Control method and control device for following carrier, and following carrier

Abstract

The invention discloses a control method and a control device for a following vehicle, and the following vehicle, and relates to the technical field of auxiliary driving. The following carrier is provided with a positioning code shooting unit, a first UWB base station and a second UWB base station. The control method comprises the steps that a front carrier image shot by the positioning code shooting unit is acquired; determining following parameters for following the carrier under the condition that the positioning code information of the front carrier is obtained based on the front carrier image; and under the condition that the positioning code information is not obtained based on the front carrier image, determining following parameters of the following carrier according to communication results of the first UWB base station and the second UWB base station with the UWB tag of the front carrier. The following carrier can determine the following parameters of the following carrier through the positioning code shooting unit and the dual UWB base station so as to follow the front carrier to run, the process that an operator adjusts the following parameters based on the advancing state of the following carrier is omitted, and the burden of the operator is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of driver assistance technology, and more specifically to a control method, control device, and following vehicle for following a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] In fields such as wilderness rescue, industrial production, and military logistics, there are frequent scenarios involving the transportation of large quantities of equipment or supplies from assembly points to target sites. These transport routes often traverse complex terrains such as mountains and muddy areas, and are frequently accompanied by extreme weather conditions like fires and heavy rain. Relying on manual labor for transportation not only impacts the physical stamina of the personnel but also reduces operational efficiency. Using unmanned vehicles (UAVs) to transport supplies and employing a vehicle-to-vehicle following system can effectively reduce the burden on personnel and improve transportation efficiency. However, current technologies often require operators to manually remotely control the UAVs for following, necessitating constant monitoring of the following vehicle's status while ensuring their own safety, thus placing a significant burden on the operators. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a control method, control device, and follow vehicle for following vehicles, in order to solve the technical problem of how to reduce the burden on unmanned vehicle operators in the prior art.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the first aspect of this application provides a control method for a following vehicle, wherein the following vehicle is equipped with a positioning code capturing unit, a first UWB base station, and a second UWB base station, and the control method includes: Acquire the image of the vehicle in front captured by the positioning code shooting unit; Based on the image of the vehicle in front, the positioning code information of the vehicle in front is obtained, and the following parameters for the following vehicle are determined. In the absence of positioning code information based on the image of the vehicle ahead, the following parameters of the following vehicle are determined according to the communication results between the first UWB base station, the second UWB base station and the UWB tag of the vehicle ahead.

[0005] In this embodiment of the application, the following parameters of the following vehicle are determined based on the communication results between the first UWB base station, the second UWB base station and the UWB tag of the preceding vehicle, respectively: The first distance between the UWB tag and the first UWB base station is determined based on the first communication result between the first UWB base station and the UWB tag; The second spacing between the UWB tag and the second UWB base station is determined based on the second communication result between the second UWB base station and the UWB tag; The following parameters are determined based on the first and second spacing.

[0006] In this embodiment of the application, determining the following parameters based on the first spacing and the second spacing includes: obtaining a preset spacing between the first UWB base station and the second UWB base station; determining the following distance and following angle of the following vehicle relative to the UWB tag based on the first spacing, the second spacing and the preset spacing; and determining the following parameters based on the following distance and the following angle.

[0007] In this embodiment, a tracking calibration point is provided between the first UWB base station and the second UWB base station of the tracking vehicle; determining the tracking distance and tracking angle of the tracking vehicle relative to the UWB tag based on the first spacing, the second spacing, and the preset spacing includes: determining the first angle between the UWB tag and the first UWB base station and the second UWB base station on the first straight line based on the first spacing, the second spacing, and the preset spacing; determining the tracking angle based on the third spacing, the first angle, the first spacing, and the preset spacing between the tracking calibration point and the first UWB base station; and determining the tracking distance based on the preset spacing, the third spacing, and the tracking angle.

[0008] In this embodiment, the first included angle is determined according to formula (1), the following included angle is determined according to formula (2), and the following distance is determined according to formula (3): (1) (2) (3) in, Indicates the first included angle. Indicates the first spacing. Indicates the second spacing. Indicates the preset spacing. Indicates following the included angle. This indicates the preset scaling factor. Indicates the third spacing.

[0009] In this embodiment of the application, the following parameters include the angular velocity and linear velocity of the following vehicle; determining the following parameters based on the following distance and the following angle includes: determining the angular velocity based on the measured value and absolute value of the following angle; and determining the linear velocity based on the absolute value of the following distance.

