Rear-facing perception system for vehicles

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising executable instructions for operating a vehicle control unit (VCU) in an autonomous vehicle that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method, comprising:

• detecting movement of the VCU using a signal from an inertial measurement unit (IMU);
• transmitting a synchronization signal of a synchronization process upon detecting the movement,
• receiving, in response to the synchronization signal, one or more signals from a rear-facing perception system that provides perception coverage of an area around a rear of the autonomous vehicle based, in part, on data obtained from a camera and a distance sensor that are mounted on a center portion of the rear of the autonomous vehicle;
• comparing the signal from the IMU with the one or more signals from the rear-facing perception system, and
• selectively continuing the synchronization process with the rear-facing perception system based on a result of the comparing;
• wherein the rear-facing perception system comprises two corner units and a center unit, and the center unit is configured to:
• pair with the control unit over at least a first frequency band;
• and
• transmit a trigger signal to the two corner units over a second frequency band non-overlapping with the first frequency band;
• wherein the first trigger signal causes the two corner units to switch to an active mode;
• wherein each of the two corner units and the center unit comprises a camera module and a dual-band transceiver, wherein the active mode comprises orienting the camera modules on the center unit and the two corner units to provide an unobstructed view of an area around a rear of the vehicle.

A method implemented by a processor of a vehicle control unit (VCU) disposed on an autonomous vehicle, comprising:

• detecting movement of the VCU using a signal from an inertial measurement unit (IMU);
• transmitting a synchronization signal of a synchronization process upon detecting the movement,
• receiving, in response to the synchronization signal, one or more signals from a rear-facing perception system that provides perception coverage of an area around a rear of the autonomous vehicle based, in part, on data obtained from a camera and a distance sensor that are mounted on a center portion of the rear of the autonomous vehicle;
• comparing the signal from the IMU with the one or more signals from the rear-facing perception system, and
• selectively continuing the synchronization process with the rear-facing perception system based on a result of the comparing;
• wherein the rear-facing perception system comprises two corner units and a center unit, and the center unit is configured to:
• pair with the control unit over at least a first frequency band;
• and
• transmit a trigger signal to the two corner units over a second frequency band non-overlapping with the first frequency band;
• wherein the first trigger signal causes the two corner units to switch to an active mode;
• wherein each of the two corner units and the center unit comprises a camera module and a dual-band transceiver, wherein the active mode comprises orienting the camera modules on the center unit and the two corner units to provide an unobstructed view of an area around a rear of the vehicle.