Method for operating a vehicle with a winch

Abstract

A method for operating a vehicle with a winch involves using at least one sensor on the vehicle to obtain at least one image of a winch cable as the winch cable is unwound from the winch. The position of the winch cable is tracked within the at least one image, and a cable retraction zone for the winch cable is determined as the winch cable is rewound by a winch motor. The method also involves identifying at least one object relative to the cable retraction zone within the at least one image and determining an alarm based on the type and position of the at least one object relative to the cable retraction zone as the winch cable is rewound.

Description

Technical field The present disclosure relates to a vehicle with a winch and in particular to the monitoring of the operation of the winch. introduction Vehicle recovery operations often involve the use of winches to remove vehicles that have become immobilized due to adverse terrain conditions or mechanical failure. In off-road environments, vehicles frequently encounter situations where standard movement becomes impossible due to factors such as deep mud, snow, sand, or steep inclines. Conventional recovery methods, such as towing or pushing, often prove inadequate in these scenarios due to limited access, unstable ground conditions, or the risk of causing further damage to the vehicle. Winching has emerged as the preferred solution due to its ability to provide controlled, consistent force application while maintaining a safe distance between the recovery vehicle and the winched vehicle. Modern winch systems typically comprise several key components: an electric or hydraulic motor, a drum assembly, a steel or synthetic rope, and various mounting points and accessories. These systems are commonly mounted on the front or rear of vehicles, particularly specialized recovery vehicles and all-terrain vehicles. The effectiveness of a winch system depends not only on its raw pulling capacity but also on factors such as the pull angle, rope length, and the strategic use of auxiliary equipment like diaphragm blocks and tree guards. German patent DE 10 2024 102 309 A1 describes a winch system for a vehicle. The winch system includes a winch assembly coupled to a vehicle body. A sensor system is configured to monitor the winch assembly. A controller processes information from the sensor system. The controller is configured to determine the operating time and maintenance status of the winch assembly. The controller is also configured to determine an unauthorized state based on tampering. Furthermore, the controller is configured to determine an operating state based on at least one of the maintenance state and the unauthorized state. A display generates a visual message when the controller determines the operating state. US 2024 / 0199387A1 describes a computer vision camera sensor device for motorized winches that can monitor multiple states with respect to the rope and drum, and a processing system that can analyze the output of the camera sensor to identify multiple states with respect to the winch rope and drum and send appropriate control signals to the winch to protect the equipment and the loads carried by the lifting device. Description of the invention The invention is defined by the claims. According to the invention, a method for operating a vehicle with a winch according to claim 1 is disclosed. The method includes using at least one sensor on the vehicle to obtain at least one image of a winch cable as the winch cable is unwound from the winch. The position of the winch cable is tracked within the at least one image, and a cable retraction zone for the winch cable is determined when the winch cable is rewound by a winch motor. The method also includes identifying at least one object relative to the cable retraction zone within the at least one image and determining an alarm based on the type and position of the at least one object relative to the cable retraction zone when the winch cable is rewound.The alarm is triggered when the position of at least one object is within the cable retraction zone and the type of object is a pedestrian. The alarm includes instructing the vehicle to activate a horn or external flashing lights to notify the pedestrian of their position relative to the cable retraction zone. According to one embodiment, the at least one sensor includes an optical sensor. According to another embodiment, the cable retraction zone defines a three-dimensional space that surrounds the winch cable. According to another embodiment, the method includes displaying the at least one image from the sensor on a vehicle display and highlighting a position of the cable retraction zone in the at least one image. According to another embodiment, the alarm includes deactivating the winch motor to stop the winding of the winch cable. According to another embodiment, the alarm includes highlighting the at least one object within the cable retraction zone on a vehicle display. According to another embodiment, the alarm includes an acoustic indicator or a visual indicator. According to another embodiment, the alarm includes displaying a message on a vehicle display. According to another embodiment, the winch cable is rewound when a current applied to the winch motor exceeds a predetermined threshold current. According to another embodiment, the position of the winch cable is tracked using an object recognition algorithm. This discloses a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium embodying programmed instructions that, when executed by a processor, can perform a method. The method involves using at least one sensor on the vehicle to obtain at least one image of a winch cable as the winch cable is unwound from the winch. The position of the winch cable is tracked within the at least one image, and a cable retraction zone for the winch cable is determined as the winch cable is rewound by a winch motor. The method also involves identifying at least one object relative to the cable retraction zone within the at least one image and determining an alarm based on the type and position of the at least one object relative to the cable retraction zone as the winch cable is rewound. A vehicle is disclosed herein. The vehicle includes a passenger cabin supported by wheels, a winch comprising a winch cable and a winch motor configured to unwind or wind the winch cable, an optical sensor associated with the vehicle having a field of view surrounding the vehicle, and a controller in electrical communication with the winch and the optical sensor. The controller is configured to use the optical sensor to obtain at least one image of the winch cable as the winch cable is unwound and to track the position of the winch cable within that at least one image using an object tracking algorithm.The system is also configured to define a cable retraction zone for the winch cable when the winch motor is activated, to rewind the winch cable into the winch, and to identify at least one object relative to the cable retraction zone within that zone. With the cable retraction zone defined, the controller is configured to trigger an alarm based on the type and position of that object relative to the cable retraction zone when the winch cable is rewound. Brief description of the drawings The accompanying figures, which are included in and form part of this description, illustrate implementations of the revelation and, together with the description, explain the principles of the revelation. Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a vehicle with a winch and a sensor. Fig. 2 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for operating the winch in conjunction with the vehicle from Fig. 1. Fig. 3 schematically illustrates an image obtained from a sensor on the vehicle from Fig. 1, showing an exemplary cable retraction zone. Fig. 4 schematically illustrates an image obtained from the sensor on the vehicle from Fig. 1, showing another exemplary cable retraction zone. Detailed description Experts in the field will recognize that terms such as "above", "below", "upwards", "downwards", "above", "below", "left", "right", etc. are used descriptively for the figures and do not represent limitations on the scope of disclosure as defined by the attached claims. Furthermore, the teachings herein can be described in terms of functional and / or logical block components and / or various processing steps. During operation, particularly in an off-road situation, a vehicle may become stuck and unable to generate momentum in either a forward or reverse direction. In such situations, the vehicle may need to be towed from its current position to overcome an obstacle or reach an area with improved traction. For vehicles equipped with a winch, self-recovery may be possible by attaching a winch cable to an anchor, such as another vehicle or a stationary object. The winch incorporates an electric motor, powered by the vehicle or a remote power source, which pulls or winds the winch cable into the winch.The winch can then pull the vehicle from its current position to a new position where the vehicle is able to continue driving under its own power. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 10 includes a body 12, which at least partially defines a passenger cabin 14 and is supported by wheels 16 configured to engage a road surface 28. In the illustrated example, the vehicle 10 is depicted as a truck; however, this disclosure applies to other vehicle types, such as SUVs or other off-road vehicles. The vehicle 10 is also equipped with a winch 18, which has a winch cable 22 driven by a winch motor 26 to rewind the winch cable 22 and pull the vehicle 10 over obstacles 30 in its path. The operation of the vehicle 10 and the winch 18 is controlled at least partially by a controller 24, which is configured to perform at least a part of a method 100 for operating the winch 18 described below.A vehicle display 36 is located inside the passenger cabin 14 for displaying information to the occupants of the vehicle 10. The electronic control unit 24 is arranged to communicate with the sensor(s) 32 on the vehicle 10 to receive their respective acquired data relating to the vehicle 10's environment. The electronic control unit 24 can alternatively be referred to as a control module, a control unit, a controller, a vehicle 10 controller, a computer, etc. The electronic control unit 24 may include a computer and / or processor and comprise software, hardware, memory, algorithms, connections (such as the sensor(s) 32), etc., for managing and controlling the operation of the vehicle 10. Thus, a method described below and generally illustrated in Fig. 2 may be embodied as a program or algorithm that is partially executable on the electronic control unit 24.It is understood that the electronic control 24 may include a device capable of analyzing data from the sensor(s) 32, comparing data, making the decisions required to control the operation of the vehicle 10, and performing the necessary tasks to control the operation of the vehicle 10. The electronic control 24 can be embodied as one or more digital computers or host machines, each comprising one or more processors, a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), an electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), optical drives, magnetic drives, etc., a high-speed clock, an analog-to-digital (A / D) circuit, a digital-to-analog (D / A) circuit, and an input / output (I / O) circuit, I / O devices and communication interfaces, as well as signal conditioning and buffer electronics. The computer-readable memory can include a non-volatile / tangible medium involved in providing data or computer-readable instructions. Memory can be non-volatile or volatile. Non-volatile media can include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent storage media.Examples of volatile media include dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), which can form main memory. Other examples of storage embodiments include a flexible disk, a hard disk, magnetic tape or other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, a DVD and / or other optical medium, and other possible storage devices, such as flash memory. The electronic control unit 24 includes a tangible, non-volatile memory on which computer-executable instructions, including one or more algorithms, for controlling the operation of the motor vehicle 10 are recorded. Fig. 2 illustrates a flowchart of the method 100 for operating the winch on the vehicle 10. The method 100 is implemented as block 102. At block 102 (“release winch cable”), the winch cable 22 is released or unwound from the winch 18. When the winch cable 22 is released, it can be unwound from the winch 18 and attached to an anchor 20 (Fig. 1) or another vehicle (Figs. 3-4). While the illustrated example in Fig. 1 shows the vehicle 10 winding itself relative to the anchor 20, with the anchor fixed against movement, the vehicle 10 can also be operated as an anchor to pull another vehicle 66 with the winch cable 22 (Figs. 3-4). When the winch cable 22 is at least partially unwound from the winch 18, the method 100 proceeds to block 104. In Block 104 (“Image Acquired”), a sensor 32 on the vehicle 10, such as a forward-facing optical camera, radar, or lidar, is used to acquire at least one image of the winch cable 22 in an unwound position. For example, the at least one image may include a series of images illustrating the operation of the winch 18, from the winch cable 22 initially unwound from the winch 18 to the winch cable 22 being rewound into the winch 18. The sensor 32 is positioned to have a field of view that includes the winch cable 22 at the front of the vehicle 10. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate an exemplary image 60 acquired by the at least one sensor 32. In one example, the at least one image 60 may be displayed on the vehicle display 36 on the vehicle 10. While the winch 18 in the illustrated example from Fig. 1 is shown at the front of the vehicle 10, the winch 18 could be located at other sections of the vehicle 10. For example, the winch 18 could be located at the rear of the vehicle 10, and the sensor 32 could include a reversing camera that has a field of view of the winch 18 located at the rear of the vehicle 10. With the at least one image obtained, method 100 proceeds to block 106. In block 106 (“Tracking Winch Cable”), method 100 tracks the position of the winch cable 22 in the at least one image obtained in block 104. In an example, method 100 uses an object tracking algorithm to identify the position of the winch cable 22 in the at least one image 60. To aid in identifying the winch cable 22 in the at least one image 60, a color of the winch cable 22 can be input into the object tracking algorithm. For example, the winch cable 22 could be a high-contrast color, such as neon green, to improve the object tracking algorithm's ability to identify the winch cable 22 in the at least one image. If the position of the winch cable 22 cannot be determined from at least one image 60 when the winch cable 22 is unwound, this could indicate that the sensor 32 is blocked, for example by mud or tree branches. Method 100 can issue an alarm to check the sensor 32 for obstruction so that the object tracking algorithm can identify the winch cable 22. For example, the alarm can be displayed on the vehicle display 36 on a dashboard in the passenger cabin 14 of vehicle 10. Once the sensor 32 is provided with a clear view of the winch cable 22, the winch cable 22 can be tracked by the object tracking algorithm, such as OpenCV, DeepSORT, or another object tracking algorithm. While at least one image 60 is displayed on the vehicle display 36, the winch cable 22 could also be highlighted, for example by a high-contrast color 61 (shown as a texture in Fig. 3-4) or a bounding frame 63, to help the operator of the vehicle 10 more easily identify the position of the winch cable 22 in the image 60. Following the winch cable 22, the method 100 proceeds to block 108. In block 108 (“Determine cable retreat zone”), procedure 100 determines a cable retreat zone relative to the winch cable 22. The cable retreat zone defines an area, such as a region in three-dimensional (3D) space, surrounding the winch cable 22, which should remain free of certain types of objects during the operation of the winch 18. For example, an operator of vehicle 10 or another person around vehicle 10 may unwind the winch cable 22 from the winch 18 during operation. In this situation, while the winch cable 22 is not under load or being rewound by the winch motor 26, the person can directly engage the winch cable 22 to assist in guiding it. However, when the winch cable 22 is under tension, such as when the winch motor 26 is rewinding it, procedure 100 defines a cable retraction zone that should be clear of objects of a certain type, such as pedestrians, while the winch cable 22 is under load or being rewound. Furthermore, the method 100 can distinguish between the time at which the winch cable 22 is rewound and the time at which the vehicle 10 is energized by monitoring the current supplied to the winch motor 26. For example, the method 100 can determine that an object of a certain type should not be within the cable retraction zone if a current level sent to the winch motor 26 exceeds a predetermined threshold current level. In one example, the predetermined threshold current level corresponds to a level greater than the current required simply to rewind the winch cable 22 within the winch 18. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate two exemplary cable pull-back zones for Figure 60. As shown in Figure 3, a first triangle 62 extends from the front of vehicle 10 to a winch mounting point 67 on another vehicle 66. Likewise, a second triangle 64 extends from the winch mounting point 67 to the front of vehicle 10. In this example, a cable pull-back zone 68A can include the position of the first and second triangles 62 and 64, or the position of the intersection of the first and second triangles 62 and 64.Although Figure 60 is a two-dimensional image and the first and second triangles 62 and 64 are illustrated as two-dimensional objects in Figure 60, the first and second triangles 62 and 64 represent a conical shape in a three-dimensional space extending along a central longitudinal axis that coincides with the winch cable 22 for the purpose of identifying an object within the cable retraction zones 68A, 68B. Fig. 4 illustrates another exemplary cable retraction zone 68B for Figure 60. In the illustrated example of Fig. 4, a triangle 72 extends from the front of the vehicle 10 to a point that extends at least twice around a segment of the winch cable 22 and follows a trajectory of the winch cable 22. Similar to Fig. 3 above, the triangle 72 illustrates a cable retraction zone 68B. Due to the two-dimensional limitations of Figure 60, the triangle 72 is further shown in two dimensions. However, for the purpose of identifying an object within the cable retraction zone 68B, the triangle represents a conical shape in three-dimensional space extending along a central longitudinal axis that coincides with the winch cable 22. In yet another example, triangle 72 could extend to a point at infinity, such that the opposite sides of triangle 72 are essentially parallel and form a cylinder in a three-dimensional space around the winch cable 22. With the determined cable retraction zone, procedure 100 proceeds to block 110. In block 110 (“Identify object(s)”), method 100 uses the object recognition algorithm to identify other objects in image 60, which was captured by sensor 32 next to winch cable 22. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the object recognition algorithm can, for example, identify another vehicle 66 or a pedestrian 92 in image 60. With the identification of the objects in image 60, method 100 proceeds to block 112. At Block 112 (“Determine Alarm”), Procedure 100 determines whether an alarm should be issued regarding the operation of winch 18. Procedure 100 determines whether the alarm should be issued based on the type of object and its position relative to cable retreat zones 68A and 68B. For example, if the detected object is a pedestrian and at least part of the pedestrian was within cable retreat zones 68A and 68B, Procedure 100 might determine that an alarm should be issued. When procedure 100 determines that the alarm should be issued, procedure 100 can generate the alarm in several different ways. In one example, the alarm could involve instructing vehicle 10 to activate a horn (audible indicator) or external flashing lights (visual indicator) to notify pedestrian 92 of their position relative to cable retraction zones 68A, 68B. In another example, procedure 100 could disable winch motor 26 by cutting off power to winch motor 26 or by unwinding winch cable 22 to release the tension in winch cable 22. In yet another example, procedure 100 could provide a message on vehicle display 36 indicating that a pedestrian is in cable retraction zones 68A, 68B.Furthermore, procedure 100 can highlight the pedestrian 92 or other objects in image 60 with bounding box and display the highlighted version of image 60 on the vehicle display 36. Accordingly, procedure 100 can return to block 110 to continue monitoring objects relative to the cable retraction zone.

