阅读说明：本技术 大型自主车辆的传感器集成 (Sensor integration for large autonomous vehicles ) 是由 W.格罗斯曼 B.皮策 于 2018-12-20 设计创作，主要内容包括：该技术涉及用于在位置之间运输货物和/或人的自主车辆。分布式传感器布置可能不适用于诸如大型卡车、公共汽车或施工车辆(100、120)的车辆。侧视镜组件(300、320)被提供,其包括不同类型的传感器的成套传感器,所述不同类型的传感器包括LIDAR、雷达、照相机等(400、402、404、406)。每个侧面组件通过安装元件(304、324)牢固地固定到车辆。组件内的传感器可以相对于壳体的公共轴线或物理点(409)对准或布置。这可以对壳体中的所有传感器进行自参考校准。车辆高度校准也可以在车辆左侧和右侧上的传感器之间执行。每个侧视镜组件可以包括导管(234、410),该导管向壳体中的传感器提供电力、数据和冷却中的一个或更多个。(The technology relates to autonomous vehicles for transporting cargo and/or people between locations. The distributed sensor arrangement may not be suitable for use in vehicles such as large trucks, buses, or construction vehicles (100, 120). A side view mirror assembly (300, 320) is provided that includes a suite of sensors of different types including LIDAR, radar, camera, etc. (400, 402, 404, 406). Each side assembly is fixedly secured to the vehicle by a mounting member (304, 324). The sensors within the assembly may be aligned or arranged relative to a common axis or physical point (409) of the housing. This allows self-referencing calibration of all sensors in the housing. Vehicle height calibration may also be performed between sensors on the left and right sides of the vehicle. Each side view mirror assembly may include a conduit (234, 410) that provides one or more of power, data, and cooling to a sensor in the housing.)

1. A side sensor assembly for use on a truck or bus operable in an autonomous driving mode, the side sensor assembly comprising:

a housing having one or more exterior surfaces, at least one of which includes a side view mirror thereon, and an inner container;

a mounting element having a first end and a second end remote from the first end, the first end coupled to the housing along one or more mounting points, the second end configured to securely fix the housing to the truck or bus;

a plurality of sensors housed in the inner container of the housing, the plurality of sensors including a pair of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, a first of the pair of LIDAR sensors being a long-range LIDAR having a detection range of at least 50 meters and a second of the pair of LIDAR sensors being a short-range LIDAR having a detection range of no more than 50 meters; and

a conduit housed within the mounting element, the conduit providing one or more of a power line, a data line, and a cooling line to the plurality of sensors housed within the housing and configured to connect to one or more operating systems of the truck or the bus.

2. The side sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the long-range LIDAR is disposed along a first end of the inner container and the short-range LIDAR is disposed along a second end of the inner container opposite the long-range LIDAR; and

when the mounting element is secured to the truck or bus, the long-range LIDAR is positioned closer to a roof of the truck or bus than the short-range LIDAR, such that the long-range LIDAR has a field of view that extends through a front hood of the truck or bus during operation.

3. The side sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors further comprises at least one of a radar sensor and a camera sensor disposed between the long-range LIDAR and the short-range LIDAR within the inner container.

4. The side sensor assembly of claim 3, wherein the at least one radar sensor comprises a plurality of radar sensors arranged to provide overlapping fields of view along the sides of the truck or bus during operation.

5. The side sensor assembly of claim 3, wherein the at least one camera sensor comprises a plurality of cameras arranged to provide overlapping fields of view along the sides of the truck or bus during operation.

6. The side sensor assembly of claim 3, wherein the plurality of sensors further comprises at least one inertial sensor disposed between the long-range LIDAR and the short-range LIDAR within the inner container.

7. The side sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors housed within the inner receptacle of the housing are fixed within the housing relative to a common axis or physical reference point of the housing.

8. The side sensor assembly of claim 7, wherein said plurality of sensors are co-calibrated with respect to said common axis or said physical reference point.

