Vehicle with offset exteroceptive sensor

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle for transporting goods and / or people on a right-hand-drive or left-hand-drive traffic lane, comprising, for a given exteroceptive sensor model, a single sensor of this model positioned on a front portion of the vehicle in order to obtain information on the environment in which the vehicle is located, referred to as single front sensor. For right-hand drive and left-hand drive, the single front sensor is offset to the left and to the right, respectively, of a median sagittal plane separating a left-hand portion from a right-hand portion of the vehicle.

Description

[0001] VEHICLE WITH REMOTE EXTEROCEPTIVE SENSOR

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The field of invention is robotics, and more specifically autonomous vehicles and driving aids.

[0004] PRIOR ART

[0005] In the field of autonomous vehicles and driving aids, two types of sensors are traditionally used, namely exteroceptive sensors, on the one hand, which focus on observing their environment (laser remote sensing sensors known as LiDAR, cameras, radars, satellite positioning sensors) and proprioceptive sensors, on the other hand, which focus on the internal state.

[0006] When the choice is made for a given model of exteroceptive sensors, such as LiDARS, to install two on a vehicle, these are either mounted near the front left and front right corners of the vehicle for the purpose of detecting obstacles and other road users, or placed on the roof at the front and rear on the median sagittal plane of the vehicle, i.e. in the middle of its width, for localization purposes by SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) for example.

[0007] In the first case, this choice is dictated by the desire to have a redundant solution where the most critical field of view (FOV) remains covered by the other sensor when one of them is lost. This placement at each front corner, or nearby, is particularly true for scan-LiDARs, rotating LiDARs scanning a horizontal angle of up to 360°. When their FOV and orientation allow them to observe each other, provided that they are not single-sheet LiDARs and therefore with a non-point vertical FOV (or VFOV, as opposed to Horizontal FOV, or HFOV), this configuration also has the advantage of allowing detection, by the observing sensor, over a certain height range at the level of the observed sensor.When these sensors are placed in a low position, this mutual observation pales in comparison to the fact that at the origin of the FOV of the observed sensor, the latter suffers from not being able to perceive the size of a very close obstacle, and therefore potentially being sensitive to dust and rain, the mutual observation then making it possible to evaluate the thickness of the detected obstacle in order to filter out false positives.

[0008] When these sensors are located at a height close to the roof, this generally indicates that they are also used for localization. However, due to the greater proximity between these two sensors than in the second option, which generally sees them placed at the front and rear, the heading measurement is less accurate and the risk of the FOVs of both sensors being simultaneously limited by an obstacle is greater than if they are further apart.

[0009] The second case of the two sensors placed on the roof in the median sagittal plane of the vehicle indicates that it is the need for localization that is addressed first, even if they can also be used for obstacle detection beyond the first few meters. This solution, which was favored for symmetrical vehicles that do not distinguish between front and rear, has, however, as bidirectionality is gradually abandoned, tended to disappear in favor of a simple central sensor or the two-sensor solution, generally LiDARs, mentioned above.

[0010] Note that some vehicles choose to have four LiDAR scans placed at the four corners of the vehicle, meaning that when a LiDAR is lost, the entire horizontal field it covered remains covered by the LiDARs at the two adjacent corners.

[0011] It should also be noted that when, to limit costs, the exteroceptive sensor is installed alone for localization purposes and / or for the purpose of detecting obstacles and other road users, it is systematically placed in the median sagittal plane of the vehicle. This position makes the perception obtained for the left and right of the vehicle symmetrical. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The invention aims to improve the perception of the environment of a vehicle traveling on a traffic lane when a single sensor of a given exteroceptive sensor model is installed on a front part of the vehicle.

[0013] For this purpose, the invention relates to a vehicle for transporting goods and / or people on a right-hand drive or left-hand drive traffic lane, comprising, for a given first exteroceptive sensor model, a single sensor of this first model positioned on a front part of the vehicle to obtain information on the environment in which the vehicle is located, called the single front sensor. In the case of right-hand drive, respectively left-hand drive, the single front sensor is offset to the left, respectively to the right, of a median sagittal plane separating a left part from a right part of the vehicle.

