Detection of unsecured load in automatically drivable vehicles

A controller for detecting an unsecured load in a vehicle that can be operated in an automated manner, the controller being configured to:

• receive measurement data including at least one of lateral accelerations and longitudinal accelerations of the vehicle acquired by at least one acceleration sensor;
• start a time interval in response to a threshold value being exceeded by one of the lateral accelerations and the longitudinal accelerations, the start of the time interval including calculating a start time and an end time of the time interval;
• during the time interval, receive measurement data acquired by at least one sensor and calculate derivatives with respect to time of the received measurement data;
• count an event in response to the derivatives with respect to time of the received measurement data exceeding the threshold value;
• detect the unsecured load in the vehicle in response to a minimum number of events being counted during the time interval;
• and
• autonomously operate the vehicle to at least one of (i) bring the vehicle to a stop or (ii) reduce vehicle dynamics in response to detecting the unsecured load.

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium that stores a computer program for detecting an unsecured load in a vehicle that can be operated in an automated manner, the computer program comprising commands that, when executed by one of a computer and a controller, cause the one of the computer and the controller to:

• receive measurement data including at least one of lateral accelerations and longitudinal accelerations of the vehicle acquired by at least one acceleration sensor;
• start a time interval in response to a threshold value being exceeded by one of the lateral accelerations and the longitudinal accelerations, the starting including calculating a start time and an end time of the time interval;
• during the time interval, receive measurement data acquired by at least one sensor and calculate derivatives with respect to time of the received measurement data;
• count an event in response to the derivatives with respect to time of the received measurement data exceeding the threshold value;
• detect the unsecured load in the vehicle in response to a minimum number of events being counted during the time interval;
• and
• autonomously operate the vehicle to at least one of (i) bring the vehicle to a stop or (ii) reduce vehicle dynamics in response to detecting the unsecured load.