9. The side sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the side sensor assembly comprises a pair of side sensor assemblies, each having a respective housing, mounting element, plurality of sensors, and conduit, a first one of the pair of side sensor assemblies configured to be secured to a left side of the truck or bus and a second one of the pair of side sensor assemblies configured to be secured to a right side of the truck or bus.

10. A vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous driving mode, the vehicle comprising:

a driving system configured to perform a driving operation;

a sensing system configured to detect objects in an environment surrounding the vehicle; and

a control system operatively coupled to the driving system and the perception system, the control system having one or more computer processors configured to receive data from the perception system and to direct the driving system while operating in the autonomous driving mode;

wherein the sensing system comprises a pair of side sensor assemblies attached to opposite sides of the vehicle, each side sensor assembly comprising:

a housing having one or more exterior surfaces, at least one of which includes a side view mirror thereon, and an inner container;

a mounting element having a first end and a second end remote from the first end, the first end coupled to the housing along one or more mounting points, the second end configured to securely fix the housing to a corresponding side of the vehicle;

a plurality of sensors housed in the inner container of the housing, the plurality of sensors including a pair of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, a first of the pair of LIDAR sensors being a long-range LIDAR having a detection range of at least 50 meters and a second of the pair of LIDAR sensors being a short-range LIDAR having a detection range of no more than 50 meters; and

a conduit housed within the mounting element, the conduit providing one or both of power and data lines to the plurality of sensors housed within the housing and being connected to one or more operating systems of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein:

the long-range LIDAR is disposed along a first end of the inner container and the short-range LIDAR is disposed along a second end of the inner container opposite the long-range LIDAR; and

the long-range LIDAR is positioned closer to a roof of the vehicle than the short-range LIDAR such that the long-range LIDAR has a field of view that extends through a front hood of the vehicle during operation.

12. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sensors in each side sensor assembly further comprises at least one of a radar sensor and a camera sensor disposed between the long-range LIDAR and the short-range LIDAR within the inner container.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the plurality of sensors in each side sensor assembly further comprises at least one inertial sensor disposed between the long-range LIDAR and the short-range LIDAR within the inner container.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the at least one inertial sensor in each side sensor assembly provides redundancy to the at least one inertial sensor in the other side sensor assembly.

15. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sensors housed within the inner container of the housing are fixed within the housing relative to a common axis or a physical reference point of the housing.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the plurality of sensors in each side sensor assembly are co-calibrated with respect to the common axis or the physical reference point of the side sensor assembly.

17. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sensors in each side sensor assembly are calibrated with respect to the other side sensor assembly.

18. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the vehicle is one of a truck, bus, or construction vehicle.

19. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the autonomous driving mode is a level 4 or level 5 autonomous operating mode.

20. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the conduit further provides a cooling line to the plurality of sensors housed within the housing.

Technical Field

Background

Autonomous vehicles, such as vehicles that do not require a human driver, may be used to assist in transporting passengers, cargo, or other items from one location to another. Such vehicles may operate in a fully autonomous mode or a partially autonomous mode in which a person in the vehicle may provide some driving input. To assist driving in an autonomous mode, one or more sets of sensors are used to detect features and objects in the vehicle's surroundings. The sensors may be placed at various locations around the vehicle to gather information about the surrounding environment. However, there may be concerns regarding the placement of such sensors and the cost of assembling these sensors for large vehicles.

Disclosure of Invention

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a sensor tower assembly that is particularly beneficial for trucks, buses, construction equipment, and other large vehicles. The assembly co-locates various types of sensors in an integrated housing. The integrated housing is securely affixed to the side of the large vehicle in a manner that provides an enhanced field of view for the sensor. In one example, an integrated housing adds or replaces the side view mirror housing. The conduit provides power, control, and cooling/heating for the various sensors and returns acquired sensor information from the sensors to the control system of the vehicle so that it can operate in an autonomous or semi-autonomous mode.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a side sensor assembly is provided for use on a truck or bus capable of operating in an autonomous driving mode. The side sensor assembly includes a housing, a mounting member, a plurality of sensors, and a conduit. The housing has one or more exterior surfaces and an interior receptacle. At least one of the one or more exterior surfaces includes a side view mirror thereon. The mounting member has a first end and a second end distal from the first end. The first end is coupled to the housing along one or more mounting points. The second end is configured to securely fasten the housing to a truck or bus. The plurality of sensors are housed within an inner container of the housing. The plurality of sensors includes a pair of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors. A first one of the pair of LIDAR sensors is a long-range LIDAR having a detection range of at least 50 meters, and a second one of the pair of LIDAR sensors is a short-range LIDAR having a detection range of no more than 50 meters. The conduit is housed within the mounting element. The conduit provides one or more of power, data, and cooling lines to a plurality of sensors housed within the housing and is configured for connection to one or more operating systems of a truck or bus.

