Vehicle control apparatus and method thereof

Abstract

A vehicle control apparatus and a method thereof are provided. A vehicle control device includes a sensor (e.g., light detection and ranging (LiDAR)), a communication circuit, and a processor. The processor receives a signal indicating that the vehicle has entered a specified space recognized by the sensor, divides the specified space into a lower space and an upper space based on a vertical axis, generates a lower frame corresponding to a first external object in the lower space, generates an upper frame corresponding to a second external object in the upper space, and generates a second frame corresponding to the second external object. It is determined whether the upper frame at least partially overlaps the lower frame, and a signal indicating that the second external object and the first external object are the same object is output.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0136879 filed on October 13, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device and method thereof, and more particularly, to recognizing an external object using light detection and ranging (LiDAR). Background Art

[0004] Various studies have been conducted to recognize external objects using various sensors to assist driving of vehicles.

[0005] Specifically, when the vehicle is operating in a driving assistance mode or an activated autonomous driving mode, sensors (eg, LiDAR) may be used to identify external objects.

[0006] When an external object is mistakenly identified using LiDAR in a tunnel, for example, the upper part of the tunnel or a large vehicle is identified as a stopped (e.g., stationary) obstacle, this may cause an error in the vehicle control system. When an external object is identified as a stopped obstacle, this may cause a problem in which the vehicle's travel path is rapidly changed even though the external object is not an obstacle to be avoided. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in some embodiments while keeping the advantages achieved by those embodiments intact.

[0008] An aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicle control apparatus and method thereof for preventing an external object from being incorrectly recognized in a designated space.

[0009] Other aspects of the present disclosure provide a vehicle control apparatus and method thereof for preventing a large vehicle or an inner wall surface recognized in a tunnel from being recognized as a stopped obstacle (eg, a stationary object).

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicle control apparatus and method thereof for dividing an upper frame and a lower frame in a tunnel, determining validity of the upper frame, and preventing erroneous detection of a moving object.

[0011] The technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and any other technical problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs from the following description.

[0012] According to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a vehicle control device may include: a sensor; a communication circuit; and a processor. The processor may be configured to: receive a signal indicating that the vehicle has entered a designated space identified by the sensor via the communication circuit; and after receiving the signal, divide the designated space into a lower space and an upper space based on a vertical axis. At least a portion of the upper space may overlap with the lower space. The processor may also be configured to: generate a lower frame corresponding to a first external object identified by the sensor in the lower space; generate an upper frame corresponding to a second external object identified by the sensor in the upper space; determine whether the upper frame at least partially overlaps with the lower frame; and based on the upper frame at least partially overlapping with the lower frame, output a signal indicating that the second external object corresponding to the upper frame and the first external object are the same object.

[0013] The processor may be further configured to selectively output at least one of the upper frame and the lower frame based on the upper frame being determined to at least partially overlap with the lower frame.

[0014] The processor may be further configured to determine, via the sensor and based on the vehicle entering the designated space, a road boundary included in the designated space.

[0015] The processor may be configured to determine whether the upper frame at least partially overlaps the lower frame further based on at least one of: a size of the upper frame, whether the upper frame is within the road boundary, and connectivity between the upper frame and the lower frame.

[0016] The processor may be configured to determine connectivity between the lower frame and the upper frame based on a first plurality of points included in the lower frame being matched with a second plurality of points included in the upper frame.

[0017] The processor may be further configured to determine that the vehicle has entered the designated space further based on the signal indicating that the vehicle has entered the designated space at least a designated number of times.

[0018] The processor may be further configured to determine that a third external object corresponding to the second upper frame is an object different from a fourth external object corresponding to the second lower frame based on the second upper frame being determined not to overlap with the second lower frame.

[0019] The processor may be configured to generate a lower frame and an upper frame based on determining a plurality of points on a plane formed by the vertical axis and the horizontal axis.

[0020] The processor may be further configured to delete the upper frame based on the first external object and the second external object being determined to be the same object.

[0021] The processor may be configured to divide the designated space into a lower space and an upper space by: determining that the lower space is between the ground and a first height; and determining that the upper space is between a second height less than the first height and a third height greater than the first height.

[0022] The processor may be further configured to assign a first identifier to a second upper frame corresponding to the third external object and a second identifier to a second lower frame corresponding to the fourth external object based on the third external object and the fourth external object being determined to be different objects.

[0023] According to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a vehicle control method may include: receiving, via a communication circuit, a signal indicating that the vehicle has entered a designated space identified via a sensor; and after receiving the signal, dividing the designated space into a lower space and an upper space based on a vertical axis. At least a portion of the upper space may overlap with the lower space. The method may also include: generating a lower frame corresponding to a first external object identified via the sensor in the lower space; generating an upper frame corresponding to a second external object identified via the sensor in the upper space; determining whether the upper frame at least partially overlaps with the lower frame; and based on the upper frame at least partially overlapping with the lower frame, outputting a signal indicating that the second external object corresponding to the upper frame and the first external object are the same object.

[0024] The vehicle control method may further include selectively outputting at least one of the upper frame and the lower frame based on the upper frame being determined to at least partially overlap with the lower frame.

[0025] The vehicle control method may further include determining a road boundary included in the designated space via a sensor and based on the vehicle entering the designated space.

[0026] Whether the upper frame at least partially overlaps the lower frame is further determined based on at least one of: a size of the upper frame, whether the upper frame is within the road boundary, and connectivity between the upper frame and the lower frame.

