Obstacle detection method, control method, apparatus, and vehicle

Abstract

An obstacle detection method, a control method, an apparatus, and a vehicle. The obstacle detection method comprises: acquiring first information and second information, the first information indicating a sensing result of a first millimeter-wave radar component of a vehicle for a first region, and the second information indicating a sensing result of a second millimeter-wave radar component of the vehicle for a second region, wherein the first region comprises a passage region of the vehicle and part or all of the second region, the second region is a region above a first plane, the first plane is located above the passage region, and the distance between the first plane and a plane where the vehicle is located is greater than the height of a vehicle body of the vehicle; and determining, on the basis of the first information and the second information, whether there is an obstacle in the passage region. The technical solution of the present application can be applied to the field of intelligent driving of intelligent vehicles such as electric vehicles and new energy vehicles. In scenarios where distance sensing of lidars and camera devices are limited by thick smoke and thick fog, the positions of obstacles can be accurately detected, thereby improving the driving safety of vehicles.

Description

Obstacle detection methods, control methods, devices and vehicles Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of intelligent driving, and more specifically, to an obstacle detection method, control method, device, and vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] As vehicles become increasingly intelligent and automated, more and more vehicles are equipped with intelligent driving systems to reduce driving stress and improve safety. The safe and stable operation of intelligent driving systems depends on the reliability of the results sensed by onboard sensors.

[0003] Currently, commonly used onboard sensors in intelligent vehicles include cameras, lidar, and millimeter-wave radar. Compared to cameras and lidar, millimeter-wave radar has a much longer detection range. Specifically, in dense fog, the detection range of cameras and lidar is only about 20 meters, while millimeter-wave radar can reach up to 100 meters. However, with current technology, as the distance between obstacles and the vehicle increases, the resolution of onboard millimeter-wave radar in the direction perpendicular to the ground gradually deteriorates. When there are tall obstacles such as overpasses in front of the vehicle, millimeter-wave radar may misidentify the overpass as an obstacle affecting the vehicle's movement, thus affecting the reliability of the control signals generated by the vehicle's control system.

[0004] Therefore, a low-cost, highly reliable obstacle detection and control scheme is urgently needed.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides an obstacle detection method, control method, device, and vehicle that uses millimeter-wave radar for obstacle detection, which helps to improve the reliability of obstacle detection results at a lower cost, thereby improving the reliability of the vehicle's intelligent driving functions and systems, as well as the vehicle's driving safety.

[0007] In one aspect, an obstacle detection method is provided, which can be performed by a vehicle, for example, by the vehicle's computing platform, or by a chip or circuitry for the vehicle.

[0008] The method includes: acquiring first information and second information, wherein the first information indicates the perception result of a first millimeter-wave radar component of the vehicle on a first region, and the second information indicates the perception result of a second millimeter-wave radar component of the vehicle on a second region; wherein the first region includes the vehicle's passage area and part or all of the second region, the second region is the region above a first plane, the first plane is located above the passage area, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than the vehicle's body height; and determining whether there are obstacles in the passage area based on the first information and the second information.

[0009] In the aforementioned technical solution, millimeter-wave radar can determine whether there are obstacles obstructing the vehicle's movement. In scenarios where the sensing range of lidar and camera devices is limited, such as in dense smoke or fog, it can accurately detect the position of obstacles 100 meters or more away from the millimeter-wave radar in a direction perpendicular to the road surface. For example, it can determine whether the obstacle is located in the vehicle's passage area or above the vehicle's passage area. Furthermore, when the aforementioned solution is applied to the vehicle field, it can improve the vehicle's perception capabilities in scenarios such as dense smoke and fog at a relatively low cost (due to the reliance on millimeter-wave radar).

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, determining whether there is an obstacle in the passage area based on the first information and the second information includes: determining that there is an obstacle in the passage area when the first information indicates that there is an object in the first area and the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area; or, determining that there is no obstacle in the passage area when the first information indicates that there is no object in the first area and the second information indicates that there is an object in the second area; or, determining that there is no obstacle in the passage area when the first information indicates that there is no object in the first area and the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area.

[0011] In the above technical solution, the presence of obstacles in the passage area is determined based on the detection results of the corresponding areas from the two millimeter-wave radar components, which helps to improve the confidence and reliability of the obstacle detection results.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area and the second information indicates that no object exists in the second area, determining that an obstacle exists in the passage area includes: when the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area at a first distance from the vehicle and the second information indicates that no object exists in the second area at a first distance from the vehicle, determining that an obstacle exists in the passage area and that the obstacle is at a first distance from the vehicle.

[0013] In the above technical solution, based on the detection results of millimeter-wave radar, the distance between obstacles and vehicles can be accurately determined. Even when obstacles located above the passage area are closer to the vehicle, while obstacles within the passage area are farther away from the vehicle, obstacles above the passage area will not be mistakenly identified as being within the passage area.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: acquiring third information, the third information indicating the perception result of the vehicle's third millimeter-wave radar component on the third region; wherein the first region includes part or all of the third region, the third region is the region below the second plane, the second plane is located above the plane where the vehicle is located, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than zero and less than or equal to a first threshold; determining whether there is an obstacle in the passage area based on the first information and the second information, including: determining whether there is an obstacle in the passage area based on the first information, the second information and the third information.

[0015] In the above technical solution, the third millimeter-wave radar component can accurately determine whether there are low obstacles such as manhole covers below the vehicle passage area, reducing the probability of misjudging manhole covers as obstacles located in the passage area.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining whether there is an obstacle in the passage area based on the first information, the second information, and the third information includes: determining that there is an obstacle in the passage area when the first information indicates that there is an object in the first area, the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area, and the third information indicates that there is no stationary object in the third area.

[0017] The above technical solution can reduce the probability of misdetecting vehicles traveling in front of the vehicle as low obstacles such as manhole covers, thereby further improving the confidence and reliability of obstacle detection results.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the vertical field of view (FOV) of the first millimeter-wave radar component is greater than the vertical FOV of the second millimeter-wave radar component.

[0019] In some implementations, the field of view (FOV) of the third millimeter-wave radar component is smaller than that of the first millimeter-wave radar.

[0020] In the above technical solution, the FOV of the millimeter-wave radar component used to detect the first area is large enough to help ensure the detection rate of obstacles in the passage area, thereby improving the accuracy of obstacle detection results.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the vertical FOV of the first millimeter-wave radar assembly ranges from 20° to 30°, and the vertical FOV of the second millimeter-wave radar assembly ranges from 3° to 5°.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are respectively disposed in different millimeter-wave radars; or, the first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are disposed in the same millimeter-wave radar.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second millimeter-wave radar component includes a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna.

