the front-rear direction, and a first positioning device for emitting a first horizontal light corresponding to the calibration reference objects on the rear part of the vehicle in the left-right direction is arranged on the rack and moves in the front-rear direction, and a second positioning device connected through a connecting body with a set length behind the first positioning device is arranged, and the second positioning device is arranged to move in the front-rear direction, and the second positioning device is used to emit a second horizontal light corresponding to the calibration reference objects on the rear part of the vehicle in the left-right direction.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, At least one side of the center track is provided with a side track, and the rack is arranged to move on the side track.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, A transition track is arranged between the side track and the center track.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The side track is provided with scale marks, and the scale marks on the side track are consistent with the scale marks on the center track.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The main positioning device support is arranged to move on the side track, and the main positioning device is installed on the main positioning device support.

6. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The connecting body is provided with scale marks.

7. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The calibration reference objects are at least one of a simulation robot, a calibration rod and a chessboard, and the simulation robot is arranged to move on the center track.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein, The calibration rod and / or the chessboard are of a folding structure.

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