[0010] In this embodiment, the angular velocity is determined according to formula (4), and the linear velocity is determined according to formula (5): (4) (5) in, This represents the measured value of the included angle. Indicates the absolute value of the included angle. This indicates the preset angle error value. This indicates the preset angular velocity control coefficient. Indicates linear velocity. Represents the absolute value of the following distance. Indicates the preset distance error. This indicates the preset linear velocity control coefficient.

[0011] In this embodiment of the application, the following parameters further include an upper limit of linear velocity; determining the following parameters based on the following distance and the following angle further includes: determining an upper limit of linear velocity based on the following angle; determining the linear velocity based on the absolute value of the following distance includes: determining a first linear velocity based on the absolute value of the following distance; if the first linear velocity is greater than or equal to the upper limit of linear velocity, determining the linear velocity of the following vehicle as the upper limit of linear velocity; if the first linear velocity is less than the upper limit of linear velocity, determining the first linear velocity as the linear velocity of the following vehicle.

[0012] In this embodiment, the following vehicle is also equipped with an obstacle detection radar, which is used to detect obstacles in front of the following vehicle; the control method further includes: when a first obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle, controlling the following vehicle to perform a first action to avoid the first obstacle, the first action including turning left, turning right and reversing; when no obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle, controlling the following vehicle to follow the vehicle in front according to the following parameters.

[0013] In this embodiment of the application, the control method further includes: after controlling the following vehicle to perform the first action, if a second obstacle is detected in front of the following vehicle and the number of the second obstacle is greater than the number of the first obstacle, controlling the following vehicle to reverse and turn until the number of the second obstacle is less than or equal to the number of the first obstacle; and if the number of the second obstacle is less than or equal to the number of the first obstacle, controlling the following vehicle to perform the first action.

[0014] In this embodiment of the application, the vehicle in front is equipped with an Aruco QR code; the control method further includes: preprocessing the image of the vehicle in front to obtain a positioning code image based on the Aruco QR code; reading and decoding the positioning code image to obtain positioning code information; and determining the following parameters for the following vehicle based on the positioning code information of the vehicle in front obtained from the image of the vehicle in front includes: determining the following parameters for the following vehicle based on the PnP algorithm based on the positioning code information of the vehicle in front obtained from the image of the vehicle in front.

[0015] In this embodiment of the application, the control method further includes: obtaining a follow signal or a follow termination signal sent by the UWB tag of the vehicle in front through a first UWB base station and / or a second UWB base station; controlling the positioning code shooting unit to capture an image of the vehicle in front in response to the follow signal; and controlling the following vehicle to stop following the vehicle in response to the follow termination signal.

[0016] A second aspect of this application provides a control device for following a vehicle, comprising: a processor configured to retrieve instructions from memory and, when executing the instructions, to implement the control method for following a vehicle provided in the first aspect of this application.

[0017] A third aspect of this application provides a following vehicle, comprising: a control device for the following vehicle provided in the second aspect of this application; and a vehicle driving device for driving the following vehicle according to following parameters.

[0018] The fourth aspect of this application provides a following vehicle for performing the control method for a following vehicle as provided in the first aspect of this application. The following vehicle includes: a vehicle body; a positioning code and a first UWB tag disposed on the vehicle body; a first UWB base station and a second UWB base station respectively disposed at different positions on the vehicle body for communicating with the second UWB tag of the vehicle in front; a positioning code capturing unit disposed on the vehicle body for capturing images of the vehicle in front; a control device for a following vehicle as provided in the second aspect of this application; and an obstacle detection radar disposed on the vehicle body for detecting obstacles in front of the following vehicle.

[0019] In this embodiment, the vehicle body includes a first side and a second side arranged opposite to each other. The first side is arranged in the forward direction of the following vehicle, and the second side is arranged in the backward direction of the following vehicle. The positioning code and the first UWB tag are located on the second side, and the first UWB base station, the second UWB base station and the positioning code shooting unit are located on the first side.

[0020] In this embodiment of the application, the vehicle body includes a first side facing the direction of travel of the vehicle, and a detection radar is located on the first side.

[0021] The fifth aspect of this application provides a multi-vehicle following system, including one or more following vehicles according to the fourth aspect of this application.

[0022] The sixth aspect of this application provides a machine-readable storage medium storing instructions for causing a machine to execute a control method for following a vehicle according to the first aspect of this application.