[0027] The vehicle control method may include determining connectivity between the lower frame and the upper frame based on a first plurality of points included in the lower frame being matched with a second plurality of points included in the upper frame.

[0028] The vehicle control method may further include determining that the vehicle has entered the designated space further based on a signal indicating that the vehicle has entered the designated space at least a designated number of times.

[0029] The vehicle control method may further include determining that a third external object corresponding to the second upper frame is a different object from a fourth external object corresponding to the second lower frame based on the second upper frame being determined not to overlap with the second lower frame.

[0030] Generating the lower frame and the upper frame may include determining a plurality of points on a plane formed by a vertical axis and a horizontal axis.

[0031] The vehicle control method may further include assigning a first identifier to a second upper frame corresponding to the third external object and assigning a second identifier to a second lower frame corresponding to the fourth external object based on the third external object and the fourth external object being determined to be different objects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0033] Figure 1 An embodiment of a block diagram of a vehicle control device is shown;

[0034] Figure 2 An embodiment of using LiDAR to identify road boundaries in a specified space is shown;

[0035] Figure 3 An embodiment of dividing the lower space and the upper space using LiDAR is shown;

[0036] Figure 4 An embodiment of determining the validity of an upper frame is shown;

[0037] Figure 5 An embodiment of a flow chart of a vehicle control method is shown;

[0038] Figure 6 An embodiment of a flow chart of a vehicle control method is shown;

[0039] Figure 7 An embodiment showing the result of determining the validity of an upper frame in a vehicle control device; and

[0040] Figure 8 A computing system including a vehicle control device is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] Hereinafter, one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the exemplary drawings. It should be noted that when reference numerals are added to components of the respective drawings, in the case where the same components are shown in other drawings, the components are also represented by the same reference numerals. In addition, detailed descriptions of well-known features or functions will be excluded so as not to unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0042] When describing the components of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used herein. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component, without limiting the corresponding components, and have nothing to do with the order or priority of the corresponding components. In addition, unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. Those terms as defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having the same meanings as the contextual meanings in the relevant field, and should not be interpreted as having ideal or overly formal meanings, unless clearly defined in the present application as having ideal or overly formal meanings.

[0043] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 8 One or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail.

[0044] Figure 1 An embodiment of a block diagram of a vehicle control device is shown.

[0045] See also Figure 1 The vehicle control device 100 may be implemented inside or outside the vehicle, and some components included in the vehicle control device 100 may be implemented inside or outside the vehicle. In this case, the vehicle control device 100 may be configured integrally with the control unit in the vehicle, or may be implemented as a separate device connected to the control unit of the vehicle through a separate connection device. For example, the vehicle control device 100 may further include Figure 1 Components not shown.

[0046] See also Figure 1 , the vehicle control device 100 may include a processor 110, a sensor (e.g., light detection and ranging (LiDAR) 120), and a communication circuit 130. The processor 110, the LiDAR 120, and the communication circuit 130 may be electronically or operably coupled to each other through electronic components including a communication bus.

[0047] Hereinafter, the hardware blocks being operably coupled to each other may include establishing a direct connection or an indirect connection between the hardware blocks in a wired or wireless manner, such that second hardware in the hardware blocks is controlled by the first hardware.

[0048] Different frames are shown, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, Figure 1 Some of the hardware blocks may be included in a single integrated circuit including a system on a chip (SoC). The types of hardware blocks included in the vehicle control device 100 or the number of hardware blocks is limited to Figure 1 For example, the vehicle control device 100 may include Figure 1Only some of the hardware blocks are shown.

[0049] The vehicle control device 100 may include hardware for processing data based on one or more instructions. The hardware for processing data may include a processor 110. For example, the hardware for processing data may include an arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), a floating point unit (FPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a central processing unit (CPU) and / or an application processor (AP). The processor 110 may have a structure of a single-core processor, or may have a structure of a multi-core processor including a dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core or octa-core processor.

[0050] The LiDAR 120 included in the vehicle control device 100 may obtain a data set for recognizing surrounding things of the vehicle control device 100. For example, based on the pulse laser signal radiated from the LiDAR 120 being reflected from the surrounding objects to return, the LiDAR 120 may recognize at least one of the position of the surrounding objects, the movement direction of the surrounding objects, the speed of the surrounding objects, and any combination thereof. For example, the data set obtained by the LiDAR 120 may include a three-dimensional (3D) virtual space based on an x-axis (e.g., a longitudinal axis relative to the vehicle), a y-axis (e.g., a lateral axis relative to the vehicle), and a z-axis (e.g., a vertical axis relative to the vehicle).

[0051] The communication circuit 130 (also referred to as a communication interface) included in the vehicle control device 100 may include hardware components for supporting transmission or reception of signals between the vehicle control device 100 and an external electronic device. For example, the communication circuit 130 may include at least one of a modem, an antenna, an optical / electronic (O / E) converter, and any combination thereof.

[0052] For example, the communication circuit 130 may support transmission or reception of signals based on various types of protocols, including at least one of Ethernet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), ZigBee, long term evolution (LTE), 5th generation new radio (5G NR), controller area network (CAN), local interconnect network (LIN), and any combination thereof.

[0053] The processor 110 of the vehicle control device 100 may receive a signal indicating that the vehicle has entered the designated space through the communication circuit 130. For example, the designated space may include a tunnel. For example, the designated space may include at least one of the following: an urban tunnel, a tunnel including a steel structure, a tunnel with a large radius of curvature, an urban underground tunnel, a highway tunnel, and any combination thereof.