[0024] In some implementations, the third millimeter-wave radar component also includes a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna.

[0025] In the above technical solution, using the same millimeter-wave radar to detect different areas helps reduce the cost of obstacle detection. By using a millimeter-wave radar assembly with one transmitting antenna and one receiving antenna to detect areas above the passable area, and the remaining transmitting and receiving antennas to detect the passable area, the accuracy of obstacle detection in the passable area is ensured, thereby guaranteeing the reliability of the detection results at a lower cost.

[0026] Secondly, a control method is provided that can be executed by a vehicle, for example, by the vehicle's computing platform, or by a chip or circuitry for the vehicle.

[0027] The method includes: acquiring first information and second information, wherein the first information indicates the perception result of a first millimeter-wave radar component of the vehicle on a first region, and the second information indicates the perception result of a second millimeter-wave radar component of the vehicle on a second region; wherein the first region includes the vehicle's travel area and part or all of the second region, the second region is the area above a first plane, the first plane is located above the travel area, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than the vehicle's body height; and controlling the vehicle's longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset according to the first information and the second information.

[0028] In the aforementioned technical solution, millimeter-wave radar can determine whether there are obstacles obstructing the vehicle's movement. In scenarios where the sensing range of lidar and camera devices is limited, such as in dense smoke or fog, the location of obstacles can be accurately detected. For example, it can determine whether the obstacle is located within the vehicle's travel area or above it. When an obstacle is detected in the travel area, the vehicle is controlled to decelerate or steer to avoid it, supporting the vehicle's emergency avoidance capabilities in high-speed driving scenarios. This improves the reliability of the vehicle's intelligent driving functions and systems, as well as driving safety.

[0029] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, controlling the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle based on the first information and the second information includes: controlling the vehicle to decelerate with a first deceleration when the first information indicates that an object exists in a first area and the second information indicates that no object exists in a second area; or, controlling the vehicle to decelerate with a second deceleration when the first information indicates that an object exists in a first area and the second information indicates that an object exists in a second area; wherein the absolute value of the first deceleration is greater than the absolute value of the second deceleration.

[0030] In the above technical solution, when the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area and the second information indicates that no object exists in the second area, it can be determined that the obstacle is located in the vehicle's passage area. At this time, controlling the vehicle to decelerate at a larger deceleration can avoid a collision between the vehicle and the obstacle. When the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area and the second information indicates that an object exists in the second area, it is not possible to accurately determine whether the obstacle is located in the vehicle's passage area. At this time, controlling the vehicle to decelerate at a smaller deceleration allows sufficient time for the vehicle to avoid the obstacle if it is located in the vehicle's passage area, thereby improving the vehicle's driving safety.

[0031] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: acquiring third information, the third information indicating the perception result of the vehicle's third millimeter-wave radar component on the third region; wherein the first region includes part or all of the third region, the third region is the region below the second plane, the second plane is located above the plane where the vehicle is located, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than zero and less than or equal to a first threshold; controlling the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle according to the first information and the second information, including: controlling the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle according to the first information, the second information and the third information.

[0032] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, controlling the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle based on the first information, the second information, and the third information includes: controlling the vehicle to decelerate with a third deceleration when the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area, the second information indicates that no object exists in the second area, and the third information indicates that no stationary object exists in the third area; or, controlling the vehicle to decelerate with a fourth deceleration when the second information indicates that an object exists in the second area, and / or the third information indicates that a stationary object exists in the third area, and the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area; wherein the absolute value of the third deceleration is greater than the absolute value of the fourth deceleration.

[0033] In the above technical solution, when the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area, the second information indicates that no object exists in the second area, and the third information indicates that no stationary object exists in the third area, it can be determined that the obstacle is located in the vehicle's passage area. At this time, controlling the vehicle to decelerate at a larger deceleration can avoid a collision between the vehicle and the obstacle. When the second information indicates that an object exists in the second area, and / or the third information indicates that a stationary object exists in the third area, and the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area, it is impossible to accurately determine whether the obstacle is located in the vehicle's passage area. At this time, controlling the vehicle to decelerate at a smaller deceleration allows sufficient time for the vehicle to avoid the obstacle if it is located in the vehicle's passage area, thereby improving the vehicle's driving safety.

[0034] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the vertical FOV of the first millimeter-wave radar component is greater than the vertical FOV of the second millimeter-wave radar component.

[0035] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the vertical FOV of the first millimeter-wave radar assembly ranges from 20° to 30°, and the vertical FOV of the second millimeter-wave radar assembly ranges from 3° to 5°.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are respectively disposed in different millimeter-wave radars; or, the first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are disposed in the same millimeter-wave radar.

[0037] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second millimeter-wave radar component includes a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna.

[0038] Thirdly, an obstacle detection device is provided, comprising an acquisition unit and a processing unit, wherein the acquisition unit is configured to: acquire first information and second information, the first information indicating the perception result of a first millimeter-wave radar component of a vehicle on a first region, and the second information indicating the perception result of a second millimeter-wave radar component of a vehicle on a second region; wherein the first region includes a passage area of ​​the vehicle and part or all of the second region, the second region being a region above a first plane, the first plane being located above the passage area, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located being greater than the vehicle's height; the processing unit is configured to: determine whether an obstacle exists in the passage area based on the first information and the second information.

[0039] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the processing unit is configured to: determine that there is an obstacle in the passage area when the first information indicates that there is an object in the first area and the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area; or, determine that there is no obstacle in the passage area when the first information indicates that there is no object in the first area and the second information indicates that there is an object in the second area; or, determine that there is no obstacle in the passage area when the first information indicates that there is no object in the first area and the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area.

[0040] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, when the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area and the second information indicates that no object exists in the second area, the processing unit is configured to: determine that an obstacle exists in the passage area and that the obstacle is at a first distance from the vehicle when the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area and the second information indicates that no object exists in the second area and the area at a first distance from the vehicle.

[0041] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the acquisition unit is further configured to: acquire third information, the third information indicating the perception result of the vehicle's third millimeter-wave radar component on the third region; wherein the first region includes part or all of the third region, the third region is the region below the second plane, the second plane is located above the plane where the vehicle is located, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than zero and less than or equal to a first threshold; the processing unit is configured to: determine whether there are obstacles in the passage area based on the first information, the second information and the third information.

[0042] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the processing unit is used to: determine that there is an obstacle in the passage area when the first information indicates that there is an object in the first area, the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area, and the third information indicates that there is no stationary object in the third area.

[0043] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first vertical field of view (FOV) of the first millimeter-wave radar assembly is greater than the vertical FOV of the second millimeter-wave radar assembly.