[0023] With the above technical solution, when the following vehicle is close to the vehicle in front and there is no interference, the positioning code information of the vehicle in front can be obtained through the image of the vehicle in front captured by the positioning code shooting unit, thereby determining the following parameters and realizing vehicle following; when the relative position of the following vehicle and the vehicle in front is far apart or there is image interference, the following parameters can be determined based on dual UWB base stations to realize vehicle following, thereby eliminating the process of operators adjusting the following parameters based on the following vehicle's travel status and reducing the burden on operators.

[0024] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the embodiments of this application and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the embodiments of this application, but do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application. In the drawings: Figure 1 The illustration shows a schematic flowchart of a control method for a following vehicle according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 The schematic diagram illustrates a flow chart of another control method for a following vehicle according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 The schematic diagram illustrates a flow chart of another control method for a following vehicle according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the orientation of a first UWB base station, a second UWB base station, and a UWB tag according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of a following vehicle obstacle avoidance process according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 The schematic diagram illustrates a structural schematic of a vehicle body according to an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures 1. UWB base station; 2. Positioning code capturing unit; 3. Positioning code; 4. First UWB tag; 5. Radar. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for illustration and explanation of the embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0028] It should be noted that the acquisition, transmission, storage, use, and processing of data in the technical solution of this application all comply with relevant laws and regulations. In the embodiments of this application, certain existing industry solutions such as software, components, and models may be mentioned. These should be considered exemplary, intended only to illustrate the feasibility of implementing the technical solution of this application, and do not imply that the applicant has already used or necessarily used such solutions.

[0029] It should be noted that if the embodiments of this application involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0030] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this application involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the technical solutions of various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. If the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0031] To reduce the burden on operators during unmanned vehicle transportation, this application provides a control method for following vehicles. The following vehicle can identify the location code information of the vehicle in front by capturing images of it, achieving high-precision positioning of the vehicle ahead. Based on this, the following vehicle sets its following parameters to ensure it follows the vehicle ahead. Furthermore, the control method provided in this application also considers situations where there are obstacles or excessive following distance between the following and the vehicle ahead. By setting multiple UWB (Ultra Wide Band) base stations on the following vehicle to communicate with the UWB tag of the vehicle ahead, the following vehicle can follow the vehicle based on the following parameters determined by the UWB communication results even when it cannot obtain the location code information of the vehicle ahead by capturing images.

[0032] Figure 1 The illustration schematically shows a flow chart of a control method for a following vehicle according to an embodiment of this application. The following vehicle is equipped with a positioning code capturing unit, a first UWB base station, and a second UWB base station. Figure 1 As shown in the embodiments of this application, a control method for following a vehicle may include the following steps: S102. Obtain the image of the vehicle in front captured by the positioning code shooting unit.

[0033] Specifically, the positioning code capturing unit can be a monocular or multi-view camera. The lens direction of the positioning code capturing unit can be set to be the same as the head direction of the following vehicle. The following vehicle can be a land vehicle such as a wheeled vehicle or a tracked vehicle; the following vehicle can also be a drone, an unmanned vehicle, or a vehicle that can be remotely controlled or moves autonomously based on built-in algorithms.

[0034] S104. Based on the image of the vehicle in front, the positioning code information of the vehicle in front is obtained, and the following parameters for the following vehicle are determined.

[0035] Specifically, the vehicle in front is equipped with a positioning code, which may include a QR code, barcode, or any regular pattern that can be used to carry specific information. Following parameters may include the relative position of the following vehicle to the vehicle in front, the following vehicle's speed, and its direction of movement. The following vehicle's speed and direction of movement can be determined based on the relative position of the following vehicle to the vehicle in front, using a preset relationship table or a preset analytical function.

[0036] S106. If the positioning code information is not obtained based on the image of the vehicle ahead, determine the following parameters of the following vehicle according to the communication results between the first UWB base station, the second UWB base station and the UWB tag of the vehicle ahead.