[0054] For example, the processor 110 may receive a signal indicating the location of the vehicle from an external electronic device that identifies the location of the vehicle including a global positioning system (GPS). The processor 110 may receive a signal indicating that the vehicle enters a designated space from the external electronic device.

[0055] The processor 110 may identify that the vehicle has entered the designated space based on receiving a signal indicating that the vehicle has entered the designated space more than a designated number of times. For example, the designated number of times may include about 3 times.

[0056] The processor 110 may identify a road boundary included in the designated space using a plurality of LiDAR blocks including the LiDAR 120 based on the vehicle entering the designated space.

[0057] For example, the processor 110 may identify the reliability of the road boundary. For example, the processor 110 may use the road boundary information stored in the memory (not shown) to identify the reliability of the road boundary. For example, the processor 110 may receive the road boundary information from the communication circuit 130 and may identify the reliability of the road boundary. Figure 2 Content describing the reliability of identifying road boundaries.

[0058] The processor 110 may divide (e.g., subdivide, classify, delimit, etc.) the designated space identified by the LiDAR 120 into a lower space and an upper space based on the vehicle entering the designated space based on the third axis among the first axis (e.g., longitudinal axis), the second axis (e.g., horizontal axis), and the third axis (e.g., vertical axis). For example, the processor 110 may divide the designated space identified by the LiDAR 120 into a lower space and an upper space, with a portion of the upper space overlapping the lower space.

[0059] For example, the first axis may include an x-axis. For example, the second axis may include a y-axis. For example, the third axis may include a z-axis. For example, the first axis, the second axis, and the third axis may respectively include origins that are perpendicular to each other and intersect each other. The first axis, the second axis, and the third axis are not limited to the above-described embodiments. In the following, for ease of description, the first axis is described as the x-axis, the second axis is described as the y-axis, and the third axis is described as the z-axis.

[0060] For example, the processor 110 may identify a lower space between the ground and a first height. For example, the processor 110 may identify an upper space between a second height less than the first height from the ground and a third height greater than the first height. The processor 110 may divide the designated space identified by the LiDAR 120 into a lower space and an upper space based on identifying the lower space and the upper space, wherein a portion of the upper space overlaps with the lower space.

[0061] For example, the processor 110 may obtain a data set in which the surrounding environment of the vehicle control device 100 obtained by the LiDAR 120 is represented as a 3D virtual space. The processor 110 may divide a designated space recognized by the LiDAR 120 into a lower space and an upper space in the data set represented as a 3D virtual space based on the z-axis among the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis, wherein a portion of the upper space overlaps with the lower space.

[0062] The processor 110 may generate a lower frame corresponding to the first external object recognized by the LiDAR 120 in a lower space divided based on the z-axis among the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis. For example, the processor 110 may generate the lower frame based on a plurality of points formed by light reflected from the first external object recognized in the lower space.

[0063] The processor 110 may generate an upper frame corresponding to the second external object recognized by the LiDAR 120 in the upper space based on the z-axis among the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis, a portion of the upper space overlapping the lower space. For example, the processor 110 may generate the upper frame based on a plurality of points formed by light reflected from the second external object recognized in the upper space.

[0064] For example, the processor 110 may identify a plurality of points on a plane (e.g., a surface) formed by the x-axis (e.g., a longitudinal axis), the y-axis (e.g., a horizontal axis) and the z-axis (e.g., a vertical axis) among the x-axis (e.g., a longitudinal axis), and the z-axis. The processor 110 may generate at least one of a lower frame, an upper frame, and any combination thereof based on identifying a plurality of points on the plane formed by the y-axis and the z-axis among the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis.

[0065] The processor 110 may recognize that the lower frame and the upper frame at least partially overlap each other. The processor 110 may determine the validity of the upper frame based on that the lower frame and the upper frame at least partially overlap each other.

[0066] For example, the processor 110 may determine the validity of the upper frame based on at least one of a size of the upper frame, whether the upper frame exists in a road boundary, connectivity between the upper frame and the lower frame, and any combination thereof.

[0067] Hereinafter, a description will be given of an embodiment in which an upper frame is identified as valid. If the upper frame is identified as valid, this may mean that the object corresponding to the upper frame is associated only with the upper space and not with the lower space in the tunnel. If the upper frame is identified as valid, the object corresponding to the upper frame may be a stationary object. If the upper frame is identified as valid, the upper frame may be associated with an object that is not associated with the lower frame. If the upper frame is determined to be invalid, the upper frame may be deleted.

[0068] For example, the processor 110 may identify that the upper frame is valid based on the size of the upper frame being identified as being larger than a specified size. For example, the processor 110 may determine that there is connectivity between the lower frame and the upper frame based on some points of the first plurality of points included in the lower frame and some points of the second plurality of points included in the upper frame being identical to each other (e.g., the first plurality of points match the second plurality of points). For example, the processor 110 may identify that the upper frame is valid based on the upper frame being present (or located) at a road boundary.

[0069] For example, the processor 110 may recognize that the size of the upper frame is greater than the designated size based on at least one of a width of the upper frame, a length of the upper frame, and any combination thereof being greater than a reference length.

[0070] Based on the upper frame being recognized as valid, the processor 110 may recognize that the first external object corresponding to the lower frame and the second external object corresponding to the upper frame are different objects. Based on the first external object and the second external object being recognized as different objects, the processor 110 may assign a first identifier to the first external object and may assign a second identifier to the second external object. For example, the identifier may be called a flag.

