Autonomous setup and takedown of calibration environment for vehicle sensor calibration
AssigneeGM Cruise Holdings LLC
InventorJames Matthew Nee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A computing device receives a setup command and signals mobile robots to move sensor targets into positions within a predetermined range of a turntable. Each mobile robot may be coupled to a sensor target. Once the sensor targets are moved into the positions, calibration may be initiated, in which a vehicle is rotated using the turntable, and sensors coupled to the vehicle are calibrated based on detection of the sensor targets. The computing device may signal the mobile robots to adjust the sensor targets as needed, or, after calibration, to move into storage or charging positions.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a first mobile robot coupled to a first sensor target of a plurality of sensor targets, wherein the first mobile robot is configured to move along a surface into a first position within a predetermined range of a vehicle position of a vehicle and move the first sensor target to a first height before a calibration procedure associated with the vehicle begins;
- a second mobile robot coupled to a second sensor target of the plurality of sensor targets, wherein the second mobile robot is configured to move along the surface into a second position within the predetermined range of the vehicle position of the vehicle and move the second sensor target to a second height before the calibration procedure associated with the vehicle begins;
- and
- at least one computing device configured to confirm that the plurality of sensor targets is positioned at respective correct calibration positions and respective correct calibration heights before the calibration procedure associated with the vehicle begins.
A system comprising:
- at least one mobile robot coupled to at least one sensor target, wherein the at least one mobile robot is configured to move along a surface into at least one position within a predetermined range of a vehicle position of a vehicle and move the at least one sensor target to at least one height before a calibration procedure associated with the vehicle begins, and wherein the at least one mobile robot is configured to move the at least one sensor target to the at least one height via a component of the at least one mobile robot that is configured to extend from the at least one mobile robot and thereby move the at least one sensor target to the at least one height;
- and
- at least one computing device configured to confirm that the at least one sensor target is positioned according to at least one correct calibration position and at least one correct calibration height before the calibration procedure associated with the vehicle begins.
A method of robotically configuring a vehicle calibration environment, the method comprising:
- receiving an indication that a calibration procedure associated with a vehicle is upcoming, wherein the calibration procedure comprises using a vehicle sensor of the vehicle to capture at least one representation of at least one sensor target based on the at least one sensor target being positioned according to at least one correct calibration position and at least one correct calibration height before the calibration procedure associated with the vehicle begins;
- causing at least one mobile robot to move along a surface into at least one position within a predetermined range of a vehicle position of the vehicle before the calibration procedure associated with the vehicle begins, wherein the at least one mobile robot is coupled to the at least one sensor target;
- causing the at least one mobile robot to move the at least one sensor target to at least one height before the calibration procedure associated with the vehicle begins;
- and
- confirming that the at least one sensor target is positioned according to the at least one correct calibration position and the at least one correct calibration height before the calibration procedure associated with the vehicle begins.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.