[0037] The control method for following a vehicle provided in this application first captures an image of the vehicle in front using a positioning code capturing unit. Upon recognizing the positioning code information of the vehicle in front, the following parameters of the following vehicle are determined, thereby enabling vehicle following. In cases where there are obstacles between the following vehicle and the vehicle in front, the distance between them is large, or the image of the vehicle in front is blurred due to vehicle vibration, the following vehicle may be unable to obtain positioning code information from the image of the vehicle in front. When the following vehicle cannot obtain positioning code information, it communicates with the UWB tag of the vehicle in front via a first UWB base station and a second UWB base station set on the following vehicle, and determines the following parameters of the following vehicle based on the communication results. This allows the following vehicle to follow the vehicle in front even when it cannot obtain positioning code information. When following a vehicle, which requires manual remote control by the operator, the operator needs to constantly monitor the vehicle's movement status while ensuring their own safety. The control method for following vehicles provided in this application can determine the following parameters of the following vehicle through positioning code recognition and UWB communication, thereby enabling the vehicle to follow. This eliminates the need for the operator to adjust the following parameters based on the following vehicle's movement status, reducing the operator's burden.

[0038] In some embodiments of this application, the leading vehicle may be equipped with an Aruco QR code. The control method for following the vehicle may further include: preprocessing the image of the leading vehicle to obtain a positioning code image based on the Aruco QR code; reading and decoding the positioning code image to obtain positioning code information; and determining the following parameters for following the vehicle when the positioning code information of the leading vehicle is obtained based on the image of the leading vehicle includes: determining the following parameters for following the vehicle based on the PnP (Perspective-n-Point) algorithm when the positioning code information of the leading vehicle is obtained based on the image of the leading vehicle.

[0039] Aruco QR codes are visual identification codes based on square binary markers, designed for camera calibration, pose estimation, and visual positioning. Based on the PnP algorithm, the following vehicle can determine the relative position between the positioning code capturing unit and the Aruco QR code based on the pre-stored actual size of the Aruco QR code and the positioning code image of the Aruco QR code, thus determining the relative position between the following vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Aruco QR codes offer high positioning accuracy and robustness. The PnP algorithm calculates the pose of the QR code marker point relative to the positioning code capturing unit (including a translation vector T representing the relative distance and a rotation matrix R representing the relative angle); the elements in the translation vector T represent the distances between the QR code and the camera coordinate system on the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. Based on geometric relationships, the relative distance and angle between the following vehicle and the preceding vehicle can be calculated.

[0040] In some embodiments of this application, communication between the first UWB base station and / or the second UWB base station and the UWB tag of the preceding vehicle can begin even when the following vehicle has not received the positioning code information. In other embodiments of this application, communication between the first UWB base station and / or the second UWB base station and the UWB tag of the preceding vehicle can be continuous between the following vehicle and the preceding vehicle. In the case of continuous communication, the control method may further include: acquiring a following signal or a following termination signal sent by the UWB tag of the preceding vehicle through the first UWB base station and / or the second UWB base station; controlling the positioning code capturing unit to capture an image of the preceding vehicle in response to the following signal; and controlling the following vehicle to stop following the preceding vehicle in response to the following termination signal.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments of this application, step S106, which determines the following parameters of the following vehicle based on the communication results between the first UWB base station, the second UWB base station, and the UWB tag of the preceding vehicle, may include: S202. Determine the first distance between the UWB tag and the first UWB base station based on the first communication result between the first UWB base station and the UWB tag; and determine the second distance between the UWB tag and the second UWB base station based on the second communication result between the second UWB base station and the UWB tag; S204. Determine the following parameters based on the first spacing and the second spacing.

[0042] Based on the above embodiments, the control method for following a vehicle can determine the following parameters of the following vehicle by obtaining a first distance and a second distance through communication between the first UWB base station and the UWB tag of the preceding vehicle, respectively. The use of multiple UWB base stations can improve the accuracy of determining the following parameters. Furthermore, the first and second distances can be used to determine the specific following parameters corresponding to different degrees of freedom when the following vehicle moves in a plane.

[0043] Specifically, the communication methods between the first UWB base station and the UWB tag and / or the communication methods between the second UWB base station and the UWB tag may include: two-way-time-of-flight algorithm (TW-TOF), time of flight algorithm (TOF), and time difference of arrival algorithm (TDOA).

[0044] like Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments of this application, step S204 may include: S302, Obtain the preset distance between the first UWB base station and the second UWB base station; S304. Determine the following distance and following angle of the following vehicle relative to the UWB tag based on the first spacing, the second spacing and the preset spacing; S306. Determine the following parameters based on the following distance and the following angle.