[0071] The processor 110 may generate a track corresponding to the upper frame based on the upper frame being identified as valid. For example, the track may include an area of ​​the memory. For example, the track may include an area in the memory that is formed to track an object identified by the LiDAR 120.

[0072] Hereinafter, a description will be given of an embodiment in which an upper frame is recognized as invalid.

[0073] For example, the processor 110 may identify that the upper frame is invalid based on the size of the upper frame being identified as being less than or equal to the specified size. For example, the processor 110 may determine that there is no connectivity between the lower frame and the upper frame based on all the first plurality of points included in the lower frame and all the second plurality of points included in the upper frame being different from each other. For example, the processor 110 may identify that the upper frame is invalid based on the upper frame being present (or located) outside the road boundary.

[0074] For example, the processor 110 may recognize that the size of the upper frame is less than or equal to the designated size based on at least one of a width of the upper frame and a length of the upper frame and any combination thereof being less than or equal to a reference length.

[0075] Based on the upper frame being identified as not valid (e.g., invalid), the processor 110 may identify that the first external object corresponding to the lower frame and the second external object corresponding to the upper frame are the same object (e.g., the first external object matches the second external object). The processor 110 may assign the same identifier to the first external object and the second external object based on the first external object and the second external object being identified as the same object. The processor 110 may cause a signal indicating that the first external object and the second external object are the same object to be output.

[0076] The processor 110 may selectively output at least one of the upper frame, the lower frame, and any combination thereof based on the upper frame being identified as not being valid.

[0077] Alternatively, the processor 110 may delete the upper frame based on the upper frame being identified as not valid. Alternatively, the processor 110 may temporarily stop tracking the upper frame based on the upper frame being identified as not valid.

[0078] For example, the processor 110 may set a driving route of a vehicle including the vehicle control device 100 based on selectively outputting at least one of an upper frame, a lower frame, and any combination thereof, may identify a forward direction of an external object corresponding to the upper frame and at least one of the lower frame and any combination thereof, or may set a speed or steering of the vehicle including the vehicle control device 100.

[0079] Figure 2 An embodiment of using LiDAR to identify road boundaries in a specified space is shown.

[0080] Figure 2 The vehicle 200 may include Figure 1 A vehicle control device 100 is provided. Figure 2 The operation (or process) can be Figure 1 The vehicle control device 100 includes Figure 1 Executed by at least one of the processor 110 in the vehicle control device 100, and any combination thereof.

[0081] See also Figure 2 , the processor of the vehicle control device may recognize that the vehicle 200 enters the designated space. For example, the processor may receive a signal indicating that the vehicle 200 enters the designated space through the communication circuit. The processor may recognize that the vehicle 200 enters the designated space based on receiving a signal indicating that the vehicle 200 enters the designated space for more than a specified number of times. For example, the designated space may include at least one of the following: an urban tunnel, a tunnel including a steel structure, a tunnel with a large radius of curvature, an urban underground tunnel, a highway tunnel, and any combination thereof. For example, the specified number of times may include about 3 times.

[0082] The processor may identify road boundaries 211 and 213 included in the designated space based on the vehicle 200 entering the designated space. For example, the processor may identify the road boundaries 211 and 213 using a plurality of LiDARs.

[0083] The processor may identify a left road boundary 211 using a first LiDAR disposed toward the left side in front of the vehicle 200. The processor may identify a right road boundary 213 using a second LiDAR disposed toward the right side in front of the vehicle 200.

[0084] For example, the processor may identify at least one of the left road boundary 211 , the right road boundary 213 , and any combination thereof using the road width 215 of the road on which the vehicle 200 is traveling.

[0085] Based on the vehicle 200 entering the designated space, the processor may obtain road boundary information through the communication circuit. For example, the road boundary information may be included in the GPS-based map information. For example, the processor may identify the reliability of the road boundary information. Based on the reliability of the road boundary information being greater than or equal to a designated level, the processor may use the lateral position of the vehicle 200 to identify the road boundaries 211 and 213. For example, the designated level may include approximately level 2.

[0086] For example, the processor may reset the road boundary information based on the reliability of the road boundary information being less than a specified level, and may set the road boundary based on the data set obtained by the LiDAR. For example, the processor may set the road boundary based on the data set obtained by the LiDAR based on the failure to receive the road boundary information.

[0087] The processor may calculate the lateral position offset based on the identified road boundary information. For example, the lateral position offset may be calculated based on the following equation 1. The following equation 1 may include instructions. For example, the processor may calculate the lateral position offset based on instructions including the following equation 1.

[0088] [Equation 1]

[0089]

[0090] In the above equation 1, VarOffset can be referred to as the lateral position offset. OFFSET Can be set to approximately i. i can be set by the user or the vendor. The half of the width of the virtual frame 217 may be included. For example, the virtual frame 217 may include a virtual frame indicating an upper portion of the designated space. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0091] The processor may identify the reliability of at least one of the left road boundary 211, the right road boundary 213, and any combination thereof based on calculating the lateral position offset.

[0092] For example, the processor may identify that the reliability of the left road boundary 211 is greater than a threshold. For example, the processor may identify that the reliability of the right road boundary 213 is greater than a threshold. For example, the threshold may include approximately 1.