[0044] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the vertical FOV of the first millimeter-wave radar component ranges from 20° to 30°, and the vertical FOV of the second millimeter-wave radar component ranges from 3° to 5°.

[0045] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are respectively disposed in different millimeter-wave radars; or, the first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are disposed in the same millimeter-wave radar.

[0046] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second millimeter-wave radar component includes a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna.

[0047] Fourthly, a control device is provided, comprising an acquisition unit and a processing unit, wherein the acquisition unit is configured to: acquire first information and second information, the first information indicating the perception result of a first millimeter-wave radar component of the vehicle on a first region, and the second information indicating the perception result of a second millimeter-wave radar component of the vehicle on a second region; wherein the first region includes a passage area of ​​the vehicle and part or all of the second region, the second region being a region above a first plane, the first plane being located above the passage area, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located being greater than the vehicle's body height; the processing unit is configured to: control the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle based on the first information and the second information.

[0048] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the processing unit is configured to: control the vehicle to decelerate with a first deceleration when the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area and the second information indicates that no object exists in the second area; or, control the vehicle to decelerate with a second deceleration when the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area and the second information indicates that an object exists in the second area; wherein the absolute value of the first deceleration is greater than the absolute value of the second deceleration.

[0049] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the acquisition unit is further configured to: acquire third information, the third information indicating the perception result of the vehicle's third millimeter-wave radar component on the third region; wherein the first region includes part or all of the third region, the third region is the region below the second plane, the second plane is located above the plane where the vehicle is located, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than zero and less than or equal to a first threshold; the processing unit is configured to: control the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle based on the first information, the second information and the third information.

[0050] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the processing unit is configured to: control the vehicle to decelerate with a third deceleration when the first information indicates that an object exists in the first region, the second information indicates that no object exists in the second region, and the third information indicates that no stationary object exists in the third region; or, when the second information indicates that an object exists in the second region, and / or the third information indicates that a stationary object exists in the third region, and the first information indicates that an object exists in the first region, control the vehicle to decelerate with a fourth deceleration; wherein the absolute value of the third deceleration is greater than the absolute value of the fourth deceleration.

[0051] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first vertical field of view (FOV) of the first millimeter-wave radar assembly is greater than the vertical FOV of the second millimeter-wave radar assembly.

[0052] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the vertical FOV of the first millimeter-wave radar component ranges from 20° to 30°, and the vertical FOV of the second millimeter-wave radar component ranges from 3° to 5°.

[0053] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are respectively disposed in different millimeter-wave radars; or, the first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are disposed in the same millimeter-wave radar.

[0054] Fifthly, an obstacle detection device is provided, the device comprising: a processor for executing a computer program stored in the memory, such that the device performs the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect described above.

[0055] In a sixth aspect, a control device is provided, comprising: a processor for executing a computer program stored in the memory, such that the device performs the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect described above.

[0056] In conjunction with the fifth or sixth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth or sixth aspect, the device also includes a memory.

[0057] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: computer program code, which, when executed on a computer or processor, causes the computer or processor to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0058] It should be noted that the above computer program code can be stored in whole or in part on a storage medium, which can be packaged together with the processor or packaged separately from the processor.

[0059] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, the computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0060] Ninthly, a chip is provided, the chip including circuitry for performing the methods in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect described above.

[0061] In a tenth aspect, a vehicle is provided that includes means as in any of the possible implementations of the third to sixth aspects, or the vehicle includes computer-readable storage as in any of the possible implementations of the eighth aspect, or the vehicle includes a chip as in any of the possible implementations of the ninth aspect, or the vehicle is loaded with computer program code as in any of the possible implementations of the seventh aspect.

[0062] In conjunction with aspect ten, in some implementations of aspect ten, the vehicle is a vehicle in a broad sense, such as a means of transportation (e.g., commercial vehicles, passenger cars, motorcycles, flying cars, trains, etc.), industrial vehicles (e.g., forklifts, trailers, tractors, etc.), engineering vehicles (e.g., excavators, bulldozers, cranes, etc.), agricultural equipment (e.g., lawnmowers, harvesters, etc.), amusement equipment, toy vehicles, etc. In practical implementation, the vehicle can also be a road vehicle, a water vehicle, an air vehicle, industrial equipment, agricultural equipment, or other intelligent driving equipment such as entertainment equipment.

[0063] For the beneficial effects not described in detail in aspects three through ten, please refer to the descriptions in aspect one or two, which will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0064] Figure 1 is a functional schematic block diagram of the vehicle provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the millimeter-wave radar system and its vertical field of view (FOV) provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 3 is another schematic diagram of the vertical FOV of the millimeter-wave radar assembly provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0067] Figure 4 is another schematic diagram of the vertical FOV of the millimeter-wave radar assembly provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0068] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of the obstacle detection method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0069] Figure 6 is another schematic flowchart of the control method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0070] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 8 is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0072] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 100 may include a perception system 120 and a computing platform 150. The perception system 120 may include several sensors for sensing information about the environment surrounding the vehicle 100. For example, the perception system 120 may include a positioning system, which may be a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as the global positioning system (GPS), BeiDou system, etc. Alternatively, the perception system 120 may also include one or more of the following: an inertial measurement unit (IMU), lidar, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic radar, and a camera device.

[0073] Some or all of the functions of vehicle 100 can be controlled by computing platform 150. Computing platform 150 may include processors 151 to 15n. A processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a type of microprocessor), or digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. These logical relationships are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor may be a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). In reconfigurable hardware circuits, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement some or all of the functions of the aforementioned units. Furthermore, the processor can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), tensor processing unit (TPU), deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc. In addition, the computing platform 150 may also include a memory for storing instructions. Some or all of the processors 151 to 15n can call the instructions in the memory to implement the corresponding functions.

[0074] The computing platform 150 can control the operation of the intelligent driving system, which may include an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) and an autonomous driving system (ADS). The intelligent driving system utilizes various sensors on the vehicle (including but not limited to: LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, cameras, ultrasonic sensors, GPS, and inertial measurement units) to acquire information from the vehicle's surroundings, and analyzes and processes this information to achieve functions such as obstacle perception, target recognition, vehicle localization, path planning, and driver monitoring / alerts, thereby improving the safety, automation, and comfort of driving the vehicle.