In one example, the long-range LIDAR is disposed along a first end of the inner container, and the short-range LIDAR is disposed along a second end of the inner container opposite the long-range LIDAR. When the mounting element is secured to the truck or bus, the long-range LIDAR is positioned closer to a roof of the truck or bus than the short-range LIDAR, such that the long-range LIDAR has a field of view that extends through a front hood of the truck or bus during operation.

In another example, the plurality of sensors further includes at least one of a radar sensor and a camera sensor disposed between the long-range LIDAR and the short-range LIDAR within the inner container. Here, the at least one radar sensor may comprise a plurality of radar sensors arranged to provide overlapping fields of view along the sides of the truck or bus during operation. The at least one camera sensor may comprise a plurality of cameras arranged to provide overlapping fields of view along the sides of the truck or bus during operation. The plurality of sensors may also include at least one inertial sensor disposed between the long-range LIDAR and the short-range LIDAR within the inner container.

In yet another example, the plurality of sensors housed within the inner container of the housing are fixed within the housing relative to a common axis or physical reference point of the housing. In this case, the plurality of sensors may be co-calibrated with respect to a common axis or physical reference point.

In yet another example, the side sensor assembly includes a pair of side sensor assemblies. Each of the pair of side sensor assemblies has a respective housing, a mounting element, a plurality of sensors, and a conduit. A first one of the pair of side sensor assemblies is configured to be secured to a left side of a truck or bus and a second one of the pair of side sensor assemblies is configured to be secured to a right side of the truck or bus.

According to a further aspect of the disclosure, a vehicle is configured to operate in an autonomous driving mode. The vehicle includes: a driving system configured to perform a driving operation; a sensing system configured to detect objects in an environment surrounding the vehicle; and a control system. The control system is operatively coupled to the driving system and the perception system. The control system has one or more computer processors configured to receive data from the perception system and direct the driving system while operating in the autonomous driving mode. The sensing system includes a pair of side sensor assemblies attached to opposite sides of the vehicle. Each side sensor assembly includes a housing, a mounting member, a plurality of sensors, and a conduit. The housing has one or more exterior surfaces and an interior receptacle. At least one of the one or more exterior surfaces includes a side view mirror thereon. The mounting member has a first end and a second end distal from the first end. The first end is coupled to the housing along one or more mounting points. The second end is configured to securely fix the housing to a corresponding side of the vehicle. The plurality of sensors are housed within an inner container of the housing. The plurality of sensors includes a pair of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors. A first one of the pair of LIDAR sensors is a long-range LIDAR having a detection range of at least 50 meters, and a second one of the pair of LIDAR sensors is a short-range LIDAR having a detection range of no more than 50 meters. The conduit is housed within the mounting element. The conduit provides one or both of power and data lines to the plurality of sensors housed within the housing and is connected to one or more operating systems of the vehicle.

In one example, the long-range LIDAR is disposed along a first end of the inner container and the short-range LIDAR is disposed along a second end of the inner container opposite the long-range LIDAR. Here, the long-range LIDAR is positioned closer to a roof of the vehicle than the short-range LIDAR, such that the long-range LIDAR has a field of view that extends through a front hood of the vehicle during operation.

In another example, the plurality of sensors in each side sensor assembly further includes at least one of a radar sensor and a camera sensor disposed between the long-range LIDAR and the short-range LIDAR within the inner container. In this case, the plurality of sensors in each side sensor assembly may further include at least one inertial sensor disposed between the long-range LIDAR and the short-range LIDAR within the inner container. The at least one inertial sensor in each side sensor assembly may provide redundancy to the at least one inertial sensor in the other side sensor assembly.