[0014] Some preferred but not limited to aspects of this vehicle include:

[0015] - it includes a left flank, a right flank, a front flank which connects the left flank and the right flank, the single front sensor is positioned on the front part of the vehicle at the level of the connection of the left flank and the front flank in the case of right-hand drive or at the level of the connection of the right flank and the front flank in the case of left-hand drive;

[0016] - the single front sensor is positioned in an upper portion of the front part of the vehicle;

[0017] - it comprises a roof which has a left front portion at the level of the connection of the left side and the front side and a right front portion at the level of the connection of the right side and the front side and the single front sensor is positioned near the left front portion in the case of right-hand drive or near the right front portion in the case of left-hand drive;

[0018] - the single front sensor is positioned on the roof;

[0019] - an unobscured horizontal field of vision of the single front sensor covers an angle greater than or equal to 180°, preferably an angle of at least 270° 0 ;

[0020] - it further comprises, for a second given exteroceptive sensor model, identical to or different from the first sensor model, a single sensor of this second model positioned on a rear part of the vehicle to obtain information on the environment in which the vehicle is located, called a single rear sensor, said single rear sensor being offset from the median sagittal plane separating the left part from the right part of the vehicle;

[0021] - in the case of right-hand drive, respectively left-hand drive, the single rear sensor is offset to the right, respectively left, of the median sagittal plane separating the left part from the right part of the vehicle;

[0022] - the single front sensor is positioned on the front part of the vehicle at a first height, the single rear sensor is positioned on the rear part of the vehicle at a second height, the first height and the second height differing from each other by at most 20% of the height of the vehicle;

[0023] - the single rear sensor is positioned on the roof;

[0024] - the only front sensor is a LiDAR sensor, a camera or a radar.

[0025] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Other aspects, aims, advantages and characteristics of the invention will appear better on reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting example, and made with reference to the appended drawings considering for the example a right-hand drive and in which:

[0027] - Figures 1A and 1B illustrate, for a single front exteroceptive sensor positioned on a vehicle according to the invention, the gain in unobscured surface area of ​​the field of view when said vehicle is behind another vehicle partially obscuring its field of view, compared to the same exteroceptive sensor positioned in the median sagittal plane of the vehicle;

[0028] - Figures 2A and 2B illustrate the gain in detection distance when the single front exteroceptive sensor is laterally offset from the median sagittal plane in accordance with the invention compared to the case where the single front exteroceptive sensor is positioned at the level of this median sagittal plane of the vehicle;

[0029] - Figures 3A and 3B respectively represent a side view and a top view in section at a height of 1 m20 of the field of view of the single front exteroceptive sensor when it is positioned in the center of the front face of the vehicle; Figures 3A and 3B represent how the field of view of the single front exteroceptive sensor positioned in the median sagittal plane does not allow detection of a child close to the vehicle where the risk is highest, this through respectively a side view and a top view in section at a height of 1 m20.

[0030] - Figure 3C represents, through a top view in section at 1 m20 in height, how the child is this time in the field of view of the single front exteroceptive sensor when said sensor is offset laterally according to the invention;

[0031] - Figure 4A represents, on an intersection at an acute angle, the fields of view of the single front exteroceptive sensor depending on whether said sensor is positioned at the front in the median sagittal plane of the vehicle, whether it is positioned on the vehicle according to the invention, or whether it is positioned on the lateral face of the vehicle;

[0032] - Figure 4B represents the limits of perception of a single front exteroceptive sensor depending on whether said sensor is positioned on the median sagittal plane of the front face of the vehicle or positioned on the vehicle according to the invention;

[0033] - Figure 5A represents an embodiment of the invention according to which the single front exteroceptive sensor positioned according to the invention is placed in the high position of the vehicle and can therefore observe beyond a road user placed right next to said vehicle;

[0034] - Figures 5B and 5C present, as an example where the positioning of the sensor of Figure 5A will be illustrated, situations of positioning of a vehicle on the road relative to other road users, respectively upon arrival at an intersection between streets with 1x 2 lanes or upon arrival at a roundabout;

[0035] - Figure 6 represents an embodiment of the invention according to which the fields of vision of the single front exteroceptive sensor and of a single rear exteroceptive sensor each cover an angle of 270 0 and the union of the two fields of vision allows the perimeter of the vehicle to be observed at 360° of horizontal field of view, with redundancy at the level of the front right part and the rear left part;