[0075] At different levels of autonomous driving (or intelligent driving levels, ranging from L0 to L5, totaling six levels), intelligent driving systems can achieve different levels of automated driving assistance based on artificial intelligence algorithms and information acquired by multiple sensors. These levels of autonomous driving are based on the classification standards of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Specifically, L0 is no automation; L1 is driver assistance; L2 is partial automation; L3 is conditional automation; L4 is high automation; and L5 is full automation. At levels L1 to L3, the task of monitoring road conditions and reacting is jointly completed by the driver and the system, requiring the driver to take over dynamic driving tasks. Levels L4 and L5 allow the driver to completely transform into a passenger. Currently, the functions that intelligent driving systems can achieve mainly include, but are not limited to: adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, automatic parking, blind spot monitoring, forward cross-traffic alert / braking, rear cross-traffic alert / braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, rear collision warning, traffic sign recognition, traffic jam assist, and highway assist. It should be understood that the above-mentioned functions can have specific modes at different levels of autonomous driving (L0-L5). The higher the level of autonomous driving, the more intelligent the corresponding mode.

[0076] In this application, the computing platform 150 can determine whether there are obstacles affecting the vehicle's driving in the target passage area based on the perception results of the millimeter-wave radar in the perception system 120. When there are obstacles in the target passage area of ​​the vehicle, the computing platform 150 can control the vehicle to brake.

[0077] Generally, millimeter-wave radar can include modules such as a transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna, a signal generator, a signal processor, and a radar controller. The signal generator produces a detection signal; a portion of this signal is output to the signal processor as a local oscillator signal via a directional coupler, while the remaining portion is transmitted through the transmitting antenna. The receiving antenna receives electromagnetic wave signals reflected from the target. The signal processor processes the received electromagnetic wave signals and the local oscillator signal to obtain information such as the relative distance and velocity of the target. The radar controller controls scanning parameters such as the number of beams, beamwidth, scanning frequency, scanning density, or scanning mode of the detection signal transmitted by the millimeter-wave radar.

[0078] Millimeter-wave radar angle measurement typically requires two or more receiving antennas. The principle is as follows: the distance difference between the target and the two receiving antennas causes a phase change in the peak value of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Based on this phase change, the target's azimuth relative to the millimeter-wave radar can be determined. Traditional three-dimensional (3D) millimeter-wave radar is widely used in intelligent vehicles. The transmitting and receiving antennas of this type of radar are generally arranged in a plane parallel to the plane of the vehicle's four wheels to form a low-elevation planar beam. Thus, the millimeter-wave radar on the vehicle can measure the distance between the target and the vehicle, the target's azimuth relative to the vehicle in a plane parallel to the vehicle's four wheels, and the target's speed. However, it cannot measure the target's height, preventing the vehicle from determining the target's specific position in a direction perpendicular to the ground using 3D millimeter-wave radar. By arranging antennas in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the vehicle's four wheels, the millimeter-wave radar can measure the target's height. However, the close arrangement of antennas in the vertical and horizontal directions will cause severe signal interference between them. This means that, under the current technological level, due to the physical limitations of millimeter waves and the development cost, the accuracy of millimeter-wave radar in measuring the height of the target is insufficient. Therefore, under the current technological background, the vehicle control system cannot rely solely on the signal of millimeter-wave radar for vehicle control.

[0079] In view of this, this application provides a millimeter-wave radar system that can identify high obstacles located in the direction of vehicle travel that do not obstruct the vehicle's movement. Thus, in scenarios where the sensing distance of lidar and camera devices is short, such as in dense smoke or fog, millimeter-wave radar can determine whether there are obstacles obstructing the vehicle's movement in the direction of travel. This helps to improve the vehicle's intelligent driving functions and system reliability at a lower cost, thereby improving vehicle driving safety.

[0080] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the millimeter-wave radar system and its vertical FOV provided in an embodiment of this application. It should be noted that the vertical FOV refers to the FOV of the millimeter-wave radar in the plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle; correspondingly, the horizontal FOV refers to the FOV of the millimeter-wave radar in the plane parallel to the four wheels of the vehicle.

[0081] In some implementations, the millimeter-wave radar system provided in this application may include at least two millimeter-wave radars. One of the at least two millimeter-wave radars is used to detect objects located in front of the vehicle and above a plane 1, with a distance 1 between plane 1 and the plane where the four wheels of the vehicle are located. Another millimeter-wave radar is used to detect objects located in front of the vehicle (including objects located above plane 1), meaning that the detection range of this millimeter-wave radar includes the detection range of the previous millimeter-wave radar. Exemplarily, distance 1 may be determined based on the vehicle's height. For example, distance 1 can be the vehicle's height itself, or it can be a certain distance added to the vehicle's height (e.g., 10-30 cm, or other distances), or it can be any other distance.

[0082] In one example, the aforementioned at least two millimeter-wave radars may include radar 201 and radar 202 as shown in Figure 2(a). Radar 201 is located on the top of the vehicle, and radar 202 is located in front of the vehicle (e.g., below the front bumper). More specifically, the vertical field of view (FOV) of radar 202 can be a value between 15° and 30°, and the vertical FOV of radar 201 can be a value between 3° and 5°. When the detection distance is L, the angle between the lower limit of the vertical FOV of radar 201 and the plane where the four wheels of the vehicle are located is α, which satisfies the formula: tanα = H' / (L + l'). Where H' is the difference between distance L and vehicle height, and l' is the horizontal distance between the location of radar 201 and the front of the vehicle. L can be a value between 100 and 120 meters, or other values. The following embodiments use a detection distance L of 100 meters as an example. For example, if the distance 1 is 5 meters and the vehicle height is 1.8 meters, then H' is 3.2 meters. If l' is half the length of the vehicle and the length of the vehicle is 4.2 meters, then α is 1.79°.

[0083] In another example, the aforementioned at least two millimeter-wave radars may include radar 201' and radar 202' as shown in Figure 2(b). Both radar 201' and radar 202' are positioned in front of the vehicle (e.g., below the front bumper), with radar 201' positioned above radar 202' in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the vehicle's four wheels. More specifically, the vertical FOV of radar 202' can be a value between 15° and 30°, and the vertical FOV of radar 201' can be a value between 3° and 5°. At a detection distance of L, the angle β between the lower bound of the vertical FOV of radar 201' and the plane of the vehicle's four wheels satisfies the formula: tanβ = H / L. Here, H is the difference between distance L and the distance between the location of radar 201' and the plane of the vehicle's four wheels. For example, if the distance 1 is 5 meters and the distance between the location of radar 201' and the plane where the four wheels of the vehicle are located is 0.5 meters, then H is 4.5 meters, and further, β is 2.57°.

[0084] In some other implementations, the millimeter-wave radar system provided in this application may include at least one millimeter-wave radar, which may include a single millimeter-wave radar having multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas, and the multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas are divided into two antenna groups, such as antenna group 1 and antenna group 2. Antenna group 1 includes at least one transmitting antenna and one indicating receiving antenna, and the at least one transmitting antenna and the indicating receiving antenna are led out separately. By using a focusing antenna, the FOV corresponding to antenna group 1 is designed as a narrow vertical FOV, such as a value between 3° and 5°. Antenna group 2 includes all the antennas other than those in antenna group 1 among the multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas, and the FOV corresponding to antenna group 2 can be a value between 20° and 30°.

