Vehicle Road Profile Estimation Using Motion-Compensated Camera Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle suspension systems, including electronic controlled suspensions, face challenges in accurately estimating road profiles, which can lead to uneven road impacts and vibrations, potentially causing damage or discomfort, especially on uneven road surfaces.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method utilizing cameras, processors, and a controller to estimate road profiles by calculating the vehicle's center of gravity, adjusting camera coordinates based on pitch and roll angles, compensating for road height, and filtering multiple height data points to improve suspension performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If road height is estimated using only camera information, then the estimation process is simple, but the accuracy is insufficient due to vehicle behavior not being considered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines camera-based road height estimation with vehicle behavior information (pitch angle, roll angle, vertical acceleration) to improve estimation accuracy. The controller integrates multiple data sources including camera images, vehicle state sensors, and pre-stored road information to compensate for errors caused by vehicle dynamics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a controller as an intermediary that processes and integrates information from multiple sources (camera, vehicle sensors, pre-stored road data) to generate compensated road height estimates. This intermediary coordinates the fusion of different data types to achieve higher accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If camera coordinates are not adjusted for vehicle behavior, then the calculation is straightforward, but the road profile estimation becomes inaccurate during vehicle motion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary coordinate transformation by calculating camera coordinates in the vehicle body coordinate system before processing road height estimation. This pre-adjustment accounts for vehicle pitch and roll angles, ensuring that subsequent calculations are based on corrected spatial references.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts camera coordinate parameters based on real-time vehicle behavior data. The controller modifies coordinate transformations using pitch angle, roll angle, and vertical acceleration information to compensate for changes in camera orientation and position during vehicle motion.
3Measurement precision
If multiple road height measurements are not filtered, then the data processing is fast, but the final estimation contains noise and inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies continuous filtering to multiple road height measurements to eliminate noise and inaccuracies. The controller processes a series of measurements over time, using filtering algorithms to maintain continuous accurate estimation while accounting for the computational time required.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an apparatus and method for estimating a road profile for a vehicle. The apparatus includes a camera, processors, and a controller. The processors are configured to obtain a state of the vehicle including a behavior of the vehicle, and obtain a road height from information provided by the camera. The controller is configured to estimate the road profile by changing coordinates of the camera according to the behavior of the vehicle based on a vehicle height, compensating for the road height and a recognition road distance, and matching and filtering multiple road heights.