[0045] The following distance and following angle determined based on the above embodiments can reflect the distance between the following vehicle and the vehicle in front, as well as the driving direction of the following vehicle relative to the vehicle in front, thereby more comprehensively reflecting the movement state of the following vehicle relative to the vehicle in front, and providing a more sufficient basis for determining the following parameters.

[0046] In some embodiments of this application, a tracking calibration point is provided between the first UWB base station and the second UWB base station of the following vehicle, and step S304 may include: The first angle between the UWB tag and the first UWB base station and the second UWB base station is determined based on the first spacing, the second spacing and the preset spacing; The following angle is determined based on the third distance, the first angle, the first distance, and the preset distance between the following calibration point and the first UWB base station; The following distance is determined based on the preset spacing, the third spacing, and the following angle.

[0047] Specifically, the first included angle is determined according to formula (1), the following included angle is determined according to formula (2), and the following distance is determined according to formula (3): (1) (2) (3) in, Indicates the first included angle. Indicates the first spacing. Indicates the second spacing. Indicates the preset spacing. Indicates following the included angle. This indicates the preset scaling factor. Indicates the third spacing.

[0048] As an example, such as Figure 4 As shown, base station 1 and base station 2 represent the first UWB base station and the second UWB base station, respectively. Figure 4 The middle label indicates a UWB label. Preset spacing. The location is the same as the location of the tracking calibration point. The first UWB base station, the second UWB base station, and the tracking calibration point can be located, for example, at the edge of the head of the tracking vehicle.

[0049] In some embodiments of this application, the following parameters include the angular velocity and linear velocity of the following vehicle; determining the following parameters based on the following distance and the following angle includes: determining the angular velocity based on the measured value and absolute value of the following angle; and determining the linear velocity based on the absolute value of the following distance.

[0050] In the above embodiments, the following vehicle moves based on angular velocity and linear velocity to follow the vehicle in front. The measured and absolute values ​​of the following angle determine the magnitude and direction of the following vehicle's offset relative to the direction of the vehicle in front. The angular velocity determined accordingly ensures the following vehicle maintains its movement in the direction of the vehicle in front. The linear velocity, determined based on the absolute value of the following distance, can be adjusted in real-time based on the magnitude of the following distance, thereby maintaining a reasonable driving distance between the following vehicle and the vehicle in front, preventing following failure due to excessive following distance or increasing the risk of accidents due to excessively close following distance.

[0051] In some embodiments of this application, the angular velocity is determined according to formula (4), and the linear velocity is determined according to formula (5): (4) (5) in, This represents the measured value of the included angle. Indicates the absolute value of the included angle. This indicates the preset angle error value. This indicates the preset angular velocity control coefficient. Indicates linear velocity. Represents the absolute value of the following distance. Indicates the preset distance error. This indicates the preset linear velocity control coefficient.

[0052] In some embodiments of this application, the following parameters further include an upper limit of linear velocity, and step S306 may further include: determining the upper limit of linear velocity based on the following angle. Determining the linear velocity based on the absolute value of the following distance includes: determining a first linear velocity based on the absolute value of the following distance; if the first linear velocity is greater than or equal to the upper limit of linear velocity, determining the linear velocity of the following vehicle as the upper limit of linear velocity; if the first linear velocity is less than the upper limit of linear velocity, determining the first linear velocity as the linear velocity of the following vehicle.

[0053] Since the following vehicle may deviate significantly from the direction of movement of the following vehicle relative to the vehicle in front during the actual process of following the vehicle, if the linear velocity of the following vehicle is too high, it may cause the following vehicle to deviate significantly from the movement path of the vehicle in front. Therefore, the upper limit of the linear velocity can be determined based on the following angle, and used as the upper limit value of the first linear velocity.

[0054] As an example, the upper limit of linear velocity , This represents the upper limit control coefficient for linear velocity. This indicates the absolute value of the included angle.

[0055] In some embodiments of this application, to achieve the function of the following vehicle avoiding obstacles, the following vehicle is also equipped with an obstacle detection radar, which is used to detect obstacles in front of the following vehicle. The control method further includes: when a first obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle, controlling the following vehicle to perform a first action to avoid the first obstacle, the first action including turning left, turning right, and reversing; when no obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle, controlling the following vehicle to follow the vehicle in front according to the following parameters. Specifically, the obstacle detection radar can be an ultrasonic radar, a lidar, etc.