[0093] The processor may obtain a first value corresponding to the left road boundary 211 based on the reliability of the left road boundary 211 being greater than a threshold. Based on the reliability of the right road boundary 213 being greater than a threshold, the processor may obtain a second value corresponding to the right road boundary 213. For example, the processor may use the instructions included in Table 1 below to obtain at least one of the first value corresponding to the left road boundary 211, the second value corresponding to the right road boundary 213, and any combination thereof.

[0094] [Table 1]

[0095]

[0096] Referring to Table 1 above, the processor may set the second value corresponding to the right road boundary 213 to -k1. The processor may obtain the second value corresponding to the right road boundary 213 based on identifying a relatively smaller value between a value obtained by adding the position information of the right road boundary 213 included in the road boundary information to the lateral position offset and -k1 corresponding to the right road boundary 213.

[0097] The processor may set the first value corresponding to the left road boundary 211 to +k1. The processor may obtain the first value corresponding to the left road boundary 211 based on identifying a relatively smaller value between a value obtained by adding the position information of the left road boundary 211 included in the road boundary information to the lateral position offset and +k1 corresponding to the left road boundary 211.

[0098] The processor may identify the road boundary and may determine the validity of the upper frame. The processor may delete the upper frame based on determining the validity of the upper frame or determine that the upper frame is an object different from the lower frame.

[0099] Hereinafter, a description will be given of an embodiment of dividing a lower space and an upper space.

[0100] Figure 3 An embodiment of dividing the lower space and the upper space using LiDAR is shown.

[0101] Figure 3 The operation (or process) can be Figure 1 The vehicle control device 100 or the vehicle control device 100 included in Figure 1 It is executed by at least one of the processor 110 in the vehicle control device 100 and any combination thereof.

[0102] See also Figure 3, the processor included in the vehicle control device may divide the designated space identified by the LiDAR into a lower space 315 and an upper space 325 based on the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis among the z-axis, based on the vehicle entering the designated space, and a portion of the upper space 325 overlaps with the lower space 315. For example, the processor may identify the designated space in the data set obtained by the LiDAR, and may divide the identified designated space into the lower space 315 and the upper space 325, and a portion of the upper space 325 overlaps with the lower space 315.

[0103] For example, the processor may identify a lower space 315 between the ground and a first height. For example, the processor may identify an upper space 325 between a second height less than the first height from the ground and a third height greater than the first height. For example, the first height may include about 1.5 meters (m). For example, the second height may include about 1m. For example, the third height may include about 3m. The lower space 315 and the upper space 325 may partially overlap each other in an area between about 1m and about 1.5m.

[0104] For example, the processor may generate virtual frames corresponding to external objects in the lower space 315 and the upper space 325 based on receiving a signal indicating that the vehicle enters the designated space. For example, the processor may generate at least one of the lower frame 310, the upper frame 320, and any combination thereof based on identifying a plurality of points on a plane formed by the y-axis and the z-axis among the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis. For example, the plurality of points may be included in a data set obtained by LiDAR.

[0105] The processor may assign an identifier different from the lower frame 310 to the upper frame 320 recognized in the upper space 325. For example, the processor may assign an identifier including "flag = 1" to the upper frame 320. For example, "flag = 1" may include an identifier indicating an external object recognized in the upper space 325 of the designated space.

[0106] Hereinafter, a description will be given of an embodiment of identifying an upper frame and a lower frame and identifying the validity of the upper frame.

[0107] Figure 4 An embodiment of determining the validity of an upper frame is shown.

[0108] Figure 4 The operation (or process) can be Figure 1 The vehicle control device 100 or the vehicle control device 100 included in Figure 1 It is executed by at least one of the processors 110 in the vehicle control device 100 or any combination thereof.

[0109] See also Figure 4, the processor of the vehicle control device can obtain multiple points 415 and 425 through LiDAR. The processor can generate a virtual frame corresponding to the external object based on the obtained multiple points 415 and 425.

[0110] The processor may divide the designated space based on the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis based on receiving the signal indicating that the vehicle has entered the designated space. For example, the processor may divide the designated space into a lower space 413 and an upper space 423, a portion of the upper space 423 overlapping the lower space 413.

[0111] For example, the processor may identify a lower space 413 between the ground and the first height 411. For example, the processor may identify an upper space 423 between a second height 421 less than the first height 411 and a third height 422 greater than the first height 411 from the ground.

[0112] The processor may generate a lower frame 417 based on the first plurality of points 415 identified in the lower space 413. The processor may generate an upper frame 427 based on the second plurality of points 425 identified in the upper space 423.

[0113] The processor may determine the validity of the upper frame 427 generated based on the second plurality of points 425. For example, the processor may determine the validity of the upper frame 427 based on at least one of the size of the upper frame 427, whether the upper frame 427 exists in the road boundary, the connectivity 430 between the upper frame 427 and the lower frame 417, and any combination thereof. When the upper frame 427 is valid, the processor may output the upper frame 427. When the upper frame 427 is invalid, the processor may delete the upper frame 427 or may temporarily stop outputting the upper frame 427.

[0114] Hereinafter, a description will be given of an embodiment of determining connectivity between the upper frame 427 and the lower frame 417 .

[0115] The processor may identify a center point 419 of the lower frame 417. The processor may identify a center point 429 of the upper frame 427. The processor may identify a distance between the center point 419 of the lower frame 417 and the center point 429 of the upper frame 427. For example, the processor may identify a Mahalanobis distance between the center point 419 of the lower frame 417 and the center point 429 of the upper frame 427.