In another example, the plurality of sensors housed within the inner container of the housing are fixed within the housing relative to a common axis or physical reference point of the housing. Here, the plurality of sensors in each side sensor assembly are co-aligned with respect to a common axis or physical reference point of the side sensor assembly.

According to another example, the plurality of sensors in each side sensor assembly are calibrated with respect to another side sensor assembly. In yet another example, the vehicle is one of a truck, bus, or construction vehicle. In another example, the autonomous driving mode is a level 4 or level 5 autonomous operating mode. And in another example, the conduit also provides a cooling line to the plurality of sensors housed within the housing.

Drawings

Fig. 1A-1B illustrate an example tractor-trailer for use with a sensor tower according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1C-1D illustrate an example bus used with a sensor tower according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system diagram of an autonomous vehicle, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3A-3B are example sensor assembly configurations in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4A-4D illustrate an arrangement of a sensor and catheter having the sensor assembly configuration of fig. 3A-3B, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is an example of short-range LIDAR and long-range LIDAR coverage for a large vehicle in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is an example of radar or camera coverage for a large vehicle according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The technology relates to autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles for transporting cargo and/or people between locations. Unlike passenger cars, large trucks, buses, and construction equipment often do not provide good 360 visibility from a single vantage point. For example, fig. 1A-1B illustrate an example truck 100, and fig. 1C-1D illustrate an example bus 120. The truck 100 may be, for example, a single tractor-trailer, a double tractor-trailer, or a triple tractor-trailer, or other medium or heavy duty trucks, such as medium or heavy duty trucks having a weight rating of 4 to 8. Bus 120 may be, for example, a school bus, a mini-bus, a tram, a coach, a double bus, etc. In one example, a large vehicle may be longer than 8-10 meters. In another example, a large vehicle may not exceed the length of a three-tractor trailer. Smaller or larger vehicles may also employ the sensor technology discussed herein.

Such large vehicles may have multiple blind spots on the sides and rear. Placing the sensors on the top of a truck cab or trailer or on the top of a bus may not solve the blind spot problem and may or may not be feasible. For example, given the height of such vehicles, it may be impractical to place sensors on the roof or roof due to low-spaced bridges, underground tunnels, stereo parking, etc. This may limit the available routes for the vehicle. Maintenance or repair of sensors placed on top of large vehicles can also be difficult.

One way to address some of the blind spot problems is via a side view mirror assembly. Side view mirror assemblies on large trucks and buses may be placed toward the front of the vehicle. These components may be secured by one or more bracket elements and protrude from the vehicle to the side and/or front, as shown, for example, in the top views of fig. 1B and 1D. The incorporation of various sensor components into the side-view mirror assembly provides a good field of view for an autonomous or semi-autonomous driving system at a favorable elevation. Details of this arrangement are provided below.

Different degrees of autonomy may occur in a partially autonomous driving system or a fully autonomous driving system. The national highway traffic safety administration and the society of automotive engineers have established different levels to dictate how much the vehicle controls driving. For example, level 0 is not autonomous, and the driver makes all driving-related decisions. The lowest semi-autonomous mode, level 1, includes some driving assistance, such as cruise control. Level 2 has partial autonomy for certain driving operations, while level 3 relates to conditional autonomy, which may enable the person in the driver's seat to control as desired. In contrast, level 4 is a high autonomy level, where the vehicle can be driven under selected conditions without assistance. Level 5 is a fully autonomous mode in which the vehicle can be driven in all situations without assistance. The architectures, components, systems, and methods described herein may operate in any of a semi-autonomous molding or fully autonomous mode, e.g., levels 1-5, which are referred to herein as an "autonomous" driving mode. Thus, references to autonomous driving modes include partially autonomous and fully autonomous.

