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DE-102022202453-B4 - Methods for calibrating the environmental sensors of a motor vehicle and motor vehicles with environmental sensors

DE102022202453B4DE 102022202453 B4DE102022202453 B4DE 102022202453B4DE-102022202453-B4

Abstract

Procedure, with the following procedural steps: - Providing a motor vehicle (2) which has environmental sensors (4) for environmental monitoring, wherein the environmental sensors (4) have at least one sensor (8, 26, 36, 46) to be calibrated, - Calibrating the sensor (8, 26, 36, 46) using at least one reference point (10, 12, 14, 16, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 42, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70), - wherein the reference point (10, 12, 14, 28, 30, 32, 38, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70) part of the motor vehicle (2) is characterized in that - one or more of the following sensor parameters of the sensor (8, 26, 36, 46) are calibrated: - Intensity and/or noise level of a sensor signal, - Position and/or orientation of the sensor.

Inventors

  • Katharina Burger
  • Willibald Reitmeier
  • Daniel Luszek

Assignees

  • Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20220311

Claims (9)

  1. Method comprising the following steps: - providing a motor vehicle (2) which has environmental sensors (4) for environmental monitoring, wherein the environmental sensors (4) have at least one sensor (8, 26, 36, 46) to be calibrated, - calibrating the sensor (8, 26, 36, 46) using at least one reference point (10, 12, 14, 16, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 42, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70), - wherein the reference point (10, 12, 14, 28, 30, 32, 38, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70) Part of the motor vehicle (2) is characterized in that - one or more of the following sensor parameters of the sensor (8, 26, 36, 46) are calibrated: - intensity and/or noise level of a sensor signal, - position and/or orientation of the sensor.
  2. Procedure according to Claim 1 , characterized in that - the reference point (10, 12, 14, 28, 30, 32, 38, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70) is provided on an outwardly projecting or raised component (18, 20, 22, 24) of the motor vehicle (2), and/or - the reference point is part of one of the following components of the motor vehicle: exterior mirror (18), door handle (20, 22), door edge (32), door trim (38, 30), direction indicator.
  3. Procedure according to Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that - the reference point (10, 12, 14, 28, 30, 32, 38, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70) is provided on a movable component of the motor vehicle (2), in particular on a pivotable or extendable component of the motor vehicle is provided, wherein during calibration in particular the reference point (10, 12, 14, 28, 30, 32, 38, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70) is detected for two or more positions of the swiveling or extendable component, and/or - an additional reference point (16, 34, 38) is provided on a ground (B) on which the motor vehicle (2) is standing.
  4. Procedure according to one of the Claims 1 - 3 , characterized in that - the reference point (10, 12, 14, 28, 30, 32, 38, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70) is automatically detected on the motor vehicle (2) by the sensor (8, 26, 36, 46) and/or - the calibration is carried out statically at least in sections and/or - the calibration is carried out dynamically at least in sections, whereby the sensor and/or the reference point is moved.
  5. Procedure according to one of the Claims 1 - 4 , characterized in that - the calibration is carried out by means of reference marks (44) applied to the motor vehicle (2).
  6. Procedure according to Claim 5 , characterized in that - at least one reference mark (44) is arranged on an outer surface of the motor vehicle facing the environment (U) of the motor vehicle (2) and/or - at least one reference mark is arranged in an interior of the vehicle (2), - at least one reference mark is a visible reference mark and/or - at least one reference mark is a non-visible reference mark.
  7. Procedure according to one of the Claims 1 - 6 , characterized in that - by means of the sensor (8, 26, 36, 46) an absolute position of an object in three-dimensional space is determined, wherein the object is in particular a reference point, an object or a component of the motor vehicle, and/or - additionally an object (34) is detected by means of the sensor (8, 26, 36, 46) which is not part of the motor vehicle (2), in particular is spaced apart from the motor vehicle (2).
  8. Procedure according to one of the Claims 1 - 7 , characterized in that - the detection of the reference point (10, 12, 14, 28, 30, 32, 38, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70) is signaled to an operator, in particular by an optical and/or acoustic and/or haptic signal.
  9. motor vehicle, - with environmental sensors (4) and with a control unit (6), - wherein the control unit is used to carry out a procedure according to one of the preceding Claims 1 - 8 is set up.

