# US 11,999,359 B2 · Vehicular orientation detection system

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- Number: US 11,999,359 B2
- Document ID: US11999359B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/328,286
- Filed: 2017-08-24
- Published: 2021-09-30
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-30
- Assignees: Aichi Steel Corporation
- Applicants: Aichi Steel Corporation
- Inventors: Michiharu Yamamoto; Tomohiko Nagao; Hitoshi Aoyama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11999359B2

## CPC

- B60W 40/10: related to vehicle motion
- G08G 1/042: using inductive or magnetic detectors
- B62D 6/003: {in order to control vehicle yaw movement, i.e. around a vertical axis (B62D6/007 takes precedence)}
- B62D 15/025: {Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation (B62D1/28 takes precedence)}
- E01F 11/00: {Road engineering aspects of} Embedding pads or other sensitive devices in paving or other road surfaces {, e.g. traffic detectors, vehicle-operated pressure-sensitive actuators, devices for monitoring atmospheric or road conditions}(pressure-sensitive elements G01L; traffic control systems G08G)
- G05D 1/0261: {using magnetic plots}
- B60W 30/12: Lane keeping
- B60W 2420/50: Magnetic or electromagnetic sensors
- B60W 2520/06: Direction of travel
- B60W 2540/18: Steering angle
- B60W 2556/45: External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
- G08G 1/167: {Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection}
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)
- E01F: ADDITIONAL WORK, SUCH AS EQUIPPING ROADS OR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLATFORMS, HELICOPTER LANDING STAGES, SIGNS, SNOW FENCES, OR THE LIKE
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES

## Abstract

A vehicular orientation detection system (1) for detecting an orientation of a vehicle (5) traveling a road surface (100S) where magnetic markers (10) are laid includes sensor units (11) which each include a plurality of magnetic sensors arrayed in a vehicle width direction and measure a lateral shift amount with respect to the magnetic markers (10) and a control unit (12) which computes a difference between lateral shift amounts measured with any one of the magnetic markers (10) by front and rear sensor units (11) positioned at two locations separated in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle (5).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicular posture detection system of a vehicle, comprising:
a first magnetic sensor configured to detect a plurality of magnetic markers laid in or on a road surface of a road on which a vehicle is traveling, the first magnetic sensor being located at a first position of the vehicle;
a second magnetic sensor configured to repeatedly perform magnetic marker detection processes with a predetermined period of cycles for detecting the plurality of magnetic markers, the second magnetic sensor being located at a second position of the vehicle, the first position and the second position being separated in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle; and
processing circuitry configured to
calculate a first lateral shift amount of the vehicle with respect to a first magnetic marker of the plurality of magnetic markers using a first detection result of the first magnetic sensor,
set, in response to the first magnetic sensor detecting the first magnetic marker, a temporal duration including a predicted time point when the second magnetic sensor is predicted to detect the first magnetic marker after the first magnetic sensor detecting the first magnetic marker as a detection duration for the second magnetic sensor to detect the first magnetic marker, the temporal duration starting at a start time before the predicted time point and ending at an end time after the predicted time point so that the second sensor detects the first magnetic marker during the temporal duration,
after the first magnetic sensor detecting the first magnetic marker, wait to perform the magnetic marker detection processes with the predetermined period of cycles until the start time for the second magnetic sensor, start controlling the second magnetic sensor to repeatedly perform the magnetic marker detection process with the predetermined period of cycles at the start time, and stop controlling the second magnetic sensor to repeatedly perform the magnetic marker detection process with the predetermined period of cycles at the end time,
calculate a second lateral shift amount of the vehicle with respect to the first magnetic marker using a first detection result of the second magnetic sensor,
calculate a third lateral shift amount of the vehicle with respect to a second magnetic marker of the plurality of magnetic markers using a second detection result of the first magnetic sensor, the second magnetic marker and the first magnetic marker being separated in a route direction of the road,
calculate a first difference between the first lateral shift amount and the third lateral shift amount, the first difference indicating a difference between the route direction of the road and a traveling direction of the vehicle,
determine whether the first difference is smaller than a predetermined threshold, and
in response to determining that the first difference is smaller than the predetermined threshold, calculate, as a vehicle posture which indicates an angle between an axis of a vehicle body of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction and the traveling direction of the vehicle, a second difference between the first lateral shift amount and the second lateral shift amount, and use the calculated second difference for controlling the vehicle.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicular posture detection system according to claim 1, wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to:
obtain a steering angle that indicates a steering direction of a steering wheel equipped in the vehicle,
determine whether a change amount of the steering angle per unit time is smaller than a second predetermined threshold, and
in response to determining that the change amount is smaller than the second predetermined threshold, calculate, as the vehicle posture, the second difference between the first lateral shift amount and the second lateral shift amount.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vehicular posture detection system according to claim 1, wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to:
determine whether a change amount of an angle of the vehicle in a turning direction of the vehicle per unit time is smaller than a second predetermined threshold, and
in response to determining that the change amount is smaller than the second predetermined threshold, calculate, as the vehicle posture, the second difference between the first lateral shift amount and the second lateral shift amount.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The vehicular posture detection system according to claim 2, wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to:
determine whether a second change amount of an angle of the vehicle in a turning direction of the vehicle per unit time is smaller than a third predetermined threshold, and
in response to determining that the second change amount is smaller than the third predetermined threshold, calculate, as the vehicle posture, the second difference between the first lateral shift amount and the second lateral shift amount.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The vehicular posture detection system according to claim 1, wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to:
obtain route data representing a route direction of a traveling road,
obtain a steering angle that indicates a steering direction of a steering wheel equipped in the vehicle,
calculate a degree of coincidence between the route direction represented by the route data and the steering direction corresponding to the steering angle, and
in response to the degree of coincidence being equal to or larger than a second predetermined threshold, calculate, as the vehicle posture, the second difference between the first lateral shift amount and the second lateral shift amount.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The vehicular posture detection system according to claim 1, wherein
the processing circuitry calculates the second difference only when the processing circuitry determines that the first difference is smaller than the predetermined threshold, and
the second difference is not calculated and used for controlling the vehicle when the processing circuitry determines that the first difference is not smaller than the predetermined threshold.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The vehicular posture detection system according to claim 1, wherein
the processing circuitry sets the temporal duration based on a distance between each adjacent magnetic markers of the plurality of magnetic markers and a velocity of the vehicle.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The vehicular posture detection system according to claim 1, wherein
the first magnetic sensor is located at more front side of the vehicle than the second magnetic sensor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The vehicular posture detection system according to claim 1, wherein
the processing circuitry sets the temporal duration based on a distance between each adjacent magnetic markers of the plurality of magnetic markers and a velocity of the vehicle when the first magnetic sensor detects the first magnetic marker.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The vehicular posture detection system according to claim 1, wherein
the processing circuitry sets the temporal duration based on a velocity of the vehicle and a distance between the first magnetic sensor and the second magnetic sensor.