[0085] Exemplarily, the radar 203 shown in Figure 2(c) can be considered as an example of one of the aforementioned at least one millimeter-wave radars, and the radar 203 is disposed in front of the vehicle. More specifically, the radar 203 includes component 1 and component 2, wherein the vertical FOV of component 1 can be a value between 3° and 5°, the vertical FOV of component 2 can be a value between 20° and 30°, and when the detection distance is L, the angle between the lower boundary of the vertical FOV of component 1 and the plane on which the four wheels of the vehicle are located is β. The method for determining the angle β can refer to the description in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here. Exemplarily, component 1 of radar 203 may include the aforementioned antenna group 1, and component 2 of radar 203 may include the aforementioned antenna group 2.

[0086] In one example, as shown in Figure 3, taking radar 203 as an example, which includes 4 transmitting antennas and 4 receiving antennas, antenna group 1 may include 1 transmitting antenna and 1 receiving antenna, and antenna group 2 may include 3 transmitting antennas and 3 receiving antennas.

[0087] In another example, if radar 203 includes 3 transmitting antennas and 4 receiving antennas, then antenna group 1 may include 1 transmitting antenna and 1 receiving antenna, and antenna group 2 may include 2 transmitting antennas and 3 receiving antennas.

[0088] The above, in conjunction with Figures 2 and 3, describes a millimeter-wave radar system for detecting objects located above plane 1. In some implementations, the aforementioned millimeter-wave radar system can also be used to detect low obstacles located on the ground that do not affect vehicle movement, such as manhole covers.

[0089] In some implementations, the millimeter-wave radar system provided in this application may include at least two millimeter-wave radars. One of the at least two millimeter-wave radars is used to detect objects located in front of the vehicle and below plane 2, which is a distance 2 from the plane where the vehicle's four wheels are located. Another millimeter-wave radar is used to detect objects located in front of the vehicle (including objects below plane 2), meaning the detection range of this millimeter-wave radar includes the detection range of the previous millimeter-wave radar. Exemplarily, the distance 2 can be any value between 0.1 meters and 0.3 meters, or it can be determined based on the chassis height of the vehicle using the millimeter-wave radar system. For example, the distance 2 can satisfy the following formula:

[0090] Where H” represents distance 2, h represents the vehicle's chassis height, and D represents the vehicle's front and rear wheelbase.

[0091] For example, the aforementioned at least two millimeter-wave radars may include radar 204 and radar 205 as shown in Figure 4(a). Both radar 204 and radar 205 are positioned in front of the vehicle, with radar 204 located below radar 205 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the vehicle's four wheels. More specifically, the vertical FOV of radar 204 can be a value between 3° and 5°, and the vertical FOV of radar 205 can be a value between 20° and 30°. When the detection distance is L, the angle between the lower limit of the vertical FOV of radar 204 and the plane of the vehicle's four wheels is γ, which satisfies the formula: tanα = H” / L. Here, H” is the difference between the distance between the location of radar 204 and the plane of the vehicle's four wheels and distance 2. For example, taking distance 2 as 0.2 meters and the distance between the location of radar 204 and the plane of the vehicle's four wheels as 0.5 meters, then γ is 0.17°.

[0092] In some other implementations, the millimeter-wave radar system provided in this application may include at least one millimeter-wave radar, which may include a single millimeter-wave radar with multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas, and the multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas are divided into two antenna groups, such as antenna group a and antenna group b. Antenna group a includes at least one transmitting antenna and one indicating receiving antenna, and the at least one transmitting antenna and the indicating receiving antenna are brought out separately. Through a focusing antenna, the FOV corresponding to antenna group a is designed as a narrow vertical FOV, such as a value between 3° and 5°. Antenna group b includes all the antennas other than antenna group a among the multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas, and the FOV corresponding to antenna group b can be a value between 20° and 30°.

[0093] For example, the aforementioned at least one millimeter-wave radar may include radar 206 as shown in Figure 4(b), which is disposed in front of the vehicle. More specifically, radar 206 includes component a and component b, wherein the vertical FOV of component a can be 3° to 5°, and the vertical FOV of component b can be a value between 20° and 30°. When the detection distance is L, the angle between the upper limit of the vertical FOV of component a and the plane where the four wheels of the vehicle are located is γ. The method for determining this angle γ can be referred to the description in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here. For example, component a of radar 206 may include the aforementioned antenna group a, and component b of radar 206 may include the aforementioned antenna group b. For example, if radar 206 includes 4 transmitting antennas and 4 receiving antennas, antenna group a may include 1 transmitting antenna and 1 receiving antenna, and antenna group b may include 3 transmitting antennas and 3 receiving antennas; if radar 203 includes 3 transmitting antennas and 4 receiving antennas, then antenna group a may include 1 transmitting antenna and 1 receiving antenna, and antenna group b may include 2 transmitting antennas and 3 receiving antennas.

[0094] In some implementations, the millimeter-wave radar or millimeter-wave radar assembly used to detect objects located in front of the vehicle and below plane 2 can be positioned flush with the vehicle chassis, and the upper limit of the vertical FOV of the millimeter-wave radar is parallel to the plane where the four wheels of the vehicle are located. For example, the millimeter-wave radar can be positioned as shown by radar 207 in Figure 4(c), where radar 208 is a millimeter-wave radar used to detect objects located in front of the vehicle (including objects located below plane 2).

[0095] In some implementations, the millimeter-wave radar system provided in this application can be used to detect objects located in front of a vehicle and above plane 1, or it can be used to detect objects located in front of a vehicle and below plane 2, or it can also detect objects located in front of a vehicle (including objects located above plane 1 and objects located below plane 2).

[0096] In one example, the millimeter-wave radar system includes the aforementioned radar 201, radar 202 and radar 204, wherein the position of radar 204 in the direction perpendicular to the plane on which the four wheels of the vehicle are located is lower than the position of radar 202 in the direction perpendicular to the plane on which the four wheels of the vehicle are located.

[0097] In another example, the millimeter-wave radar system includes the aforementioned radar 203 and radar 204, with radar 204 positioned in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the vehicle's four wheels, lower than the position of radar 203 in the same direction.

[0098] In another example, the millimeter-wave radar system includes the aforementioned radar 202 and radar 206, with radar 206 positioned in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the vehicle's four wheels, lower than the position of radar 202 in the same direction.

