DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle environment detection system adapted to be mounted in an ego vehicle and comprising at least one vehicle environment sensor arrangement and a main control unit. The vehicle environment detection system is arranged to detect and track at least one oncoming vehicle.

Today, vehicle environment detection systems, such as for example camera systems, Doppler radar systems and Lidar (Light detection and ranging) systems, can be mounted on a vehicle in order to detect objects in order to implement automated vehicle systems such as speed control and collision prevention.

Radar systems are arranged to produce output comprising a series of reflection points as measured by radar sensors. These reflection points can be treated as separate detections or grouped as tracked objects, providing a common motion state for an extended object.

There are previously known vehicle occupant safety systems which detect side-impacts before the actual crash. In the case that it has been determined that a crash is imminent, vehicle occupants can for example be pushed towards the middle of the car.

To avoid false positives, a sensor used for this purpose has to robustly classify tracks as oncoming or crossing traffic, especially in curves.

US 8, 847, 792 discloses estimating the risk of an impact of an oncoming vehicle based on the movement amount of a radar reflection point on the oncoming vehicle when the reflection point varies in a vehicle width direction from the left front end toward the right front end of an oncoming vehicle. The acquired data is used for determination of the possibility of collision with an oncoming vehicle, on a curved road or the like.

It is, however, desired to provide a vehicle radar system that is adapted to classify tracks as oncoming or crossing traffic, especially in curves in an accurate, efficient and reliable manner, which also is an object of the present disclosure. In the case of oncoming traffic, it is determined whether an oncoming vehicle will collide with an ego vehicle.

Said object is achieved by means of a vehicle environment detection system adapted to be mounted in an ego vehicle and comprising at least one vehicle environment sensor arrangement and a main control unit. The vehicle environment detection system is arranged to detect and track at least one oncoming vehicle, and to determine whether the ego vehicle has entered a curve. When the vehicle environment detection system has determined that the ego vehicle has entered a curve, for each tracked oncoming vehicle, the main control unit is arranged to perform the following:

- Determine a common curve with a radius along which common curve the ego vehicle is assumed to travel.

- Determine a measured oncome direction of said tracked oncoming vehicle on the common curve, corresponding to an oncome angle with respect to a predetermined axis.

- Determine a difference angle between said measured oncome direction and an oncome direction corresponding to if the oncoming vehicle would be moving along the common curve.

- Compare the difference angle with a threshold angle.

- Determine that the oncoming vehicle is crossing if the difference angle has been determined to exceed the threshold angle. Said object is also achieved by means of a method for detecting oncoming vehicles relative an ego vehicle. The method comprises: Detecting and tracking at least one oncoming vehicle and determining whether the ego vehicle has entered a curve.

When it has been determined that the ego vehicle has entered a curve, for each tracked oncoming vehicle, the method further comprises determining a common curve with a radius, along which common curve the ego vehicle is assumed to travel, and determining a measured oncome direction of said tracked oncoming vehicle on the common curve, corresponding to an oncome angle with respect to a predetermined axis. The method then comprises determining a difference angle between said measured oncome direction and an oncome direction corresponding to if the oncoming vehicle would be moving along the common curve, comparing the difference angle with a threshold angle, and finally determining that the oncoming vehicle is crossing if the difference angle has been determined to exceed the threshold angle.

A number of advantages are obtained by means of the present disclosure. Mainly, a vehicle radar system is provided that determines whether an oncoming vehicle will collide with an ego vehicle in a more accurate, efficient and reliable manner, than previously described.

According to some aspects, for each tracked oncoming vehicle that has been determined to be crossing, one or more safety measures is/are applied.

According to some aspects, the main control unit is arranged to calculate the difference angle according to δ = 9 _tr ac _k - a, where Gtrac _k is said oncome angle and a is a calculated oncome angle corresponding to if the oncoming vehicle would be moving along the common curve. The main control unit is arranged to calculate the calculated oncome angle according to where D is a position between a reference point with respect to the ego vehicle and detected oncoming position, which both are adjusted to be positioned on the common curve. y _e ^' _go is an angular rotational velocity around said reference point, and v is an ego vehicle velocity.