[0036] - figure 7 represents, through a vertical sectional view along the right side of the vehicle, how a single right rear exteroceptive sensor makes it possible to observe the side access or loading doors located on the sidewalk side, in an embodiment where the two sensors are for example scan-LiDAR;

[0037] - Figure 8 shows the lateral distance travelled by the centre of the front axle of a two-wheel steer vehicle in a bend compared to that travelled by the centre of the rear axle, in order to illustrate how the lateral face of a two-wheel steer vehicle can, just like the front face, also strike a pedestrian;

[0038] - Figures 9A and 9B compare the field of view of the single right rear exteroceptive sensor with the field of view it would have if it were placed near the right front edge, so as to visualize the blind spot associated with each of said positions. Figure 9A is a vertical section, and Figure 9B a section in the horizontal plane.

[0039] In all these figures, right-hand drive is considered. The placement of the single front sensor of a given model, and where applicable that of the single rear sensor of a given model, identical or different from that of the single front sensor, are laterally reversed for left-hand drive.

[0040] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

[0041] The invention relates to a vehicle for transporting goods and / or people. The vehicle typically comprises a left side, a right side, a front side which connects the left side and the right side and a rear side which connects the left side and the right side. A median sagittal plane of the vehicle (vertical plane extending from the rear to the front of the vehicle in its middle) separates a left part from a right part of the vehicle.

[0042] One and / or the other of these sides can be profiled, the invention being in no way limited to a brick-shaped vehicle but on the contrary extending to any type of shape, including with protrusions capable of carrying sensors. The edges or connections connecting the sides can be more or less marked, taking the form of broken or continuous lines.

[0043] The vehicle may further comprise a roof which has a left front portion at the junction of the left sidewall and the front sidewall and a right front portion at the junction of the right sidewall and the front sidewall, a left rear portion at the junction of the left sidewall and the rear sidewall and a right rear portion at the junction of the right sidewall and the rear sidewall.

[0044] The vehicle can be a vehicle with driver assistance or an autonomous vehicle. For example, it is an electric vehicle.

[0045] According to a first embodiment, the vehicle according to the invention comprises, for a given exteroceptive sensor model, a single instance of this sensor on a front part of the vehicle to obtain information on the environment in which the vehicle is located. For the sake of readability, we will hereinafter understand by "single front sensor" a single instance of a given model positioned on the front part of the vehicle, knowing that other sensor models, including exteroceptive ones, can coexist on this front part. If, according to the regulations in force, the vehicle is traveling on a right-hand drive lane, the single front exteroceptive sensor is positioned on the front part of the vehicle, being offset to the left of the median sagittal plane.On the contrary, if according to the regulations in force, the vehicle is traveling on a left-hand drive lane, the single front exteroceptive sensor is positioned on the front part of the vehicle, being offset to the right of the median sagittal plane. Thus, whatever the direction of traffic in force in the environment of the vehicle, the single front sensor is located on the side opposite to the direction of traffic.

[0046] The single front sensor can be positioned on the front of the vehicle anywhere from the grille to the roof, along the side of the hood and the windshield. In one embodiment, the single front sensor is carried by an arm integral with the vehicle.

[0047] The single front exteroceptive sensor is for example, and not limited to, a LiDAR, a scan-LiDAR, a camera, a hypergon camera, a catadioptric camera, a radar, a box which includes several LiDARs, cameras or radars.

[0048] The information about the environment in which the vehicle is located provided by the single front sensor can be used, for example, for obstacle detection, localization (relative and / or absolute) and / or mapping.

[0049] The invention does not exclude the presence on the front part of the vehicle of other sensors not constituting instances of said exteroceptive sensor model. For example, in addition to said single front sensor, there may be a LiDAR at the bottom center of the front face and two different LiDARs occupying the two front corners, all for obstacle detection but with differences in their detection capabilities.

[0050] Figures 1A and 1B depict a typical situation of a vehicle 200 on the road, in an urban environment or some other type of environment, in which a second vehicle 210 of similar or even larger size is temporarily in front of said vehicle. The vehicle 200 has a single instance in front of a given exteroceptive sensor model, offset to the left of the midsagittal plane. The vehicle 200 is driving on the right.