[0116] For example, the processor may identify the Mahalanobis distance based on the first coordinate of the center point 419 of the lower frame 417 and the second coordinate of the center point 429 of the upper frame 427. For example, the first coordinate of the center point 419 of the lower frame 417 may be referred to as (X1, Y1). For example, the second coordinate of the center point 429 of the upper frame 427 may be referred to as (X2, Y2). For example, the processor may identify the connectivity between the upper frame 427 and the lower frame 417 using the following equation 2.

[0117] [Equation 2]

[0118]

[0119] Referring to the above Equation 2, X1 may include X1 included in the first coordinate of the center point 419 of the lower frame 417. For example, X1 included in the first coordinate may include the y coordinate of the center point 419. X2 may include X2 included in the second coordinate of the center point 429 of the upper frame 427. For example, X2 included in the second coordinate may include the y coordinate of the center point 429.

[0120] Y1 may include Y1 included in the first coordinate of the center point 419 of the lower frame 417. For example, Y1 included in the first coordinate may include the z coordinate of the center point 419. Y2 may include Y2 included in the second coordinate of the center point 429 of the upper frame 427. For example, Y2 included in the second coordinate may include the z coordinate of the center point 429. For example, C may be set to 0.5m. For example, σ may be set to jm. j may be set by a user or a vendor. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0121] The processor may determine connectivity between the upper frame 427 and the lower frame 417 based on a Mahalanobis distance between the center point 419 included in the lower frame 417 and the center point 429 included in the upper frame 427 .

[0122] For example, based on the Mahalanobis distance between the center point 419 included in the lower frame 417 and the center point 429 included in the upper frame 427 being identified as being less than a threshold value (e.g., about 0.5 m), the processor may determine that there is connectivity between the upper frame 427 and the lower frame 417. For example, based on the Mahalanobis distance between the center point 419 included in the lower frame 417 and the center point 429 included in the upper frame 427 being identified as being greater than or equal to a threshold value, the processor may determine that there is no connectivity between the upper frame 427 and the lower frame 417.

[0123] The processor may identify connectivity between the lower frame 417 and the upper frame 427 based on the lower frame 417 and the upper frame 427 overlapping each other.

[0124] For example, the processor may determine that there is connectivity between the lower frame 417 and the upper frame 427 based on identifying an area 430 where the lower frame 417 and the upper frame 427 overlap each other. For example, the processor may determine that there is connectivity between the lower frame 417 and the upper frame 427 based on that some points of the first plurality of points 415 included in the lower frame 417 and some points of the second plurality of points 425 included in the upper frame 427 are identical to each other (e.g., the first plurality of points matches the second plurality of points).

[0125] The processor may selectively output at least one of the lower frame 417 , the upper frame 427 , and any combination thereof based on determining that connectivity exists between the lower frame 417 and the upper frame 427 .

[0126] For example, the processor may determine that there is no connectivity between the lower frame 417 and the upper frame 427 based on not identifying the area 430 where the lower frame 417 and the upper frame 427 overlap each other. For example, the processor may determine that there is no connectivity between the lower frame 417 and the upper frame 427 based on that all of the first plurality of points 415 included in the lower frame 417 and all of the second plurality of points 425 included in the upper frame 427 are different from each other.

[0127] The processor may assign an identifier to each of the lower frame 417 and the upper frame 427 based on determining that there is no connectivity between the lower frame 417 and the upper frame 427. For example, based on determining that there is no connectivity between the lower frame 417 and the upper frame 427, the processor may assign a first identifier to the lower frame 417 and may assign a second identifier to the upper frame 427.

[0128] Figure 5 An embodiment of a flow chart of a vehicle control method is shown.

[0129] In the following, it is assumed Figure 1 The vehicle control device 100 executes Figure 5 In addition, Figure 5 In the description, the operations described as being performed by the processor may be understood as being controlled by the processor 110 of the vehicle control device 100 .

[0130] Figure 5 At least one of the operations may be Figure 1 The vehicle control device 100 is executed. Figure 5 The corresponding operations of can be performed sequentially, but not necessarily sequentially. For example, the order of the various operations can be changed, and at least two operations can be performed in parallel.

[0131] See also Figure 5In S501, the vehicle control method may include receiving a signal indicating that the vehicle enters a designated space through a communication circuit. For example, the vehicle control method may include identifying a road boundary included in the designated space using a plurality of LiDAR blocks including LiDAR.

[0132] In S503, the vehicle control method may include dividing the designated space identified by LiDAR into a lower space and an upper space based on the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis based on the vehicle entering the designated space, and a portion of the upper space overlaps with the lower space.

[0133] For example, the vehicle control method may include recognizing an external object in each of the lower space and the upper space.

[0134] In S505 , the vehicle control method may include generating a lower frame corresponding to the first external object recognized by the LiDAR in the lower space.

[0135] In S507 , the vehicle control method may include generating an upper frame corresponding to the second external object recognized by the LiDAR in the upper space.

[0136] In S509 , the vehicle control method may include determining validity of the upper frame based on the lower frame and the upper frame at least partially overlapping each other.

[0137] For example, the vehicle control method may include determining the validity of the upper frame based on at least one of a size of the upper frame, whether the upper frame exists in a road boundary, connectivity between the upper frame and the lower frame, and any combination thereof.

[0138] In S511 , the vehicle control method may include recognizing a second external object corresponding to the upper frame as the same object as the first external object based on the upper frame being recognized as not being valid.