Description

The present invention relates to a method comprising the following steps: providing a motor vehicle equipped with environmental sensors for monitoring its surroundings, wherein the environmental sensors include at least one sensor to be calibrated, and calibrating the sensor using at least one reference point. The invention further relates to a motor vehicle equipped with environmental sensors. Calibrating sensors on motor vehicles is time-consuming and expensive. For example, sensors are individually calibrated for each vehicle before installation, or measured in a test environment specifically set up for calibration, e.g., in a workshop or assembly hall. If the operating conditions of a sensor change, e.g. due to aging or wear of the sensor itself, wear or changing operating parameters of the vehicle, or the like, the sensor may need to be recalibrated using the procedures described above in a complex process to ensure continued reliable operation. The document DE 10 2019 205 396 A1 describes a method according to the preamble of claim 1. Against this background, the present invention is based on the technical problem of providing a method and a motor vehicle that, in particular, enable a simplified and cost-effective calibration of a sensor of an environmental sensor system. The technical problem described above is solved by each of the independent claims. Further embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims and the following description. The invention is based on the idea of enabling the calibration of a sensor using reference points that are integral parts of the vehicle itself, such as body panels, mirrors, doors, or other attachments and/or components of the vehicle. This eliminates the need for a specially set up test environment and/or additional objects for measuring or calibrating the sensor. A vehicle sensor can therefore be calibrated autonomously, i.e., independently of additional objects, tools, or other aids, while fully mounted on the vehicle, with the vehicle itself providing one or more reference points for calibrating the sensor. According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a method comprising the following steps: providing a motor vehicle equipped with environmental sensors for monitoring its surroundings, wherein the environmental sensors include at least one sensor to be calibrated, and calibrating the sensor using at least one reference point. The method is characterized in that the reference point is part of the motor vehicle. This simplifies both the initial calibration and the recalibration of the sensor. When the term "sensor calibration" is used here, it refers, for example, to the initial setup or calibration of the sensor, or to a recalibration of the sensor, which can be carried out after an initial setup or calibration, e.g., for maintenance purposes and/or to adapt the sensor to changed operating and/or environmental conditions and/or to set up a newly installed sensor. The sensor is in particular a non-contact sensor designed for monitoring the environment of the motor vehicle, such as an optical sensor or the like. The sensor is specifically designed for distance measurement, so that the sensor can, for example, measure the distance between the sensor and an object detected by the sensor. The sensor can be configured for one-dimensional, two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional determination of the position of an object detected by the sensor and/or for determining one or more dimensions or measurements of an object detected by the sensor. The sensor can be assigned to a movable, in particular pivotable or sliding, element of the motor vehicle, such as a door, a flap or a hood of the motor vehicle, in order to detect and/or avoid collisions and/or entrapment events resulting from manual, semi-automated or fully automated movement of the movable element in question. The environmental sensor system can have two or more sensors, in particular each of these sensors can be calibrated according to the principles described above and below. Depending on the specific design of the procedure, it may be stipulated that the reference point is located at The reference point is provided on an outwardly projecting or raised component of the motor vehicle and/or is part of one of the following components of the motor vehicle: exterior mirror, door handle, door edge, door trim, turn signal indicator, or the like. In particular, the reference point is therefore formed, for example, on a step, a projection, or an edge of the motor vehicle that geometrically distinguishes itself from adjacent components and can therefore be easily and reproducibly detected by the sensor. It may be provided that the reference point is located on a movable component of the motor vehicle, in particular on a pivotable or extendable component of the motor vehicle, wherein, during calibration, the reference point is specifically acquired for two or more positions of the pivotable or