Example System

Fig. 2 shows a block diagram 200 of various components and systems having n vehicles (such as trucks or buses) capable of operating in a fully autonomous mode of operation or a semi-autonomous mode of operation. As shown in the block diagram, the vehicle may have a control system of one or more computing devices, such as computing device 202 containing one or more processors 204, memory 206, and other components typically found in a general purpose computing device.

The memory 206 stores information accessible to the one or more processors 204, including instructions 208 and data 210 that may be executed or otherwise used by the processor 120. The memory 206 may be of any type capable of storing information accessible by the processor, including computing device readable media. The memory is a non-transitory medium such as a hard drive, memory card, optical disc, solid state memory, tape memory, etc. The system may include different combinations of the foregoing, so that different portions of the instructions and data are stored on different types of media.

The instructions 208 may be any set of instructions to be executed directly (such as machine code) or indirectly (such as scripts) by a processor. For example, the instructions may be stored as computing device code on a computing device readable medium. In this regard, the terms "instructions" and "programs" may be used interchangeably herein. The instructions may be stored in an object code format for direct processing by a processor, or in any other computing device language, including a collection of script or independent source code modules that are interpreted or pre-compiled as needed. The data 210 may be retrieved, stored, or modified by the one or more processors 204 according to the instructions 208. As an example, the data 210 of the memory 206 may store information, such as calibration information, for use in calibrating different types of sensors.

The one or more processors 204 may be any conventional processor, such as a commercially available CPU. Alternatively, one or more processors may be a special purpose device, such as an ASIC or other hardware-based processor. Although fig. 2 functionally shows the processor(s), memory, and other elements of the computing device 202 as being within the same block, such a device may in fact comprise multiple processors, computing devices, or memories that may or may not be stored within the same physical housing. Similarly, the memory 206 may be a hard drive or other storage medium disposed in a housing other than the processor 204. Thus, references to a processor or computing device are to be understood as including references to a collection of processors or computing devices or memories that may or may not operate in parallel.

In one example, the computing device 202 may form an autonomous driving computing system incorporated into the vehicle 100 or 120. The autonomous driving computing system may be capable of communicating with various components of the vehicle. For example, returning to fig. 2, the computing device 202 may communicate with various systems of the vehicle, including a driving system including a deceleration system 212 (for controlling braking of the vehicle), an acceleration system 214 (for controlling acceleration of the vehicle), a steering system 216 (for controlling the orientation of the wheels and the direction of the vehicle), a signal system 218 (for controlling steering signals), a navigation system 220 (for navigating the vehicle to a location or around an object), and a positioning system 222 (for determining the location of the vehicle). Computing device 202 is also operatively coupled to a perception system 224 (for detecting objects in the vehicle environment), a power system 226 (e.g., a battery and/or a gasoline or diesel powered engine), and a transmission system 230 to control movement, speed, etc. of vehicle 100 in accordance with instructions 208 of memory 206 in an autonomous driving mode that does not require or require continuous or periodic input from vehicle occupants. The wheels/tires 228 are coupled to a drive train 230, and the computing device 202 may be capable of receiving information regarding tire pressure, balance, and other factors that may affect driving in an autonomous mode.

The computing device 202 may control the direction and speed of the vehicle by controlling various components. As an example, the computing device 202 may use data from the map information and navigation system 220 to navigate the vehicle to the destination location completely autonomously. The computing device 202 may use the positioning system 222 to determine the location of the vehicle and may use the perception system 224 to detect and respond to objects when safe arrival at the location is desired. To do so, computing device 202 may accelerate the vehicle (e.g., by increasing fuel or other energy provided to the engine by acceleration system 214), decelerate (e.g., by decreasing fuel supplied to the engine by deceleration system 212, changing gears, and/or by applying brakes), change direction (e.g., by turning front or other wheels of vehicle 100 or 120 by steering system 216), and signal such changes (e.g., by illuminating a steering signal of signal system 218). Thus, the acceleration system 214 and the deceleration system 212 may be part of a drivetrain or other drivetrain 230 that includes various components between the engine of the vehicle and the wheels of the vehicle. Also, by controlling these systems, the computing device 202 may also control the driveline 230 of the vehicle, thereby autonomously maneuvering the vehicle.