According to some aspects, when the vehicle environment detection system has determined that the ego vehicle has entered a curve, the main control unit is arranged to increase the threshold angle stepwise from a first threshold angle to a second threshold angle. This is performed in a in a step-wise manner according to:

\ Yego J where t _cyc is the time for each radar cycle, i is an increasing step index indicating that the current value always is calculated based on the value of the last cycle, and Yego is ^an angular rotational velocity for the ego vehicle. The second threshold angle exceeds the first threshold angle.

In this manner, the reliability of the vehicle environment detection system is increased. According to some aspects, when the vehicle environment detection system has determined that the ego vehicle has left said curve, the threshold angle is step-wise reduced to the first threshold angle.

Other aspects of the present disclosure are disclosed in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will now be described more in detail with reference to the appended drawings, where:

Figure 1 shows a schematic top view of an ego vehicle; Figure 2 shows a schematic top view of an ego vehicle and an oncoming vehicle according to a first example;

Figure 3 shows a schematic top view of an ego vehicle and an oncoming vehicle according to a second example; and

Figure 4 shows a flowchart for a method according to the present disclosure .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 schematically shows a top view of an ego vehicle 1 arranged to run at an ego vehicle velocity v on a road 2 in a forward over-ground movement direction F, in the following referred to as ego direction F, where the ego vehicle 1 comprises a vehicle radar system 3. The vehicle radar system 3 comprises a radar sensor arrangement 4 that is arranged to distinguish and/or resolve single targets from the surroundings by transmitting signals 6 and receiving reflected signals 7 and using a Doppler effect in a previously well-known manner. The vehicle radar system 3 further comprises a main control unit 8 that is connected to the radar sensor arrangement 4 and is arranged to provide radial velocity and azimuth angles of possible target objects 5 by simultaneously sampling and analyzing phase and amplitude of the received signals 7.

The reflected signals 7 correspond to radar detections, where the main control unit 8 comprises a tracking function that is arranged to group these radar detections as tracked objects, providing a common motion state for an extended detected object.

The ego vehicle 1 has a center of mass 10 and an angular rotational velocity Y _ego around the center of mass 10, and the radar sensor arrangements 4 has a certain relation to the center of mass 10. In order to detect an ego direction angle Y _eg o , that corresponds to the ego direction F, and the corresponding rotational velocity Y _eg ^' _o , a yaw sensor device 20 is connected to the main control unit 8.

The radar sensor arrangement is positioned in the origin of a corresponding coordinate system 11, and is positioned at a distance y _sen along a y-axis of the coordinate system 11 from the center of mass 10, and at a distance x _sen along an x-axis of the coordinate system 11 from the center of mass 10. With reference also to Figure 2, the ego vehicle 1 runs in the ego direction F on the road 2, and the vehicle radar system 3 tracks a detected object in the form of an oncoming vehicle 9. The tracking function is arranged to determine over-ground speed of the oncoming vehicle 9 in the form of perpendicular velocity components v _xtr ac _k , v _ytrack as: where v _re i _x , v _re i _y is the detected relative velocity of the oncoming vehicle 9, v _egoX is the movement of the radar sensor arrangement 4 resulting from the center of mass 10 of the ego vehicle 1, Ysen- Yego r ^x s en " Yego is the movement of the radar sensor arrangement 4 resulting from a rotational movement around the center of mass 10.

The oncoming vehicle 9 has a detected oncoming position 14 and a measured oncome direction 13 according to an oncome angle 9 _{t r} ack with respect to the x-axis, which oncome angle 9 _{t r} ack is calculated as :

„ ^xtrack

^track— ^{atan ~}

ytrack

In Figure 2, the measured oncome direction 13 and the ego direction F' are shifted to correspond with that the vehicles 1, 9 are positioned on a common curve 12 with a certain curve radius R. The center of mass 10 of the ego vehicle 1 is shifted to an adjusted center of mass 10' and the oncoming vehicle 9 is shifted to an adjusted detected oncoming position 14' which both are positioned on the common curve 12. This does not affect the oncome angle 9 _t rack - According to the present disclosure, the main control unit 8 is arranged to determine whether the ego vehicle 1 travels in a curve 17 by detecting if the angular rotational velocity Y _ego exceeds a certain threshold, according to some aspects 2 deg/s. If that is the case, the main control unit 8 is arranged to determine a calculated oncome direction 13' that the oncoming vehicle 9 would have if it is moving along the common curve 12. The calculated oncome direction 13' corresponds to a direction the ego vehicle 1 would follow when it had travelled to the position of the oncoming vehicle 9 along the common curve 12. The calculated oncome direction 13' has a certain calculated oncome angle a relative the ego direction F' ' in the position of the oncoming vehicle 9, and the calculated oncome angle a is thus the angle that the ego direction F would be shifted when the ego vehicle 1 has travelled to the position of the oncoming vehicle 9 along the common curve 12.