[0099] In another example, the millimeter-wave radar system includes at least one millimeter-wave radar, one of which includes component A, component B, and component C. Component A is used to detect objects located in front of the vehicle and above plane 1, and the vertical field of view (FOV) of component A can be 3° to 5°; component B is used to detect objects located in front of the vehicle, and the vertical FOV of component B can be 20° to 30°; component C is used to detect objects located in front of the vehicle and below plane 2, and the vertical FOV of component C can be 3° to 5°. Exemplarily, component A may include one transmitting antenna and one receiving antenna; component C may include one transmitting antenna and one receiving antenna; component B may include at least one transmitting antenna and at least one receiving antenna, for example, component B may include three receiving antennas and three transmitting antennas.

[0100] It should be noted that the millimeter-wave radar placement positions described in the above embodiments are merely illustrative. In actual implementation, millimeter-wave radars used to detect objects above plane 1, millimeter-wave radars used to detect objects below plane 2, and millimeter-wave radars used to detect objects in front of the vehicle can be placed in positions different from those described in the above embodiments.

[0101] In some implementations, in a direction perpendicular to the plane where the four wheels of the vehicle are located, the millimeter-wave radar or antenna group used to detect objects above plane 1 is positioned higher than the millimeter-wave radar or antenna group used to detect objects in front of the vehicle; the millimeter-wave radar or antenna group used to detect objects below plane 2 is positioned lower than the millimeter-wave radar or antenna group used to detect objects in front of the vehicle. In actual implementation, the millimeter-wave radar used to detect objects in front of the vehicle (such as the aforementioned radar 202 and radar 202') can be a commonly used millimeter-wave radar in vehicles, such as a 3-transmit 4-receive (3T4R) millimeter-wave radar, or a 4-transmit 4-receive (4T4R) millimeter-wave radar, or other types of millimeter-wave radar; the millimeter-wave radar used to detect objects above plane 1, and / or the millimeter-wave radar used to detect objects below plane 1, can be a single-transmit 1-receive (1T1R) millimeter-wave radar. It is understandable that the aforementioned "n transmit m receive" refers to the fact that the millimeter-wave radar includes n transmitting antennas and m receiving antennas.

[0102] It should also be noted that Figures 2 to 4 are illustrated using the detection range as the front of the vehicle (i.e., the direction of the vehicle's head). In actual implementation, the millimeter-wave radar system described in Figures 2 to 4 can be used as a reference to set up a millimeter-wave radar system with the detection range as the rear of the vehicle (i.e., the direction of the vehicle's tail).

[0103] The millimeter-wave radar system provided in the embodiments of this application has been described above with reference to Figures 2 to 4. The obstacle detection method and control method based on the aforementioned millimeter-wave radar system are described in detail below.

[0104] Figure 5 shows a schematic flowchart of an obstacle detection method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to the vehicle 100 shown in Figure 1. The vehicle 100 includes a computing platform 150 and the millimeter-wave radar system described in the foregoing embodiment. The method can be executed by one or more processors in the computing platform 150. The method 500 includes:

[0105] S510, acquire first information and second information, the first information indicating the perception result of the vehicle's first millimeter-wave radar component on the first area, and the second information indicating the perception result of the vehicle's second millimeter-wave radar component on the second area.

[0106] The first area includes the vehicle passage area and part or all of the second area. The second area is the area above the first plane. The first plane is located above the passage area, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than the vehicle's height.

[0107] For example, the passage area can be the area that the vehicle is about to pass through. For instance, when the vehicle is traveling in the forward direction (i.e., towards the front of the vehicle), the passage area is located in the direction of the front of the vehicle; when the vehicle is traveling in the reverse direction (i.e., towards the rear of the vehicle), the passage area is located in the direction of the rear of the vehicle.

[0108] In some implementations, the vertical FOV of the first millimeter-wave radar component is greater than the second FOV of the second millimeter-wave radar component. Specifically, the vertical FOV of the first millimeter-wave radar component can range from 20° to 30°, and the vertical FOV of the second millimeter-wave radar component can range from 3° to 5°.

[0109] In some implementations, the first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are housed in different millimeter-wave radars; or, the first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are housed in the same millimeter-wave radar. The second millimeter-wave radar component includes a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna.

[0110] For example, when the vehicle is traveling in the forward direction, the first millimeter-wave radar component can be a millimeter-wave radar or component used to detect objects located in front of the vehicle in the aforementioned embodiments. For example, the first millimeter-wave radar component can be radar component 203, or it can be a component disposed in radar 202 or radar 202' in the aforementioned embodiments. The second millimeter-wave radar component can be a millimeter-wave radar or component used to detect objects located in front of the vehicle and above plane 1 in the aforementioned embodiments. For example, the second millimeter-wave radar component can be radar component 103, or it can be a component disposed in radar 201 or radar 201' in the aforementioned embodiments. It is understood that plane 1 can be regarded as an example of a first plane, and the specific location of the first plane can be referred to the description of plane 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0111] In some implementations, the first region can be the area covered by the vertical FOV of the first millimeter-wave radar component, and the second region can be the area covered by the vertical FOV of the second millimeter-wave radar component. The specific extent of the first and second regions can be seen in the schematic diagrams of the vertical FOV corresponding to the millimeter-wave radar or component shown in Figures 2 to 4.

[0112] In some implementations, the first and second information are the results of perception within the same time period.

[0113] S520, based on the first information and the second information, determine whether there are obstacles in the passage area.

[0114] In some implementations, S520 can be further refined as follows: when the first information indicates that there is an object in the first area and the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area, it is determined that there is an obstacle in the passage area; or, when the first information indicates that there is no object in the first area and the second information indicates that there is an object in the second area, it is determined that there is no obstacle in the passage area; or, when the first information indicates that there is no object in the first area and the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area, it is determined that there is no obstacle in the passage area.

[0115] More specifically, when the first information indicates that there is an object in the first area at a first distance from the vehicle, and the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area at a first distance from the vehicle, it is determined that there is an obstacle in the passage area, and the obstacle is at a first distance from the vehicle.

[0116] For example, the first distance can be a value between 90 meters and 120 meters, or it can be other values.

[0117] In some implementations, method 500 further includes: acquiring third information, the third information indicating the perception result of the vehicle's third millimeter-wave radar component on the third region; wherein the first region includes part or all of the third region, the third region is the region below the second plane, the second plane is located above the plane where the vehicle is located, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than zero and less than or equal to a first threshold. Further, S520 can be refined to: determining whether there are obstacles in the passage area based on the first information, the second information, and the third information.