[0056] In some embodiments of this application, since the number of obstacles detected by the obstacle detection radar may increase during the obstacle avoidance process when the following vehicle performs the first action, it is necessary to readjust the actions of the following vehicle to reduce the number of obstacles detected by the obstacle detection radar. Therefore, the control method further includes: if, after controlling the following vehicle to perform the first action, a second obstacle is detected in front of the following vehicle, and the number of the second obstacle is greater than the number of the first obstacle, controlling the following vehicle to reverse and turn until the number of the second obstacle is less than or equal to the number of the first obstacle; and if the number of the second obstacle is less than or equal to the number of the first obstacle, controlling the following vehicle to perform the first action.

[0057] The following is combined Figure 5 An example of a following vehicle obstacle avoidance process is provided. As an example, in the first phase: upon detecting a first obstacle in front of the vehicle, the following vehicle is controlled to perform a first action to avoid the first obstacle. The first action includes turning left, turning right, and reversing. Specifically: When there is an obstacle to the right front but not to the left front, follow the vehicle to turn left for the set threshold time. When there is an obstacle to the left front and not to the right front, follow the vehicle to turn right for the set threshold time. When other obstacles appear (i.e. there is an obstacle directly in front but not to the left or right, or there are obstacles in all three directions), follow the vehicle backward for a set threshold time, and then turn towards the vehicle in front for a set threshold time.

[0058] The second phase: Based on the changes in the number of obstacles detected in the three directions during the first phase of steering control, determine whether the obstacle avoidance decision in the first phase was appropriate, and adjust the control strategy accordingly. Specifically, if a second obstacle is detected in front of the following vehicle after the first action is performed, and the number of the second obstacle is greater than the number of the first obstacle, control the following vehicle to reverse and turn until the number of the second obstacle is less than or equal to the number of the first obstacle. In detail: If the number of obstacles detected in the three directions increases during the first stage of turning, it indicates that the first stage turning strategy is inappropriate. At this time, control the autonomous vehicle to move backward for a set threshold time, and then control the autonomous vehicle to turn in the opposite direction of the first stage turning for a set threshold time. If the number of obstacles detected in the three directions remains unchanged or decreases but is not zero during the first stage of turning, then the turning control will continue to follow the obstacle avoidance strategy of the first stage. When the number of obstacles detected in the three directions decreases to zero during the first-stage turning process, it indicates that the first-stage turning strategy is appropriate. At this point, obstacle avoidance control is completed, and the unmanned vehicle can continue driving according to the following control strategy.

[0059] This application also provides a control device for following a vehicle, including: a processor configured to retrieve instructions from memory and, when executing the instructions, to implement the control method for following a vehicle provided in the above embodiments.

[0060] This application also provides a following vehicle, including the aforementioned control device and vehicle drive device. The vehicle drive device is used to drive the following vehicle according to following parameters.

[0061] This application provides another following vehicle for executing the control method for following vehicles provided in the above embodiments. The following vehicle includes: a vehicle body, a positioning code and a first UWB tag, and a positioning code imaging unit. The positioning code and the first UWB tag are disposed on the vehicle body. A first UWB base station and a second UWB base station are respectively disposed at different positions on the vehicle body for communicating with the second UWB tag of the vehicle in front. The positioning code imaging unit is disposed on the vehicle body for capturing images of the vehicle in front; a detection radar is disposed on the vehicle body for detecting obstacles in front of the following vehicle.

[0062] The following vehicle provided in this application embodiment captures images of the vehicle in front using a positioning code capturing unit to identify the positioning code information of the vehicle in front, thereby achieving high-precision positioning of the vehicle in front. Based on this, the following vehicle sets following parameters to allow it to follow the vehicle in front. In situations where there are obstacles between the following vehicle and the vehicle in front, or the following distance is too far, the first and second UWB base stations installed on the following vehicle can communicate with the UWB tag of the vehicle in front via UWB to obtain UWB communication results. This allows the following vehicle to follow the vehicle based on the following parameters determined by the UWB communication results when it is impossible to obtain the positioning code information of the vehicle in front by capturing images of the vehicle in front. Furthermore, the radar detection can be used to detect obstacles that may exist in front of the following vehicle, thereby providing hardware support for the following vehicle to adjust the following parameters according to the location of the obstacles.