The main control unit 8 is then arranged to calculate a difference angle δ between the measured oncome direction 13 and the calculated oncome direction 13' such that it can be established how much the oncome direction 13 differ from the calculated oncome direction 13' that corresponds to if the oncoming vehicle is moving on the same common curve 12 as the ego vehicle 1. The difference angle δ thus constitutes a difference between the oncome angle 9 _tr ac _k and the calculated oncome angle a. If the difference angle δ exceeds a certain threshold angle 9 _max , the oncoming vehicle 9 is determined to be crossing . With reference to Figure 2 and Figure 3, showing a first example and a second example, respectively, it will now be explained how the calculated oncome direction 13' and the calculated oncome angle a are determined. For the calculated oncome direction 13' it is assumed that both vehicles 1, 9 move along the common curve 12. In order to obtain the calculated oncome angle a, a triangle between a common curve middle-point 15, the adjusted detected oncoming position 14', and the adjusted center of mass 10' is formed. This triangle is divided into two isosceles 90 ° -triangles . A distance D between the detected oncoming position 14 and the adjusted center of mass 10 is known and assumed to be the same as a distance between the adjusted detected oncoming position 14' and the adjusted center of mass 10'; a short side of one 90°-triangle is then D/2.

The common curve radius R is calculated by using the ego vehicle velocity v and the angular rotational velocity Y _eg ^' _o according to:

R = (3)

Yego where trigonometry together with equation (3) yields

D D

a ^~ 2

sin— =— 2 (4)

2 R v

Yego

As a result,

D ^■ γ ₍ ego

= 2 ^■ arc sin (5)

2 ^■ v

In Figure 2, the oncome angle 9 _{t r} ack equals the calculated oncome angle a, such that the difference angle δ equals zero. In this example, both vehicles 1, 9 move in the common curve 12.

In Figure 3, the oncome angle θ' track does not equal the calculated oncome angle a such that there is a certain difference angle δ

⁼ θ' track ^~ CX.

It is thus determined how much the actual measured moving direction of the oncoming vehicle 9 differs from the moving direction corresponding to if the oncoming vehicle 9 would be moving along the common curve 12. In order to determine whether the oncoming vehicle 9 should be determined to be crossing or not, i.e. whether the difference angle δ exceeds a threshold or not. If the oncoming vehicle 9 is determined to be crossing, suitable safety measure are taken; for example emergency braking, emergency steering and pushing vehicle occupants towards the middle of the ego vehicle 1, suitably by means of one or more airbags.

According to some aspects, the threshold angle 9 _max is adaptive, such that in straight driving situations, a first threshold angle 9 _max i is used, and in curves a second threshold angle 9 _maX 2 is used, where the second threshold angle 9 _maX 2 exceeds the first threshold angle 9 _max i . According to some aspects, the first threshold angle 9 _max i is about 35°, and the second threshold angle 9 _maX 2 is about 45°.

For this purpose the main control unit 8 is arranged to determine whether the ego vehicle 1 travels in a curve or not by detecting if the angular rotational velocity Yego exceeds a certain threshold Yegomax r according to some aspects 2 deg/s, as mentioned previously. According to some aspects, If Y _e g ^' ₀ — Yegomax r the main control unit 8 is arranged to increase the threshold angle 9 _max stepwise from the first threshold angle 9 _max i to the second threshold angle 9 _maX 2 in a step-wise manner according to:

Yego J where t _cyc is the time for each radar cycle, where i is an increasing step index indicating that the current value always is calculated based on the value of the last cycle. When the main control unit 8 determines that Y _eg ^' _o < Yego ax _> the threshold angle 9 _max is step-wise reduced to the first threshold angle 9 _max i . Each subsequent step-wise change is according to some aspects performed for each subsequent radar cycle.