[0118] In some implementations, the first, second, and third millimeter-wave radar components can be housed within at least two millimeter-wave radars; alternatively, they can be housed within the same millimeter-wave radar. The third millimeter-wave radar component may include a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna; at a detection range of 90 to 120 meters, the vertical field of view (FOV) of the third millimeter-wave radar component can range from 3° to 5°.

[0119] For example, when the vehicle is traveling in the forward direction, the third millimeter-wave radar component can be the millimeter-wave radar or component used in the foregoing embodiments to detect objects located in front of the vehicle and below plane 2. For example, the third millimeter-wave radar component can be radar component 206a, or the third millimeter-wave radar component can also be a component disposed in radar 204 in the foregoing embodiments. It is understood that plane 2 can be regarded as an example of a second plane, the value of the first threshold can be consistent with the value of the aforementioned distance 2, and the specific location of the second plane can be referred to the description of plane 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0120] In some implementations, the first millimeter-wave radar component, the second millimeter-wave radar component, and the third millimeter-wave radar component can be component B, component A, and component C in the aforementioned embodiments, respectively.

[0121] In some implementations, determining whether there is an obstacle in the passage area based on the first information, the second information, and the third information includes: determining that there is an obstacle in the passage area when the first information indicates that there is an object in the first area, the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area, and the third information indicates that there is no stationary object in the third area.

[0122] For example, the third information may include multi-frame perception results from a third millimeter-wave radar component over a period of time. Based on the multi-frame perception results, it can be determined whether an object exists in the third area and whether the object is stationary. A stationary object can be considered as a low obstacle such as a manhole cover. If the object is not stationary, it indicates that the object may be a vehicle or other obstacle located in the passageway.

[0123] The obstacle detection method provided in this application can accurately identify high obstacles (such as overpasses) and low obstacles (such as manhole covers) located in the direction of vehicle travel that do not obstruct vehicle travel at a relatively low cost. Thus, in scenarios with short sensing distances for lidar and camera devices, such as dense smoke or fog, millimeter-wave radar can determine whether there are obstacles obstructing vehicle travel in the direction of travel, helping to improve the obstacle detection rate and accuracy.

[0124] The figure illustrates a schematic flowchart of a control method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to the vehicle 100 shown in Figure 1. The vehicle 100 includes a computing platform 150 and the millimeter-wave radar system described in the foregoing embodiments. The method can be executed by one or more processors in the computing platform 150. The method 600 includes:

[0125] S610, acquire first information and second information, the first information indicating the perception result of the vehicle's first millimeter-wave radar component on the first area, and the second information indicating the perception result of the vehicle's second millimeter-wave radar component on the second area.

[0126] The first area includes the vehicle passage area and part or all of the second area. The second area is the area above the first plane. The first plane is located above the passage area, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than the vehicle's height.

[0127] For a more detailed description of the first information, the second information, the first millimeter-wave radar component, the second millimeter-wave radar component, the first region, and the second region, please refer to the description in Method 500, which will not be repeated here.

[0128] S620 controls the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle based on the first and second information.

[0129] In some implementations, S620 can be further refined as follows: when the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area and the second information indicates that no object exists in the second area, the vehicle is controlled to decelerate with a first deceleration; or, when the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area and the second information indicates that an object exists in the second area, the vehicle is controlled to decelerate with a second deceleration; wherein the absolute value of the first deceleration is greater than the absolute value of the second deceleration.

[0130] For example, the automatic emergency braking (AEB) function can be used to control the vehicle to decelerate at a first deceleration or a second deceleration.

[0131] In some implementations, when the first information indicates that there is no object in the first area and the second information indicates that there is an object in the second area or the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area, the vehicle is controlled to travel at the originally planned speed.

[0132] In some implementations, the method further includes: acquiring third information, the third information indicating the perception result of the vehicle's third millimeter-wave radar component on the third region; wherein the first region includes part or all of the third region, the third region is the region below the second plane, the second plane is located above the plane where the vehicle is located, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than zero and less than or equal to a first threshold; S620 can be refined to: controlling the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle based on the first information, the second information and the third information.

[0133] In some implementations, controlling the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle based on first, second, and third information includes: controlling the vehicle to decelerate with a third deceleration when the first information indicates the presence of an object in a first area, the second information indicates the absence of an object in a second area, and the third information indicates the absence of a stationary object in a third area; or, controlling the vehicle to decelerate with a fourth deceleration when the second information indicates the presence of an object in a second area, and / or the third information indicates the presence of a stationary object in a third area, and the first information indicates the presence of an object in a first area; wherein the absolute value of the third deceleration is greater than the absolute value of the fourth deceleration.

[0134] For example, the AEB function can be used to control the vehicle to decelerate at a third or fourth deceleration rate.

[0135] In some implementations, when the first information indicates that there is no object in the first area, the vehicle is controlled to travel at the originally planned speed regardless of whether the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area or whether the third information indicates that there is an object in the third area.

[0136] The control method provided in this application embodiment can improve the accuracy of obstacle detection results in the vehicle's driving area at a relatively low cost. Thus, in scenarios with short sensing distances for lidar and camera devices, such as dense smoke or fog, the presence of obstacles obstructing the vehicle's movement can be determined using millimeter-wave radar sensing information. This helps improve the vehicle's intelligent driving functions and system reliability, thereby enhancing driving safety.

[0137] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between the various embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0138] The methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The apparatus provided by the embodiments of this application will now be described in detail below with reference to Figures 7 and 8. It should be understood that the descriptions of the apparatus embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the method embodiments; therefore, any content not described in detail can be found in the method embodiments above, and for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

[0139] Figure 7 shows a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 2000 provided in an embodiment of this application. The apparatus 2000 may include units for executing the methods described in the foregoing embodiments. Furthermore, each unit in the apparatus 2000 implements a corresponding process of the above method embodiments. The apparatus 2000 includes an acquisition unit 2010, which can be used to implement corresponding data acquisition or transmission / reception functions. The apparatus 2000 also includes a processing unit 2020, which can be used to implement corresponding processing functions.

[0140] Optionally, the device 2000 further includes a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 2020 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the device can perform the relevant actions in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0141] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0142] It should also be understood that the device 2000 described herein is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The terms “module” or “unit” may refer to application-specific ASICs, electronic circuits, processors (e.g., shared processors, proprietary processors, or group processors) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuits, and / or other suitable components that support the described functions.

[0143] The apparatus in this embodiment has the function of implementing the corresponding steps in the aforementioned method. The function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the acquisition unit 2010 can be replaced by a transceiver, and other units, such as the processing unit, can be replaced by a processor, used to execute the relevant processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0144] For example, the acquisition unit 2010 and the processing unit 2020 can be disposed in the vehicle 100 shown in FIG1. ​​The operations performed by the acquisition unit 2010 and the processing unit 2020 can be performed by a single processor, or they can be performed by different processors. In a specific implementation, the one or more processors mentioned above can be processors disposed in the vehicle 100 shown in FIG1; or, the device 2000 mentioned above can be a chip disposed in the vehicle 100.