[0051] In particular, Figure 1A illustrates by vertical stripes 101 the part of the field of view of the sensor 100 of the vehicle 200 which is not occluded by the vehicle 210 in the case where the single front exteroceptive sensor is a sensor with a field of less than 180° shifted significantly to the left, the gain being proportional to the shift. For comparison, the horizontal stripes 051 show the part of the field of view not occluded when a sensor 050 of the same model is placed at the front of the vehicle 200 in the median sagittal plane. Similarly, Figure 1B illustrates this for a sensor model covering a field of view greater than 180°, here at least 270°. The part of the field of view 051 not occluded by the sensor in the central position of the front face of the vehicle 200 is hatched horizontally, while that of the sensor in the lateral position is hatched vertically.

[0052] According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the total horizontal field of vision of the single front sensor covers an angle greater than or equal to 180°, preferably an angle of 270°. The single front sensor is for example a LiDAR scanner.

[0053] Regardless of the sensor used with a sufficient field of vision, the shifting of the front exteroceptive sensor to the left side for vehicle 200 allows, with a slight loss on the front right, a gain in unobscured field of view towards the front on the left at an angle delimited by lines 054 and 104, as well as a gain in unobscured field of view on the other traffic lane (zone 101). Indeed, fewer rays are blocked when the sensor is shifted laterally. Thus, when the sensor is used for localization, shifting the sensor laterally will advantageously allow more rays not to be blocked by the vehicle in front. In addition, shifting it to the left in the case of right-hand driving will advantageously allow it to better see what is beyond the vehicle in front and in the left lane.

[0054] As illustrated in Figure 1B, the positioning of the single front exteroceptive sensor near the edge between the front face and the left side of the vehicle 200 is particularly advantageous in the case of a sensor with a large horizontal field of view, for example a sensor whose field of view is greater than 180° such as a LiDAR scan. Such positioning of the sensor in fact makes it possible to make a portion of the FOV of said sensor oriented towards the rear usable. When such a sensor is not placed near the edge between the front face and the left side, the rays of the FOV oriented towards the rear remain unusable, partially if the sensor is placed at roof level, entirely otherwise, and this due to the impact of these rays with the bodywork. By advantageously placing this sensor in the corner, the rays oriented towards the rear are no longer blocked.This is also valid for sensors with a horizontal field of view less than 180° but oriented at a non-zero angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle in such a way that part of their FOV can look towards the rear.

[0055] This makes it possible to increase the quantity of relevant information within the framework of use for localization by increasing its coverage in space.

[0056] This also addresses the need to minimize the risk that too large a portion of the sensor's field of view is occupied by a moving or temporarily static obstacle, which could then be unfairly considered by the algorithms as part of the static reference environment. This is why, for example, ultra-wide-angle cameras are generally favored in visual SLAM localization applications.

[0057] Another possibility to avoid blocking part of the rays would have been to raise the sensor well above the roof. However, choosing such an alternative has the effect of increasing the overall height of the vehicle, which is not desirable for reasons of height limit (height limiters in parking lots, limit for container transport), loss of aerodynamics, etc.

[0058] Figures 2A and 2B represent another common situation in urban and suburban driving cases, in which a pedestrian 220 emerges from behind a vehicle parked on the side, the field of view of the sensor being limited along line 054 by the parked vehicle. It appears from Figures 2A and 2B that the vehicle according to the invention is able to detect the pedestrian 220 when he crosses line 105. For comparison, a vehicle whose sensor would be at the level of the median sagittal axis would only detect the pedestrian from line 055. The detection distance is therefore increased. Gaining a few precious hundred milliseconds by anticipating his detection by a few meters makes it possible to reduce the number of accidents and to limit their severity. This is what is advantageously offered by the shift to the left of the single front exteroceptive sensor of the vehicle 200.

[0059] Figures 4A and 4B illustrate yet another situation in which the vehicle according to the invention finds a particular advantage. This concerns the monitoring of intersections. It is not uncommon for the layout of built-up areas not to follow a checkerboard structure. Thus, not all intersections are at right angles, forcing the driver to look over his left shoulder to see what is happening on that side beyond 90° or to use his rearview mirror. This is also the case for acceleration / merge lanes.