In this context, a radar cycle is one observation phase during which the vehicle radar system 3 is arranged to acquire data, process said data on several signal processing levels and to send out available results. This can be a fixed time interval, or it can be a dynamic time interval depending on environment conditions and processing load. With reference to Figure 4, the present disclosure also relates to a method for detecting oncoming vehicles relative an ego vehicle (1), where the method comprises:

41: Detecting and tracking at least one oncoming vehicle 9. 42: Determining whether the ego vehicle 1 has entered a curve 17.

When it has been determined that the ego vehicle 1 has entered a curve 17, for each tracked oncoming vehicle 9, the method further comprises:

43: Determining a common curve 12 with a radius R, along which common curve 12 the ego vehicle 1 is assumed to travel.

44: Determining a measured oncome direction 13, 13' of said tracked oncoming vehicle 9 on the common curve 16, corresponding to an oncome angle 9 _track with respect to a predetermined axis x.

45: Determining a difference angle δ between said measured oncome direction 13, 13' and an oncome direction 13 corresponding to if the oncoming vehicle 9 would be moving along the common curve

12.

46: Comparing the difference angle δ with a threshold angle 9 _max . 47: Determining that the oncoming vehicle 9 is crossing if the difference angle δ has been determined to exceed the threshold angle 9 _max . According to some aspects, for each tracked oncoming vehicle 9 that has been determined to be crossing, the method comprises applying one or more safety measures.

The present disclosure is not limited to the examples above, but may vary freely within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the vehicle radar system 3 is comprised in a vehicle environment detection system 40. Generally, the present disclosure is related to a vehicle environment detection system 40 arranged for any suitable environment detection technology, for example radar as in the examples above, but also Lidar (Light detection and ranging) and/or image detection are conceivable. According to some aspects, when a yaw sensor device is present, the yaw sensor device 20 is comprised in the vehicle environment detection system 40.

The vehicle environment detection system 40 generally comprises one or more environment detection sensor arrangements 4.

The main control unit 8 comprises one or more control unit parts which according to some aspects are combined, adjacent or distributed. One or more of such control unit parts are according to some aspects comprised in the vehicle environment detection system 40.

Instead of center of mass, any suitable reference point on the ego vehicle 1 can be used and adjusted to lie on the common curve 12. The orientation of the coordinates and the coordinate system may have many suitable configurations, generally there is a predetermined axis with reference to which the ego direction F is determined.

Generally, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle environment detection system 40 adapted to be mounted in an ego vehicle 1 and comprising at least one vehicle environment sensor arrangement 4 and a main control unit 8, where the vehicle environment detection system 40 is arranged to detect and track at least one oncoming vehicle 9, where the vehicle environment detection system 40 is arranged to determine whether the ego vehicle 1 has entered a curve 17. When the vehicle environment detection system 40 has determined that the ego vehicle 1 has entered a curve 17, for each tracked oncoming vehicle 9, the main control unit 8 is arranged to:

- determine a common curve 12 with a radius R, along which common curve 12 the ego vehicle 1 is assumed to travel;

- determine a measured oncome direction 13, 13' of said tracked oncoming vehicle 9 on the common curve 16, corresponding to an oncome angle 9 _tr ac _k with respect to a predetermined axis x;

- determine a difference angle δ between said measured oncome direction 13, 13' and an oncome direction 13 corresponding to if the oncoming vehicle 9 would be moving along the common curve 12;

- compare the difference angle δ with a threshold angle 9 _max ; and

- determine that the oncoming vehicle 9 is crossing if the difference angle δ has been determined to exceed the threshold angle 9 _max . According to some aspects, for each tracked oncoming vehicle 9 that has been determined to be crossing, the main control unit 8 is arranged to apply one or more safety measures. According to some aspects, the vehicle environment detection system 40 comprises a yaw sensor device 20 that is connected to the main control unit 8 and is arranged to enable the main control unit 8 to determine an ego direction F along which the ego vehicle 1 travels and to determine whether the ego vehicle 1 has entered a curve 17.