[0145] In the specific implementation process, the units in the above device can be fully or partially integrated together, or they can be implemented independently. In one implementation, these units are integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0146] Figure 8 is another schematic block diagram of the apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application. The apparatus 2100 shown in Figure 8 may include a processor 2110, a transceiver 2120, and a memory 2130. The processor 2110, transceiver 2120, and memory 2130 are connected via internal interconnection paths. The memory 2130 is used to store instructions, and the processor 2110 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 2130 to implement the methods in the above embodiments. Optionally, the memory 2130 may be coupled to the processor 2110 via an interface or integrated with the processor 2110.

[0147] It should be noted that the transceiver 2120 mentioned above may include, but is not limited to, transceiver devices such as input / output interfaces, to realize communication between device 2100 and other devices or communication networks.

[0148] Memory 2130 can be volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes various forms such as: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0149] Transceiver 2120 uses transceiver devices, such as but not limited to transceivers, to enable communication between device 2100 and other devices or communication networks to receive / send data / information for implementing the methods in the above embodiments.

[0150] This application also provides a vehicle that includes the device 2000 or device 2100 described in the above embodiments.

[0151] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code is run on a computer, it causes the computer to implement the methods described in the above embodiments of this application.

[0152] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to implement the methods described in the above embodiments of this application.

[0153] This application also provides a chip, including circuitry, for performing the methods described in the above embodiments of this application.

[0154] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0155] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or", for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in this document describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0156] The use of prefixes such as "first" and "second" in this application embodiment is solely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and does not limit the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the described objects. The use of ordinal numbers and other prefixes to distinguish descriptive objects in this application embodiment does not constitute a limitation on the described objects. The description of the described objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of such prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions.

[0157] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0158] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between the various embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0159] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0160] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0161] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An obstacle detection method, characterized in that, include: Acquire first information and second information, wherein the first information indicates the perception result of the vehicle's first millimeter-wave radar component on the first area, and the second information indicates the perception result of the vehicle's second millimeter-wave radar component on the second area; The first area includes the vehicle's passage area and part or all of the second area. The second area is the area above the first plane. The first plane is located above the passage area, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than the vehicle's height. Based on the first information and the second information, determine whether there are obstacles in the passage area.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining whether there are obstacles in the passage area based on the first information and the second information includes: When the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area, and the second information indicates that no object exists in the second area, it is determined that an obstacle exists in the passage area; or, When the first information indicates that there is no object in the first area, and the second information indicates that there is an object in the second area, it is determined that there is no obstacle in the passage area; or, When the first information indicates that there is no object in the first area and the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area, it is determined that there is no obstacle in the passage area.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of determining that there is an obstacle in the passage area when the first information indicates that there is an object in the first area and the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area includes: When the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area at a first distance from the vehicle, and the second information indicates that no object exists in the second area at a first distance from the vehicle, it is determined that the obstacle exists in the passage area, and the obstacle is at the first distance from the vehicle.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Acquire third information, which indicates the perception result of the vehicle's third millimeter-wave radar component on the third region; The first region further includes part or all of the third region, which is the region below the second plane. The second plane is located above the plane where the vehicle is located, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than zero and less than or equal to a first threshold. The step of determining whether there are obstacles in the passage area based on the first information and the second information includes: Based on the first information, the second information, and the third information, it is determined whether there are obstacles in the passage area.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of determining whether there are obstacles in the passage area based on the first information, the second information, and the third information includes: When the first information indicates that there is an object in the first area, the second information indicates that there is no object in the second area, and the third information indicates that there is no stationary object in the third area, it is determined that there is an obstacle in the passage area.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The vertical field of view (FOV) of the first millimeter-wave radar component is greater than that of the second millimeter-wave radar component.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are respectively disposed in different millimeter-wave radars; or, the first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are disposed in the same millimeter-wave radar.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The second millimeter-wave radar assembly includes a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna.

9. A control method, characterized in that, include: Acquire first information and second information, wherein the first information indicates the perception result of the vehicle's first millimeter-wave radar component on the first area, and the second information indicates the perception result of the vehicle's second millimeter-wave radar component on the second area; The first area includes the vehicle's passage area and part or all of the second area. The second area is the area above the first plane. The first plane is located above the passage area, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than the vehicle's height. Based on the first information and the second information, the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle are controlled.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The step of controlling the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle based on the first information and the second information includes: When the first information indicates the presence of an object in the first area and the second information indicates the absence of an object in the second area, the vehicle is controlled to decelerate at a first deceleration; or, When the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area and the second information indicates that an object exists in the second area, the vehicle is controlled to decelerate at a second deceleration. The absolute value of the first deceleration is greater than the absolute value of the second deceleration.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: Acquire third information, which indicates the perception result of the vehicle's third millimeter-wave radar component on the third region; The first region further includes part or all of the third region, which is the region below the second plane. The second plane is located above the plane where the vehicle is located, and the distance between the first plane and the plane where the vehicle is located is greater than zero and less than or equal to a first threshold. The step of controlling the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle based on the first information and the second information includes: Based on the first information, the second information, and the third information, the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle are controlled.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The step of controlling the longitudinal speed and / or lateral offset of the vehicle based on the first information, the second information, and the third information includes: When the first information indicates the presence of an object in the first area, the second information indicates the absence of an object in the second area, and the third information indicates the absence of a stationary object in the third area, the vehicle is controlled to decelerate at a third deceleration; or, When the second information indicates that an object exists in the second area, and / or the third information indicates that a stationary object exists in the third area, and the first information indicates that an object exists in the first area, the vehicle is controlled to decelerate at a fourth deceleration. The absolute value of the third deceleration is greater than the absolute value of the fourth deceleration.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that, The vertical field of view (FOV) of the first millimeter-wave radar component is greater than that of the second millimeter-wave radar component.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that, The first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are respectively disposed in different millimeter-wave radars; or, the first millimeter-wave radar component and the second millimeter-wave radar component are disposed in the same millimeter-wave radar.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that, The second millimeter-wave radar assembly includes a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna.

16. An obstacle detection device, characterized in that, include: A processor for executing a computer program stored in memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

17. A control device, characterized in that, include: A processor for executing a computer program stored in memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 15.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

19. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes circuitry for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: computer program code, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

21. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the apparatus as described in claim 16 or 17, or the computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 18, or the chip as described in claim 19, or the vehicle is equipped with the computer program product as described in claim 20.

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