# US 12,112,554 B2 · Method for determining a drivable area

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- Number: US 12,112,554 B2
- Document ID: US12112554B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/366,529
- Filed: 2023-08-07
- Published: 2023-11-30
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2020-04-27
- Assignees: Aptiv Technologies AG
- Applicants: Aptiv Technologies AG
- Inventors: Adam Mats John Lilja; Markus Pär Oscar Carlander
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12112554B2

## CPC

- G06V 20/588: {Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road}
- B60W 30/0956: {the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters}
- B60W 40/06: Road conditions
- B60W 50/0097: {Predicting future conditions}
- G01C 21/3815: {Road data}
- G06F 18/25: Fusion techniques
- G06V 10/80: Fusion, i.e. combining data from various sources at the sensor level, preprocessing level, feature extraction level or classification level (multimodal speaker identification or verification G10L17/10)
- G06V 20/58: Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- 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
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed at a computer implemented method for determining a drivable area in front of a host vehicle. According to the method, a region of interest is monitored in front of the host vehicle by at least two sensors of a detection system of the host vehicle. The region of interest is divided into a plurality of areas via a computer system of the host vehicle, and each area of the plurality of areas is classified as drivable area, non-drivable area or unknown area via the computer system based on fused data received by the at least two sensors.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
determining a drivable area in front of a host vehicle by at least:
monitoring a region of interest in front of the host vehicle;
dividing the region of interest into a plurality of areas;
determining whether an object is present in a particular area of the plurality of areas;
responsive to determining the object is present in the particular area and is a moving object in approximately the same direction as the host vehicle, determining one or more other areas of the plurality of areas between the host vehicle and the moving object as an obstacle free space;
estimating, based on a current velocity of the moving object and based on a prediction of an emergency braking distance or an emergency steering distance, an extension of the obstacle free space to include one or more additional areas of the plurality of areas; and
classifying each area of the plurality of areas that includes obstacle free space and the extension of the obstacle free space as drivable areas; and
controlling the host vehicle based on the classification of the areas.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein dividing the region of interest into the plurality of areas comprises forming a dynamic grid in front of the host vehicle, the dynamic grid comprising a plurality of dynamic cells that is adapted to a course of a lane in front of the host vehicle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the dynamic grid is defined for a base area which corresponds to the region of interest in front of the host vehicle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, wherein defining the base area comprises:
detecting a left margin and a right margin of the lane that limit the lane, the left margin and the right margin used as indicators for the course of the lane.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, wherein defining the base area further comprises:
including areas beyond the left margin and beyond the right margin.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein the areas beyond the left margin and the right margin comprise further environment relevant to the further movement of the host vehicle including:
at least parts of adjacent lanes;
sidewalks; and
ditches.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of dynamic cells is generated by at least:
defining a reference line that extends approximately in the center of the lane, wherein the reference line is represented by a polynomial whose coefficients are derived from the indicators for the course of the lane.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the reference line is divided into a plurality of segments spaced along the reference line.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, wherein:
adjacent segments of the plurality of segments have a common straight line, extending perpendicularly from either side of the reference line; and
each common straight line is further divided into sections.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9, wherein each segment is divided into dynamic cells based on each respective common line and each respective section.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, wherein a shorter length of segments are used closer to the host vehicle relative to a length of segments used further from the host vehicle.

### Claim 12 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, wherein the dynamic grid comprises:
a constant lateral width corresponding to a constant lateral extension of the base area.

### Claim 13

A system, comprising:
a vehicle-based system for determining a drivable area in front of a host vehicle, the vehicle-based system comprising:
a detection system configured to monitor a region of interest in front of the host vehicle; and
at least one processor configured to:
divide the region of interest into a plurality of areas;
determine whether an object is present in a particular area of the plurality of areas;
responsive to determining the object is present in the particular area and is a moving object in approximately the same direction as the host vehicle, determine one or more other areas of the plurality of areas between the host vehicle and the moving object as an obstacle free space;
estimate, based on a current velocity of the moving object and based on a prediction of an emergency braking distance or an emergency steering distance, an extension of the obstacle free space to include one or more additional areas of the plurality of areas; and
classify each area of the plurality of areas that includes obstacle free space and the extension of the obstacle free space as drivable areas; and
control the host vehicle based on the classification of the areas.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to divide the region of interest into a plurality of areas by at least:
forming a dynamic grid in front of the host vehicle, the dynamic grid comprising a plurality of dynamic cells that is adapted to a course of a lane in front of the host vehicle.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system according to claim 14, wherein the dynamic grid is defined for a base area which corresponds to the region of interest in front of the host vehicle.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system according to claim 15, wherein defining the base area comprises:
detecting a left margin and a right margin of the lane that limit the lane, the left margin and the right margin used as indicators for the course of the lane.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system according to claim 16, wherein defining the base area further comprises:
including areas beyond the left margin and beyond the right margin.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system according to claim 17, wherein the areas beyond the left margin and the right margin comprise further environment relevant to the further movement of the host vehicle including:
at least parts of adjacent lanes;
sidewalks; and
ditches.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The system according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of dynamic cells is generated by at least:
defining a reference line that extends approximately in the center of the lane, wherein the reference line is represented by a polynomial whose coefficients are derived from the indicators for the course of the lane.

### Claim 20

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to determine a drivable area in front of a host vehicle by at least:
monitoring a region of interest in front of the host vehicle;
dividing the region of interest into a plurality of areas;
determining whether an object is present in a particular area of the plurality of areas;
responsive to determining the object is present in the particular area and is a moving object in approximately the same direction as the host vehicle, determining one or more other areas of the plurality of areas between the host vehicle and the moving object as an obstacle free space;
estimating, based on a current velocity of the moving object and based on a prediction of an emergency braking distance or an emergency steering distance, an extension of the obstacle free space to include one or more additional areas of the plurality of areas; and
classifying each area of the plurality of areas that includes obstacle free space and the extension of the obstacle free space as drivable areas; and
controlling the host vehicle based on the classification of the areas.