Claims

Method (100) for operating a vehicle (10) with a winch (18), the method comprising: using (104) at least one sensor (32) on the vehicle (10) to obtain at least one image (60) of a winch cable (22) as the winch cable (22) is unwound from the winch (18); tracking (106) a position of the winch cable (22) within the at least one image (60); determining (108) a cable retraction zone (68A, 68B) for the winch cable (22) as the winch cable (22) is rewound with a winch motor (26); identifying (110) at least one object (66, 92) relative to the cable retraction zone (68A, 68B) within the at least one image (60); and Determining (112) an alarm based on a type and position of the at least one object (66, 92) relative to the cable retraction zone (68A, 68B) when the winch cable (22) is rewound;wherein the alarm is issued when the position of the at least one object (66, 92) is within the cable withdrawal zone (68A, 68B) and the type of the at least one object (66, 92) includes a pedestrian (92); and wherein the alarm includes instructing the vehicle (10) to activate a horn or external flashing lights to notify the pedestrian (92) of his position in relation to the cable withdrawal zone (68A, 68B). Method (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one sensor (32) comprises an optical sensor. Method (100) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the cable retraction zone (68A, 68B) defines a three-dimensional space surrounding the winch cable (22). Method (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one image (60) from the sensor (32) is displayed on a vehicle display (36) and a position of the cable retraction zone (68A, 68B) is highlighted in the at least one image (60). Method (100) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the alarm comprises deactivating the winch motor (26) to stop the winding of the winch cable (22). Method (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the alarm comprises highlighting the at least one object (66, 92) within the cable retraction zone (68A, 68B) on a vehicle display (36). Method (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the alarm comprises an acoustic indicator or a visual indicator. Method (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the alarm comprises displaying a message on a vehicle display (36). Method (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the winch cable (22) is rewound when a current applied to the winch motor (26) exceeds a predetermined threshold current.

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