As an example, the computing device 202 may interact with a deceleration system 212 and an acceleration system 214 to control the speed of the vehicle. Similarly, the steering system 216 may be used by the computing device 202 to control the direction of the vehicle. For example, if the vehicle is configured for use on a roadway, such as a tractor-trailer or a bus, the steering system 216 may include components that control the angle of the wheels to steer the vehicle. The signaling system 218 may be used by the computing device 202 to signal the intent of the vehicle to other drivers or vehicles, for example, by illuminating turn or brake lights, if desired.

The navigation system 220 may be used by the computing device 202 to determine and follow a route to a location. In this regard, the navigation system 220 and/or the data 210 may store map information, such as a highly detailed map that the computing device 202 may use to navigate or control the vehicle. By way of example, these maps may identify the shape and height of roads, lane markings, intersections, crosswalks, speed limits, traffic lights, buildings, signs, real-time traffic information, vegetation, or other such objects and information. The lane markings may include features such as solid or virtual double lane lines or single lane lines, solid or virtual lane lines, mirrors, and the like. A given lane may be associated with left and right lane lines or other lane markings defining lane boundaries. Thus, most lanes may be bounded by the left edge of one lane line and the right edge of another lane line.

The sensing system 224 also includes one or more components for detecting objects external to the vehicle, such as other vehicles, obstacles on the road, traffic signals, signs, trees, and so forth. For example, sensing system 224 may include one or more light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, sonar devices, radar units, cameras, inertial (e.g., gyroscope) sensors, and/or any other detection devices that record data that may be processed by computing device 202. The sensors of the perception system may detect objects and their characteristics such as position, orientation, size, shape, type (e.g., vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist, etc.), direction, speed of movement, and the like. The raw data from the sensors and/or the aforementioned characteristics, when generated by the sensing system 224, may be periodically and continuously sent to the computing device 202 for further processing. The computing device 202 may use the positioning system 222 to determine the location of the vehicle and the sensing system 224 to detect and respond to objects when safe arrival at the location is desired. Additionally, the computing device 202 may perform calibration between individual sensors, all sensors in a particular sensor assembly, or sensors in different sensor assemblies.

As shown in fig. 2, the sensing system 224 includes one or more sensor assemblies 232, which may be arranged as sensor towers integrated into side view mirrors on trucks, buses, or other large vehicles (such as construction equipment). The connecting conduits 234 provide the necessary power, communication, cooling/heating and other connections between a given sensor housing assembly and the vehicle. For example, the data communication bus may provide bi-directional communication between the sensors of the sensor housing assembly and the computing device 202. The power cord may be connected directly or indirectly to the power system 226, or to a separate power source, such as a battery, controlled by the computing device 202. The cooling line may also be coupled to the powertrain 226 or a dedicated cooling system of the vehicle. The cooling may be active (e.g., using a cooling fluid or forced cooled air) or passive. Alternatively, in very cold or cold environments, heat may be applied instead of cooling.

Fig. 3A and 3B show two examples of sensor assemblies. For example, fig. 3A shows a sensor assembly 300 having a housing 302 and a mounting element 304. As shown, the mirror 306 is disposed on an outer surface of the housing 302. FIG. 3B similarly illustrates another sensor assembly 320 having a housing 322 and a mounting element 324. Here, a plurality of mirrors 326a and 326b may be disposed on different outer surfaces of the housing 322. Each housing is configured to store therein various LIDAR sensors, sonar devices, radar units, cameras, inertial and/or gyroscope sensors. The mounting element is configured to securely fix the housing to the vehicle. For example, the mounting element 304 may couple the housing 302 to a cab of a tractor-trailer vehicle, such as the vehicle 100. Mounting elements 324 may couple housing 322 to the side of a bus, such as bus 120. Each side of the vehicle may have a housing 302 or 322 securely mounted thereto.