[0060] This type of acute angle intersection is much rarer on the right side. Indeed, since the presence of a passenger on the right, or even the vehicle's roll bars, obscures the view of the intersection, the infrastructure generally allows the vehicle to be oriented over the last few meters in such a way as to return to the case of a right-angle intersection.

[0061] Figure 4A therefore presents an acute angle intersection scenario for which it is obvious that the horizontally striped field of view 050 of the sensor placed at the median sagittal plane of the front of the vehicle cannot observe vehicles arriving from the left. When the sensor is placed near the left front edge, it can then observe horizontally at 270° as illustrated by the field of view 101 whose vertical stripes illustrate the part of the field observing said intersection. In the event of partial occultation of the intersection due to the presence of an obstacle 240, this placement makes it possible to maintain a much better observation of the intersection, limited above the dotted line 104, than a sensor set back on the left flank whose portion of the field of view 150 observing the intersection is then limited above the dashed line 154.

[0062] Similarly, Figure 4B indicates the limits of perception in dotted lines 104 and dashed lines 054 when the sensor is respectively placed in the center and offset significantly to the left of the vehicle while a vehicle 250 or any other element degrades visibility in the intersection.

[0063] To best observe the type of intersections illustrated in Figures 4A and 4B, it is also particularly advantageous to place the sensor near the front left edge of the vehicle to allow it to observe backwards if its FOV allows it. This eliminates the need to add an additional sensor to observe this side. Finally, this also allows intersections to be observed better than a sensor placed further back on the left side, because visibility is then improved in conditions where buildings, vegetation, or even a poorly parked vehicle at the intersection partially obscure the view.

[0064] Another element to consider is that in an urban environment it is important to properly cover the front right of the vehicle in terms of perception because this part of the vehicles is the first involved in accidents with vulnerable road users due to the presence of cycle lanes and sidewalks on the right. Furthermore, it is the turns on the right which are mostly the tightest, those on the left being wider as soon as it comes to turning at an intersection with a two-way road in 2x 1 lane. However, considering on the one hand a young child for its small size, and on the other hand a scan-LiDAR type sensor placed relatively high, given the cone-shaped field of vision, proceeding with the shift of the sensor one meter to the left from the center advantageously allows to cover an area one meter closer to the vehicle, thus ensuring to detect the child as illustrated in figure 3.

[0065] Figures 3A, 3B and 3C thus illustrate the advantage of shifting a sensor such as a LiDAR to the front left corner in order to better cover the area close to the vehicle. More specifically, Figure 3A shows a side view with the sensor 050 centered laterally and where the lowest LiDAR beams 052 of the field of view 051 pass above the head of the child 221; Figure 3B presents a top view according to a horizontal section displaying only the elements below 1.20m in height, including the section of the field of view 051, and Figure 3C presents this same view but for the same LiDAR 100 shifted towards the front left corner where it can be observed that the child 221 is now in the field of view 101 of the sensor.

[0066] According to a particular embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention, the sensor is positioned on the front part of the vehicle at the connection of the left sidewall and the front sidewall in the case of right-hand drive or at the connection of the right sidewall and the front sidewall in the case of left-hand drive. Without this being limiting, the single front sensor is for example positioned in an upper portion of the front part of the vehicle. It can in particular be positioned near the front left portion of the roof in the case of right-hand drive or near the front right portion of the roof in the case of left-hand drive. It can be positioned on the roof or on an upper portion of the front sidewall.

[0067] Positioning the sensor high up, or even on the roof, is a particularly advantageous embodiment for perceiving beyond a road user who might cover a large part of the field of view of a lower-positioned sensor due to its close proximity to the vehicle. In addition, thanks to its high position at the front left portion of the roof, the sensor has a better chance of being able to observe the scene over 270°.

[0068] Figures 5A, 5B and 5C illustrate situations in which positioning the sensor at a height can be particularly advantageous, such as stops at the lights of 2x2 lane streets (not shown here) or when arriving at a roundabout. In Figures 5A, 5B and 5C, the single front sensor 100 is positioned at the top of the vehicle 200 so that it experiences less partial occlusion of its field of view 101 from other road users (such as cars 250 and motorcycles 251) than a sensor 110 which would be located at the bottom. Furthermore, placed at the level of the front left portion, the single front sensor 100 can thus more easily observe the scene at 270°, allowing it to better negotiate the intersection of Figure 5B or the roundabout intersection of Figure 5C thanks to the perception of the vehicles 252 arriving from its left.