[0063] In some embodiments of this application, the vehicle body includes a first side and a second side arranged opposite to each other, the first side being arranged toward the forward direction of the following vehicle, and the second side being arranged toward the backward direction of the following vehicle; the positioning code and the first UWB tag are located on the second side, and the first UWB base station, the second UWB base station and the positioning code shooting unit are located on the first side.

[0064] In some embodiments of this application, the vehicle body includes a first side facing the direction of travel of the vehicle, and a detection radar is located on the first side.

[0065] This application also provides a multi-vehicle following system, including one or more following vehicles as described above.

[0066] The multi-vehicle following system provided in this application embodiment can realize the following driving of multiple following vehicles. Multiple following vehicles can be arranged sequentially. Each following vehicle determines its following parameters based on the positioning code information of the vehicle in front or the UWB communication result with the vehicle in front, thereby realizing multi-vehicle following driving. The following driving process of any two following vehicles can be referred to the above-described following driving methods for following vehicles and the vehicle in front.

[0067] See Figure 6 The diagram shows a top view and a side view of the vehicle body following the vehicle. Two UWB base stations 1 are located at opposite ends of the first side of the vehicle body, corresponding to the first and second UWB base stations. A positioning code capturing unit 2 is located on the first side of the vehicle body. A positioning code 3 and a first UWB tag 4 are located on the second side of the vehicle body. An obstacle detection radar 5 is located on the first side, between the first and second UWB base stations. During the following vehicle's movement, the obstacle detection radar 5 detects obstacles along the vehicle's path. Radar probes are installed at the left front, front, and right front of the unmanned vehicle, measuring distances to obstacles in these three directions. When the measured distance is less than a set threshold, an obstacle is considered detected in that direction.

[0068] This application also provides a machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that cause a machine to execute the aforementioned control method for following a vehicle.

[0069] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0070] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart... Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0071] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0072] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0073] In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPU), input / output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.

[0074] Memory may include non-persistent memory in computer-readable media, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM) or flash RAM. Memory is an example of computer-readable media.

[0075] Computer-readable media includes both permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can store information using any method or technology. Information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, modules of programs, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile optical disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transferable medium that can be used to store information accessible by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transient computer-readable media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0076] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0077] The above are merely embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A control method for following a vehicle, characterized in that, The vehicle is equipped with a positioning code capturing unit, a first UWB base station, and a second UWB base station. The control method includes: Acquire the image of the vehicle in front captured by the positioning code shooting unit; Based on the image of the vehicle in front, the positioning code information of the vehicle in front is obtained, and the following parameters for the following vehicle are determined. If the positioning code information is not obtained based on the image of the vehicle in front, the following parameters of the following vehicle are determined according to the communication results between the first UWB base station, the second UWB base station and the UWB tag of the vehicle in front, respectively.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the following parameters of the following vehicle based on the communication results between the first UWB base station, the second UWB base station, and the UWB tag of the preceding vehicle includes: The first distance between the UWB tag and the first UWB base station is determined based on the first communication result between the first UWB base station and the UWB tag; The second distance between the UWB tag and the second UWB base station is determined based on the second communication result between the second UWB base station and the UWB tag; The following parameters are determined based on the first spacing and the second spacing.

3. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Determining the following parameters based on the first spacing and the second spacing includes: Obtain the preset distance between the first UWB base station and the second UWB base station; The following distance and following angle of the following vehicle relative to the UWB tag are determined based on the first spacing, the second spacing and the preset spacing; The following parameters are determined based on the following distance and the following angle.

4. The control method according to claim 3, characterized in that, A tracking calibration point is provided between the first UWB base station and the second UWB base station of the following vehicle; Determining the following distance and following angle of the following vehicle relative to the UWB tag based on the first spacing, the second spacing, and the preset spacing includes: The first angle between the UWB tag and the first straight line containing the first UWB base station and the second UWB base station is determined based on the first spacing, the second spacing, and the preset spacing. The following angle is determined based on the third distance between the following calibration point and the first UWB base station, the first angle, the first distance, and the preset distance; The following distance is determined based on the preset spacing, the third spacing, and the following angle.

5. The control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first included angle is determined according to formula (1), the following included angle is determined according to formula (2), and the following distance is determined according to formula (3): ；（1） ；（2） ；（3） in, Indicates the first included angle. Indicates the first spacing. Indicates the second spacing. This indicates the preset spacing. Indicates the following angle, This indicates the preset scaling factor. This refers to the third spacing.