Fig. 4A shows an example of a housing 302 in which selected sensors are illustrated. For example, the sensors may include a long range narrow field of view (FOV) LIDAR 400 and a short range high FOV LIDAR 402. In one example, the long-range LIDAR 400 may have a range in excess of 50-250 meters, while the short-range LIDAR 402 has a range no greater than 1-50 meters. Alternatively, the short-range LIDAR 402 may typically cover a range of up to 10-15 meters from the vehicle, while the long-range LIDAR 400 may cover a range of over 100 meters. In another example, the long distance is between 10-200 meters and the short distance is between 0-20 meters. In another example, the long distance exceeds 80 meters, and the short distance is below 50 meters. The intermediate range in between (e.g., 10-100 meters) may be covered by one or both of the long-range LIDAR and the short-range LIDAR, or may be covered by a mid-range LIDAR that may also be included in the housing 302. The mid-range LIDAR may be disposed between the long-range LIDAR and the short-range LIDAR and may be aligned about the same common axis or other fixed point, as described below.

A set of cameras 404 may be distributed along the housing 302, for example, to provide a forward facing image, a side facing image, and a rearward facing image. Similarly, a set of radars 406 may be distributed along the housing 302 to provide forward facing data, side facing data, and backward facing data. And sensors 408 may include inertial sensors, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and/or other sensors. Each sensor may be aligned or arranged relative to a common axis 409 or physical point within the housing 302. Examples of these sensors are also shown in fig. 4C. And fig. 4B and 4D illustrate a conduit 410 for providing integrated power, data and cooling to the housing. Although only one conduit 410 is shown, multiple conduits may be provided in each mounting element.

Example implementation

In addition to the structures and configurations described above and illustrated in the drawings, various implementations will now be described.

As noted above, for large trucks, buses, construction equipment, and other vehicles, it may be impractical to place sensors on the roof of the vehicle. The roof may be difficult to access and have side view limitations. In addition, mounting various sensors on the roof may interfere with the aerodynamic roof fairing. While different sensors may be distributed along the front, sides, and rear of the vehicle, this may be expensive and require separate data, power, and/or cooling lines to be provided for each individual sensor. Furthermore, such a solution may be difficult to implement with a conventional vehicle or when the cab of the truck is capable of operating in an autonomous mode but the trailer is a conventional trailer and no sensors are necessary.

Thus, according to one aspect, the sensor housing is integrated into a side view mirror assembly, such as shown in fig. 3A and 3B. The side mirror assembly is very robust and is mounted to the vehicle by mounting member 304 or 324, which mounting member 304 or 324 may be cast metal or other durable material. A sensor, which may weigh above 10kg or more, may be safely secured to the vehicle via the sensor housing. The side view mirror sensor housing can be fitted with a new vehicle or can be easily retrofitted onto an older vehicle chassis.

Assembling the system will include providing a conduit from the sensor housing to the truck cab or vehicle chassis. Gathering the cooling lines, power lines and data lines in a duct or in separate sub-ducts and providing them to one location on the side of the vehicle significantly simplifies the design, reduces component costs and reduces the time and expense of placing the sensors on the vehicle.

Furthermore, the side view mirrors of a semi-truck or bus have a typical height of about 2 meters or more or less, e.g. 1.5-2.5 meters from the ground. This may be a desirable height for LIDAR, radar, cameras and other sensors of integrated sensor towers. And since the side view mirrors of trucks and buses are designed to provide a clear line of sight down the side of the vehicle, the sensors within the housing will enjoy the same visibility. In addition, placing the sensors in the side-view mirror assembly protects them from road debris and wheel splash, since the sensors are at least 1.5-2.5 meters from the ground and are remote from the wheel well.

Integrating the sensor housing as part of the side view mirror has the added benefit of avoiding the conventional side view mirror obscuration. And by conforming to the form factor and position of the side view mirror, the sensor housing will conform to the U.S. national road traffic safety administration and other regulatory agencies regulations regarding the placement of such elements on the exterior of a vehicle. And from a brand perspective, may provide a common appearance for sensor assemblies used by various types of large vehicles.

Although the arrangement of multiple types of sensors in the side-view mirror housing of a large truck or bus may differ from the solution adopted for small passenger vehicles, the new arrangement may also be adopted for sensors designed for passenger vehicles and algorithms for these sensors. For example, the height of the sensor (about 1.5-2.5 meters) is about the height of the sensor located on the roof of a car or sport utility vehicle.