[0069] According to another embodiment, the vehicle according to the invention comprises, in addition to the single sensor for a first given model at the front, a single rear exteroceptive sensor for obtaining information on the environment in which the vehicle is located. For the sake of readability, we here understand by "single rear sensor" a single instance of a second given model of exteroceptive sensor for the rear part of the vehicle, this second given model being able to be identical or different from that of the single front sensor, several sensor models being able to coexist on the same part of the vehicle. For example, the single front sensor is an instance of a first LiDAR model and the single rear sensor is an instance of a second LiDAR model different from the first model.In another example, the single front sensor is an instance of a LiDAR scan model and the single rear sensor is an instance of a horizontal FOV 360° camera model.

[0070] In the case where the vehicle is driving on the right, the single rear sensor is offset from the midsagittal plane to the right. In the case where the vehicle is driving on the left, the single rear exteroceptive sensor is positioned offset from the midsagittal plane to the left. Similar arrangements to those described above for the single front sensor (e.g. overhead or not, roof mounted or not) can be used for the single rear sensor.

[0071] So, the single rear sensor and the single front sensor are not located on the same side: if the single front sensor is offset to the left, the single rear sensor is offset to the right, respectively, if the single front sensor is offset to the right, the single rear sensor is offset to the left.

[0072] As explained above in the state of the art, when it comes to performing localization, the choice is generally made to place two sensors in the median sagittal plane at the front and rear of the vehicle to thus increase the accuracy of the vehicle heading assessment. Just as was explained previously in the case of a single sensor, it is also not optimal to leave the rear sensor in the center.

[0073] Shifting it to the left relative to the vehicle's steering axis, i.e. to the same side as the front sensor, may be recommended if you want to observe vehicles that may be overtaking you. But there are several other reasons why you should shift it to the right instead.

[0074] Thus, a shift to the right will further increase the distance between the sensors in order to further increase heading precision.

[0075] Having the rear sensor diametrically opposite the front one is also a sought-after aspect so as not to have both sensors, if they are used first for location purposes, disturbed simultaneously by the arrival of a vehicle on the left side of ours, especially if this other vehicle is large.

[0076] On the other hand, Figure 6 shows how the positioning of the single rear sensor 300 allows, in addition to the positioning of the single front sensor 100, to observe the perimeter of the vehicle at 360° horizontal field of view, with redundancy at the level of the right front part 302, the most sensitive with regard to vulnerable users of urban space. And we will also have redundancy at the level of the left rear area where the vehicles preparing to overtake us are located.

[0077] Thus, in the case where the two sensors are each capable of covering a horizontal field close to 270° for example, placing the second sensor at the level of the rear right edge advantageously allows them to cover the 360° around the vehicle, the second being responsible for the rear and right sides of the vehicle.

[0078] Furthermore, in the case of public transport and goods transport vehicles, the opening is on the right, on the sidewalk side (in the absence of rear loading for the latter). This second sensor is therefore advantageously placed in a right corner of the vehicle in order to monitor lateral access.

[0079] Thus, Figure 7 shows for one embodiment a vertical sectional view, along the right side of the vehicle, of the vertically striped field of view 101 of a left front LiDAR scan and the horizontally striped field of view 301 of a right rear LiDAR scan 300, with in particular the lower edge of this field in light line 302 thus illustrating to what extent the field of view of this sensor covers the side access door 500 of the vehicle.