[0139] The vehicle control method may include selectively outputting at least one of an upper frame, a lower frame, and any combination thereof based on the upper frame being identified as not being valid.

[0140] The vehicle control method may include: based on the upper frame being identified as valid, identifying the second external object corresponding to the upper frame as an object different from the first external object. The vehicle control method may include: based on the first external object and the second external object being identified as different objects, assigning a first identifier to the lower frame corresponding to the first external object and assigning a second identifier to the upper frame corresponding to the second external object.

[0141] Figure 6 An embodiment of a flow chart of a vehicle control method is shown.

[0142] In the following, it is assumed Figure 1The vehicle control device 100 executes Figure 6 In addition, Figure 6 In the description, the operations described as being performed by the processor may be understood as being controlled by the processor 110 of the vehicle control device 100 .

[0143] Figure 6 At least one of the operations may be Figure 1 The vehicle control device 100 is executed. Figure 6 The corresponding operations of can be performed sequentially, but not necessarily sequentially. For example, the order of the various operations can be changed, and at least two operations can be performed in parallel.

[0144] See also Figure 6 , in S601 , the vehicle control method may include identifying whether a width of the upper frame is greater than a first reference length and whether a length of the upper frame is greater than a second reference length.

[0145] For example, the width of the upper frame may include a relatively short segment among the segments forming the upper frame. The length of the upper frame may include a relatively long segment among the segments forming the upper frame.

[0146] For example, the first reference length may include about 3 m. For example, the second reference length may include about 20 m.

[0147] When the width of the upper frame is not greater than the first reference length and the length of the upper frame is not greater than the second reference length (No in S601), in S603, the vehicle control method may include identifying whether at least one of the width of the upper frame, the length of the upper frame, and any combination thereof is less than a third reference length. For example, the third reference length may include about 5m.

[0148] When the width of the upper frame is greater than the first reference length and the length of the upper frame is greater than the second reference length (Yes in S601 ), in S611 , the vehicle control method may include recognizing that the upper frame is valid.

[0149] When at least one of the width of the upper frame, the length of the upper frame, and any combination thereof is not less than the third reference length (No in S603), in S605, the vehicle control method may include determining whether the upper frame is recognized in the road boundary.

[0150] When the upper frame is not recognized in the road boundary (No in S605 ), in S607 , the vehicle control method may include identifying whether the upper frame and the lower frame are connected to each other.

[0151] When the upper frame and the lower frame are not connected to each other (No in S607 ), in S611 , the vehicle control method may include recognizing that the upper frame is valid.

[0152] The vehicle control method may include assigning identifiers to the upper frame and the lower frame, respectively, based on the upper frame being identified as valid. The vehicle control method may include outputting the upper frame and the lower frame, based on the upper frame being identified as valid.

[0153] When at least one of the width of the upper frame, the length of the upper frame, and any combination thereof is less than the third reference length (Yes in S603 ), in S609 , the vehicle control method may include recognizing that the upper frame is invalid.

[0154] When the upper frame is identified in the road boundary (Yes in S605 ), in S609 , the vehicle control method may include identifying that the upper frame is invalid.

[0155] When the upper frame and the lower frame are connected to each other (Yes in S607 ), in S609 , the vehicle control method may include recognizing that the upper frame is invalid.

[0156] The vehicle control method may include determining a second external object corresponding to the upper frame as the same object as a first external object corresponding to the lower frame, based on the upper frame being identified as not being valid.

[0157] The vehicle control method may include selectively outputting at least one of an upper frame, a lower frame, and any combination thereof based on the upper frame being identified as not being valid.

[0158] Figure 7 An example of a result of determining the validity of an upper frame in a vehicle control device is shown.

[0159] refer to Figure 7 , the first embodiment 701 may include an embodiment to which the present technology is not applied. Referring to the first embodiment 701 , a processor included in a vehicle control device may recognize a commercial vehicle including a truck 711 using LiDAR.

[0160] The processor may generate a virtual frame 713 corresponding to the truck 711 based on recognizing commercial vehicles including the truck 711 using LiDAR. For example, the virtual frame 713 may include an upper frame and a lower frame. For example, when a single external object is erroneously recognized, the virtual frame 713 may include frames expressed in plural.

[0161] The processor to which the present technology is applied may be referred to as a second embodiment 702. For example, the second embodiment 702 may include an embodiment of deleting an upper frame and outputting a lower frame because the upper frame is recognized as not being valid.

[0162] For example, based on the upper frame being identified as not being valid, the processor may delete the upper frame and may output the lower frame 721 .

[0163] Figure 8A computing system including a vehicle control device is shown.

[0164] See also Figure 8 , the computing system 1000 may include at least one processor 1100 , a memory 1300 , a user interface input device 1400 , a user interface output device 1500 , a storage device 1600 , and a network interface 1700 connected to each other via a bus 1200 .

[0165] The processor 1100 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a semiconductor device that processes instructions stored in the memory 1300 and / or the storage device 1600. The memory 1300 and the storage device 1600 may include various types of volatile or non-volatile storage media. For example, the memory 1300 may include a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1310 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 1320.

[0166] Therefore, the process of the method or algorithm described in conjunction with the present disclosure may be directly implemented by hardware, software modules or a combination thereof executed by the processor 1100. The software module may reside in a storage medium (i.e., memory 1300 and / or storage device 1600), such as RAM, flash memory, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, register, hard disk, solid state drive (SSD), detachable disk or CD-ROM. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor 1100, and the processor 1100 can read information from the storage medium and can write information in the storage medium. In another method, the storage medium may be integrated with the processor 1100. The processor 1100 and the storage medium may reside in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In another method, the processor 1100 and the storage medium may reside in a user terminal as separate components.