6. The control method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The following parameters include the angular velocity and linear velocity of the following vehicle; determining the following parameters based on the following distance and the following angle includes: The angular velocity is determined based on the measured value and absolute value of the following angle; The linear velocity is determined based on the absolute value of the following distance.

7. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The angular velocity is determined according to formula (4), and the linear velocity is determined according to formula (5): ；（4） ；（5） in, This represents the measured value of the following angle. This represents the absolute value of the included angle. This indicates the preset angle error value. This indicates the preset angular velocity control coefficient. Indicates the linear velocity, Represents the absolute value of the following distance. Indicates the preset distance error. This indicates the preset linear velocity control coefficient.

8. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The following parameters also include an upper limit for linear velocity; determining the following parameters based on the following distance and the following angle further includes: The upper limit of the linear velocity is determined based on the following angle; Determining the linear velocity based on the absolute value of the following distance includes: The first linear velocity is determined based on the absolute value of the following distance; If the first linear velocity is greater than or equal to the upper limit of linear velocity, the linear velocity of the following vehicle is determined as the upper limit of linear velocity; If the first linear velocity is less than the upper limit of the linear velocity, the first linear velocity is determined as the linear velocity of the following vehicle.

9. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The following vehicle is also equipped with an obstacle detection radar, which is used to detect obstacles in front of the following vehicle; The control method further includes: When a first obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle, the following vehicle is controlled to perform a first action to avoid the first obstacle. The first action includes turning left, turning right, and reversing. If no obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle, the following vehicle is controlled to follow the vehicle in front according to the following parameters.

10. The control method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The control method further includes: If, after the following vehicle performs the first action, a second obstacle is detected in front of the following vehicle, and the number of the second obstacle is greater than the number of the first obstacle, the following vehicle is controlled to reverse and turn until the number of the second obstacle is less than or equal to the number of the first obstacle. If the number of the second obstacle is less than or equal to the number of the first obstacle, control the following vehicle to perform the first action.

11. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The forward vehicle is equipped with an Aruco QR code; the control method further includes: The image of the vehicle in front is preprocessed to obtain a location code image based on the Aruco QR code; Read and decode the location code image to obtain the location code information; The step of determining the following parameters for the following vehicle, based on the positioning code information of the preceding vehicle obtained from the image of the preceding vehicle, includes: Based on the image of the vehicle in front, the positioning code information of the vehicle in front is obtained, and the following parameters for the following vehicle are determined based on the PnP algorithm.

12. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control method further includes: The follow signal or follow termination signal sent by the UWB tag of the forward vehicle is obtained through the first UWB base station and / or the second UWB base station; In response to the following signal, the positioning code capturing unit is controlled to capture an image of the vehicle in front; In response to the follow termination signal, the following vehicle is controlled to stop following the vehicle in front.

13. A control device for following a vehicle, characterized in that, include: The processor is configured to retrieve instructions from memory and, when executing the instructions, to implement the control method for following a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A following vehicle, characterized in that, include: The control device for following a vehicle according to claim 13; A vehicle drive unit for driving the following vehicle according to the following parameters.

15. A following vehicle, characterized in that, The vehicle is used to perform the control method for a following vehicle as described in claims 1-12, wherein the following vehicle includes: Vehicle body; The location code and the first UWB tag are located on the main body of the vehicle; The first UWB base station and the second UWB base station are respectively located at different positions on the main body of the vehicle, and are used to communicate with the second UWB tag of the vehicle in front. A positioning code shooting unit is located on the main body of the vehicle and is used to capture images of the vehicle in front of the vehicle. An obstacle detection radar is installed on the main body of the vehicle, and the obstacle detection radar is used to detect obstacles in front of the following vehicle.

16. The following vehicle according to claim 15, characterized in that, The vehicle body includes a first side and a second side arranged opposite to each other, the first side being arranged in the forward direction of the following vehicle, and the second side being arranged in the backward direction of the following vehicle; The location code and the first UWB tag are located on the second side, while the first UWB base station, the second UWB base station, and the location code capturing unit are located on the first side.

17. The following vehicle according to claim 15, characterized in that, The vehicle body includes a first side facing the direction of travel of the following vehicle, and the detection radar is located on the first side.

18. A multi-vehicle following system, characterized in that, Includes one or more follower vehicles as described in any one of claims 14-17.

19. A machine-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The machine-readable storage medium stores instructions for causing the machine to perform the control method for following a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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