[0080] Finally, it remains important to monitor the front of the right side of the vehicle because firstly, it is on this side that vulnerable road users are located in the majority of cases, and secondly, with two-wheel steered vehicles, the rear axle does not exactly follow the trajectory of the front axle when cornering but intersects this trajectory. In doing so, when cornering, the lateral faces of the vehicle are animated by a component of movement normal in the plane horizontal to the axis of the vehicle, a component that is all the more significant when observed towards the front of the vehicle and the tighter the corner. Figure 8 illustrates this with, when cornering, the lateral distance 602 traveled by the center of the front axle 601 of a two-wheel steered vehicle 600 in comparison with the lateral distance 604 traveled by the center of the rear axle 603.In other words, the side face of the vehicle may hit a pedestrian, a cyclist, or any other road user, with an impact that is all the greater the closer the latter is to the front end of the vehicle. However, if the second sensor is installed high up for a primary location need, with a majority of sensors with a limited vertical FOV, the most dangerous lateral zone cannot be in its FOV if the sensor is located above this front zone. Figure 9 illustrates the blind spot on the dangerous zone for pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users, below the diagonally striped field of view 401 of a sensor placed at the front right 400 in comparison with that of a sensor 300 placed at the rear right. This illustration is made in Figure 9A according to a vertical section, and according to a section in the horizontal plane in Figure 9B.It should be noted that, for display reasons, the length associated with the fields of view stops at the first ray coming into contact with the ground. In practice, rays not encountering obstacles naturally extend beyond this distance. The sensor is therefore also advantageously placed near the right rear edge in order to be able to monitor this area.

[0081] This leaves the comparison with the option commonly observed on non-bidirectional vehicles, namely two sensors placed on either side of the front of the vehicle. This positioning first of all makes it possible to ensure perception redundancy on the front of the vehicle in the event that one of the sensors fails, whether mechanically, electrically, electronically, at the level of its data analysis software to extract high-level information, or due to environmental conditions leading to artifacts in perception. However, just as what happened in aeronautics with engines, sensors as a system become more reliable, both with regard to hardware problems and the intelligence of the algorithms exploiting their data. In doing so, a large part of the need for redundancy disappears.

[0082] And with increasingly large usable vertical fields of view, it then becomes technically possible to lower the minimum distance allowing observation of the vertical dimension of the apparent obstacle, and thus improve the recognition of a drop of water from a real obstacle. The contribution of sensors positioned to observe each other will therefore decrease.

[0083] Thus, in the long term, the main advantages justifying that when the choice is made to use two sensors, these are placed at the front left and right corners will disappear. And the comparative analysis of the contributions of each of the configurations will lead to the conclusion that the placement of this second sensor at the level of the right rear edge makes it possible to meet the greatest number of needs.

Claims

DEMANDS 1. Vehicle for the transport of goods and / or persons on a right-hand or left-hand drive road, comprising, for a first model of exteroceptive sensor given, a single sensor of this first model positioned on a front part of the vehicle to obtain information on the environment in which the vehicle is located, called single front sensor, characterized in that in the case of right-hand drive, respectively left-hand drive, the single front sensor is offset to the left, respectively to the right, by a median sagittal plane separating a left part from a right part of the vehicle.

2. Vehicle according to claim 1, comprising a left side, a right side, a front side which connects the left side and the right side, and in which the single front sensor is positioned on the front part of the vehicle at the connection of the left side and the front side in the case of right-hand drive or at the connection of the right side and the front side in the case of left-hand drive.

3. Vehicle according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the single front sensor is positioned in an upper portion of the front part of the vehicle.

4. Vehicle according to claim 3, comprising a roof which has a front left portion at the junction of the left side and the front side and a front right portion at the junction of the right side and the front side and in which the single front sensor is positioned near the front left portion in the case of right-hand drive or near the front right portion in the case of left-hand drive.

5. Vehicle according to claim 4, in which the single front sensor is positioned on the roof.

6. Vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an unobstructed horizontal field of vision of the single front sensor covers an angle greater than or equal to 180°, preferably an angle of at least 270°.

7. Vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising for a second model of exteroceptive sensor given, identical or different from the first model of sensor, a single sensor of this second model positioned on a rear part of the vehicle to obtain information on the environment in which the vehicle is located, said single rear sensor, said single rear sensor being offset from the median sagittal plane separating the left part from the right part of the vehicle.

8. Vehicle according to claim 7, wherein in the case of right-hand drive, respectively left-hand drive, the single rear sensor is offset to the right, respectively to the left, from the median sagittal plane separating the left part from the right part of the vehicle.

9. Vehicle according to any one of claims 7 and 8, wherein the single front sensor is positioned on the front part of the vehicle at a first height, the single rear sensor is positioned on the rear part of the vehicle at a second height, the first height and the second height differing from each other by at most 20% of the height of the vehicle.

10. Vehicle according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the single rear sensor is positioned on the roof.

11. Vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the sole front sensor is a LiDAR sensor, a camera or a radar.

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