One advantage of co-locating the sensors in the side-view mirror housing is that the hood of the vehicle can be seen from this position and provides a FOV of over 180 ° for sensors such as LIDAR, radar and cameras. Such an example is shown in fig. 5, which shows the coverage 500 of the long-range LIDAR and the short-range LIDAR on both sides of the tractor-trailer.

The long-range LIDAR may be positioned along a top or upper region of the sensor housing 502. For example, the portion of the housing 502 may be located closest to the top of a truck cab or the top of a vehicle. This arrangement allows the long range LIDAR to see the hood of the vehicle. And the short-range LIDAR may be positioned along a bottom region of the sensor housing 502 opposite the long-range LIDAR. This allows the short range LIDAR to cover the area immediately in front of the truck cab or bus. This would allow the perception system to determine whether an object, such as another vehicle, a pedestrian, a cyclist, etc., is near the front of the vehicle and take this information into account when determining how to drive or turn. The two types of LIDAR may be co-located in a housing and aligned along a common axis.

As shown in fig. 5, the long-range LIDAR has fields of view 504 on the left and right sides of the vehicle. These fields of view encompass important areas along the sides and in front of the vehicle. As shown, the overlapping area 506 of their fields of view is in front of the vehicle. For clarity, a space is shown between region 504 and region 506; however, in practice there is no interruption in the coverage area. The short-range LIDARs on the left and right sides have a smaller field of view 508. The overlap area 506 provides additional information to the perception system about the very important area (which is directly in front of the vehicle). This redundancy also has a safety aspect. If the performance of one of the long-range LIDAR sensors degrades, redundancy will still allow operation in autonomous mode.

Fig. 6 shows the coverage 600 of one (or both) of the radar and camera sensors on both sides of the tractor-trailer. Here, there may be multiple radar and/or camera sensors in the sensor housing 602. As shown, there may be a sensor with a side and rear field of view 604 and a sensor with a forward facing field of view 606. The sensors may be arranged such that the side and rear fields of view 604 overlap, and the side field of view may overlap with the forward facing field of view 606. As with the long-range LIDAR described above, the forward-facing field of view 606 also has an overlap region 608. This overlap region provides similar redundancy as overlap region 506 and has the same benefits in the event that the performance of one sensor degrades.

In addition to cost advantages and reduction in installation time, another benefit of co-locating LIDAR, radar, cameras and/or other sensors in the side-view mirror housing relates to calibration. Placing these sensors in the same housing means that they will all be subjected to the same relative movement, as they may be fixed within the housing relative to a common axis or reference point of the housing. This reduces the complexity of calibrating each sensor individually and with respect to other co-located sensors. All sensors in one of the side mirror housings can be calibrated for the entire assembly so that all is referenced to itself. This is easy to achieve, since all sensors in the housing can be mounted firmly with respect to each other.

Further, vehicle height calibration between the left and right lateral sensor housings may be achieved by matching features (e.g., convolution) or other overlapping data points in front of the vehicle. Knowing the position of the feature relative to the vehicle may also allow for external calibration of the system. For sensor subsystems, such as inertial sensor subsystems that may employ redundant sensor sets, a different sensor set may be mounted in each side mirror housing. This has the additional benefit of providing high resolution orientation information for all co-located sensors.

Unless otherwise specified, the foregoing alternative examples are not mutually exclusive and may be implemented in various combinations to achieve unique advantages. As these and other variations and combinations of the features discussed above can be utilized without departing from the subject matter defined by the claims, the foregoing description of the embodiments should be taken by way of illustration rather than by way of limitation of the subject matter defined by the claims. Furthermore, the provision of examples described herein, as well as words expressed in terms of "such as," "including," and the like, should not be construed to limit claimed subject matter to particular examples; rather, these examples are intended to illustrate only one of many possible implementations. Further, the same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present technology enjoys wide industrial applicability including, but not limited to, trucks, buses, construction equipment, and other large vehicles configured to operate in a fully autonomous mode or a semi-autonomous driving mode.