[0167] This technology can prevent the false recognition of external objects in a specified space.

[0168] Furthermore, the present technology can prevent a large vehicle or an inner wall surface recognized in a tunnel from being recognized as a stopped obstacle (eg, a stationary object).

[0169] Furthermore, the present technology can divide the upper frame and the lower frame in a tunnel, the validity of the upper frame can be determined, and false detection of moving objects can be prevented.

[0170] Furthermore, various effects directly or indirectly determined by the present disclosure can be provided.

[0171] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited thereto but various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as claimed in the appended claims.

[0172] Therefore, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are provided to explain the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, but not to limit them, so that the spirit and scope of the present disclosure are not limited by one or more exemplary embodiments described herein. The scope of the present disclosure should be interpreted based on the appended claims, and all technical concepts within the scope equivalent to the claims should be included in the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device, comprising: sensor; Communication circuits; as well as The processor is configured as: receiving, via the communication circuit, a signal indicating that a vehicle has entered a designated space identified via the sensor; After receiving the signal, dividing the designated space into a lower space and an upper space based on a vertical axis; wherein at least a portion of the upper space overlaps with the lower space; generating a lower frame corresponding to a first external object recognized via the sensor in the lower space; generating an upper frame corresponding to a second external object recognized by the sensor in the upper space; determining whether the upper frame at least partially overlaps the lower frame; and Based on the upper frame at least partially overlapping the lower frame, a signal indicating that the second external object corresponding to the upper frame and the first external object are the same object is output.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to: Based on the upper frame being determined to at least partially overlap with the lower frame, at least one of the upper frame and the lower frame is selectively output.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to: A road boundary included in the designated space is determined via the sensor and based on the vehicle entering the designated space.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein: The processor is configured to determine whether the upper frame at least partially overlaps the lower frame based on at least one of the following: The size of the upper frame, whether the upper frame is within the road boundary, and Connectivity between the upper frame and the lower frame.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein: The processor is configured to: The connectivity between the lower frame and the upper frame is determined based on a first plurality of points included in the lower frame being matched with a second plurality of points included in the upper frame.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to: It is also determined that the vehicle has entered the designated space based on a signal indicating that the vehicle has entered the designated space at least a designated number of times.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to: Based on the second upper frame being determined not to overlap with the second lower frame, it is determined that the third external object corresponding to the second upper frame is a different object from the fourth external object corresponding to the second lower frame.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is configured to generate the lower frame and the upper frame based on determining a plurality of points on a plane formed by the vertical axis and the horizontal axis.

9. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to: Based on the first external object and the second external object being determined to be the same object, the upper frame is deleted.

10. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is configured to divide the designated space into the lower space and the upper space in the following manner: Determine that the lower space is between the ground and a first height; and The upper space is determined to be between a second height that is smaller than the first height and a third height that is larger than the first height.

11. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, wherein: The processor is further configured to: Based on the third external object and the fourth external object being determined as different objects, a first identifier is assigned to the second upper frame corresponding to the third external object, and a second identifier is assigned to the second lower frame corresponding to the fourth external object.

12. A vehicle control method, comprising: receiving, via the communication circuit, a signal indicating that the vehicle has entered a designated space identified via the sensor; After receiving the signal, dividing the designated space into a lower space and an upper space based on a vertical axis; wherein at least a portion of the upper space overlaps with the lower space; generating a lower frame corresponding to a first external object recognized via the sensor in the lower space; generating an upper frame corresponding to a second external object recognized by the sensor in the upper space; determining whether the upper frame at least partially overlaps the lower frame; and Based on the upper frame at least partially overlapping the lower frame, a signal indicating that the second external object corresponding to the upper frame and the first external object are the same object is output.

13. The vehicle control method according to claim 12, further comprising: Based on the upper frame being determined to at least partially overlap with the lower frame, at least one of the upper frame and the lower frame is selectively output.

14. The vehicle control method according to claim 12, further comprising: A road boundary included in the designated space is determined via the sensor and based on the vehicle entering the designated space.

15. The vehicle control method according to claim 14, wherein: Determining whether the upper frame at least partially overlaps the lower frame is based on at least one of the following: The size of the upper frame, whether the upper frame is within the road boundary, and Connectivity between the upper frame and the lower frame.

16. The vehicle control method according to claim 15, further comprising: The connectivity between the lower frame and the upper frame is determined based on a first plurality of points included in the lower frame being matched with a second plurality of points included in the upper frame.

17. The vehicle control method according to claim 12, further comprising: It is also determined that the vehicle has entered the designated space based on a signal indicating that the vehicle has entered the designated space at least a designated number of times.

18. The vehicle control method according to claim 12, further comprising: Based on the second upper frame being determined not to overlap with the second lower frame, it is determined that the third external object corresponding to the second upper frame is an object different from the fourth external object corresponding to the second lower frame.

19. The vehicle control method according to claim 12, further comprising: The lower frame and the upper frame are generated based on determining a plurality of points on a plane formed by the vertical axis and the horizontal axis.

20. The vehicle control method according to claim 18, further comprising: Based on the third external object and the fourth external object being determined as different objects, a first identifier is assigned to the second upper frame corresponding to the third external object, and a second identifier is assigned to the second lower frame corresponding to the fourth external object.

Images