According to some aspects, the main control unit 8 is arranged to calculate the difference angle δ according to δ = 9 _tr ac _k - a, where 9 _tr ac _k is said oncome angle and a is a calculated oncome angle corresponding to if the oncoming vehicle 9 would be moving along the common curve 12, where the main control unit 8 is arranged to calculate the calculated oncome angle a according to

\ ^{D ■} Yego]

a = 2 ^■ arc sin

2 ^■ v where D is a position between a reference point 10' with respect to the ego vehicle and detected oncoming position 14' which both are adjusted to be positioned on the common curve 12, y _e ^' _go is an angular rotational velocity Y _ego around said reference point 10', and v is an ego vehicle velocity.

According to some aspects, said reference point 10' is an adjusted center of mass 10 of the ego vehicle 1, and that the angular rotational velocity Y _ego is defined around said center of mass 10.

According to some aspects, when the vehicle environment detection system 40 has determined that the ego vehicle 1 has entered a curve 17, the main control unit 8 is arranged to increase the threshold angle 9 _max stepwise from a first threshold angle 9 _max i to a second threshold angle 9 _maX 2 in a step-wise manner according to:

V Yego where t _cyc is the time for each radar cycle, i is an increasing step index indicating that the current value always is calculated based on the value of the last cycle, Yego is ^an angular rotational velocity for the ego vehicle 1, and where the second threshold angle 9 _maX 2 exceeds the first threshold angle 9 _max i .

According to some aspects, when the vehicle environment detection system 40 has determined that the ego vehicle 1 has left said curve 17, the threshold angle 9 _max is step-wise reduced to the first threshold angle 9 _max i .

According to some aspects, the vehicle environment detection system 40 comprises at least one of a radar system 3, a Lidar (Light detection and ranging) system and/or an image detection system.

Generally, the present disclosure also relates to a method for detecting oncoming vehicles relative an ego vehicle 1, where the method comprises:

41: detecting and tracking at least one oncoming vehicle 9; and 42: determining whether the ego vehicle 1 has entered a curve 17.

When it has been determined that the ego vehicle 1 has entered a curve 17, for each tracked oncoming vehicle 9, the method further comprises:

43: determining a common curve 12 with a radius R, along which common curve 12 the ego vehicle 1 is assumed to travel; 44: determining a measured oncome direction 13, 13' of said tracked oncoming vehicle 9 on the common curve 16, corresponding to an oncome angle 9 _tr ack with respect to a predetermined axis x; 45: determining a difference angle δ between said measured oncome direction 13, 13' and an oncome direction 13 corresponding to if the oncoming vehicle 9 would be moving along the common curve 12;

46: comparing the difference angle δ with a threshold angle 9 _max ; and

47: determining that the oncoming vehicle 9 is crossing if the difference angle δ has been determined to exceed the threshold angle 9 _max .

According to some aspects, for each tracked oncoming vehicle 9 that has been determined to be crossing, the method comprises applying one or more safety measures.

According to some aspects, the method comprises:

calculating the difference angle δ according to δ =

0track - a, where 9 _tr ack is said oncome angle and a is a calculated oncome angle corresponding to if the oncoming vehicle 9 would be moving along the common curve 12; and

calculating the calculated oncome angle a according to where D is a position between a reference point 10' with respect to the ego vehicle and detected oncoming position 14' which both are adjusted to be positioned on the common curve 12, y _e ^' _go is an angular rotational velocity Y _ego around said reference point 10', and v is an ego vehicle velocity. According to some aspects, said reference point 10' is an adjusted center of mass 10 of the ego vehicle 1, and that the angular rotational velocity Y _ego is defined around said center of mass 10.

According to some aspects, when it has been determined that the ego vehicle 1 has entered a curve 17, the method comprises increasing the threshold angle 9 _max stepwise from a first threshold angle 9 _max i to a second threshold angle 9 _maX 2 in a step- wise manner according to: 2 ^■ toy

V Yego where t _cyc is the time for each radar cycle, i is an increasing step index indicating that the current value always is calculated based on the value of the last cycle, y _e ^' _go is an angular rotational velocity for the ego vehicle 1, and where the second threshold angle 9 _maX 2 exceeds the first threshold angle 9 _max i .

According to some aspects, when it has been determined that the ego vehicle 1 has left said curve 17, the method comprises step ^¬ wise reducing the threshold angle 9 _max to the first threshold angle 9 _maxi .