# US 2021/0276579 A1 · Method for calibrating and/or adjusting at least one sensor unit of a vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0276579 A1 - Document ID: US20210276579A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/260,636 - Filed: 2019-07-11 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2018-07-17 - Assignees: Daimler AG; Robert Bosch GmbH - Applicants: Daimler AG; Robert Bosch GmbH - Inventors: HOLGER MIELENZ; EBERHARD KAUS - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210276579A1 ## CPC - B60W 50/0225: {Failure correction strategy} - B60W 50/0097: {Predicting future conditions} - B60W 50/06: Improving the dynamic response of the control system, e.g. improving the speed of regulation or avoiding hunting or overshoot - B60W 60/00: Drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles - B60W 60/001: {Planning or execution of driving tasks} - G01C 21/3461: {Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types or segments such as motorways, toll roads or ferries} - G01C 25/00: Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass (testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38) - G01S 7/40: Means for monitoring or calibrating - G01S 7/4972: {Alignment of sensor} - G01S 13/931: of land vehicles - B60W 2050/0083: {Setting, resetting, calibration} - B60W 2050/0215: {Sensor drifts or sensor failures} - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar - B60W 2556/50: of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data - G01S 7/4091: {during normal radar operation} - G01S 2013/9318: {Controlling the steering} - G01S 2013/9321: {Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control} - G01S 2013/9323: {Alternative operation using light waves} - G01S 2013/9324: {Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves} - G01S 2013/93271: {in the front of the vehicles} - 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) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES ## Abstract A method for calibrating and/or adjusting at least one sensor unit of a vehicle operated at least partially automatically may have in the event of a known need for calibration and/or adjustment of the at least one sensor unit along an upcoming roadway, at least one suitable road section for performing the calibration and/or adjustment is defined, on which the at least one sensor unit to be calibrated and/or adjusted is not necessary or is at least only minimally necessary or is needed as little as possible for the at least partially automated operation of the vehicle, where the calibration and/or adjustment of the at least one sensor unit occurs as soon as the vehicle reaches the defined road section. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-10. (canceled) ### Claim 11 A method for calibrating and/or adjusting at least one sensor unit of a vehicle operated at least partially automatically, comprising: in the event of a known need for calibration and/or adjustment of the at least one sensor unit along an upcoming roadway, at least one suitable road section for performing the calibration and/or adjustment is defined, on which the at least one sensor unit to be calibrated and/or adjusted is not necessary or is at least only minimally necessary or is needed as little as possible for the at least partially automated operation of the vehicle, wherein the calibration and/or adjustment of the at least one sensor unit occurs as soon as the vehicle reaches the defined road section. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the calibration and/or adjustment of said at least one sensor unit is executed during partially automated or highly automated operation of the vehicle on the road during autonomous or driverless operation of the vehicle on the road. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor unit is an optical sensor unit, a LiDAR sensor unit and/or camera unit, and/or a radar sensor unit, that is or are calibrated and/or adjusted. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein when multiple road sections are defined, any of which are suitable for performing the calibration and/or adjustment of at least one sensor unit, the best-suited road section is defined and the at least one sensor unit calibrated and/or adjusted as soon as the vehicle reaches this best-suited road section. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method as in claim 14, wherein the road section is defined as best-suited on which the at least one sensor unit to be calibrated and/or adjusted is needed the least or is not needed for the at least partially automated operation of the vehicle, and/or which can be traversed during the calibration and/or adjustment of the at least one sensor unit without degradation of the automation level of the vehicle's operation on the road, or with the least degradation of the automation level of the vehicle's operation on the road compared to other road sections, and/or on which a reduction of the at least one sensor unit's performance because of the calibration and/or adjustment is as limited as possible, and/or which the vehicle reaches first. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the upcoming roadway along which the at least one road section suitable for performance of the calibration and/or adjustment is defined, is determined in such a way that it falls within a predetermined maximum length and/or a predetermined driving time requirement to traverse it. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method as in claim 16, wherein the driving time requirement corresponds to an amount of time within which the calibration and/or adjustment of the at least one sensor unit must be performed, and/or the maximum length corresponds to a distance within which the calibration and/or adjustment of the at least one sensor unit must occur. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein a section of the driving route to a predetermined driving destination is specified so that from among multiple possible roadways, the one chosen is that on which the at least one sensor unit can most quickly be calibrated and/or adjusted and/or on which the at least one sensor unit to be calibrated and/or adjusted is not needed or is at least needed less or is needed the least for the at least partially automated operation of the vehicle. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein a new driving destination is specified, which has at least one upcoming roadway with at least one road section suitable for performing the calibration and/or adjustment, and/or to which the vehicle with at least one sensor unit that is out of calibration and/or out of adjustment can drive, and can drive without degradation of its road operation automation level. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein for multiple sensor units to be calibrated or adjusted, the multiple sensor units to be calibrated or adjusted are calibrated or adjusted one after another on different road sections, wherein a sequence for calibrating and/or adjusting the sensor units is defined according to the degree of importance of each sensor unit for the respective road section.