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WO-2026092869-A1 - METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING POSITION INFORMATION, VEHICLE AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

WO2026092869A1WO 2026092869 A1WO2026092869 A1WO 2026092869A1WO-2026092869-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining position information relating to an object that has at least one surface for reflecting electromagnetic radiation and that is located in a vehicle, the method including the following: detecting, by means of at least one sensor, in particular at least one camera, electromagnetic radiation reflected from the at least one reflective surface of the object and originating from one or more vehicle-mounted sources of the electromagnetic radiation; determining, detecting or retrieving design details relating to the object; and determining position information relating to the object from the reflected electromagnetic radiation using the design details relating to the object and position information from the one or more vehicle-mounted sources of the electromagnetic radiation and the at least one sensor.

Inventors

  • Feldmaier, Johannes
  • CAMBERG, Simone
  • Cherrier, Celian
  • Ewender, Thomas

Assignees

  • BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20250506
Priority Date
20241104

Claims (13)

  1. 1. Method for determining position information of an object (5) having at least one surface (6, 6a) reflecting electromagnetic radiation and located in a vehicle (1), wherein the method comprises: Detection of electromagnetic radiation reflected from at least one reflective surface (6, 6a) of the object (5), which originates from one or more vehicle-mounted sources (3) of electromagnetic radiation, by at least one sensor (2), in particular at least one camera (2); Determining, recording or retrieving construction details of the object (5); and Determining position information of the object (5) from the reflected electromagnetic radiation using the design details of the object (5) and position information of the one or more vehicle-mounted sources (3) of electromagnetic radiation and the at least one sensor (2).
  2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the object (5) has at least two reflective surfaces (6, 6a) which are not coplanar.
  3. 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one reflective surface (6, 6a) has a curvature.
  4. 4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the one or more vehicle-mounted sources (3) of electromagnetic radiation is a substantially point-like source (3) of electromagnetic radiation.
  5. 5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sum of the number of vehicle-mounted sources (3) of electromagnetic radiation, of reflecting surfaces (6, 6a) and of sensors (2) is at least four. EM 24-1232
  6. 6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the object (5) comprises AR glasses (5), headphones (5) or a smart device (5), in particular a smartphone (5) or a smartwatch (5).
  7. 7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the position information of the object (5) includes a distance of the object (5) from the at least one sensor (2) used for detecting the electromagnetic radiation reflected at the reflecting surface (6, 6a) of the object (5).
  8. 8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the method comprises determining a spatial relationship, in particular a distance, in particular an angular distance between at least two of the reflections (7, 7a, 7b, 7c) in order to determine the position information of the object (5) using the determined spatial relationship.
  9. 9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the method further comprises determining orientation information indicating a spatial orientation of the object (5), and wherein the orientation information is additionally taken into account when determining the position information of the object (5).
  10. 10. Device (15) for use in a vehicle (1), wherein the device (15) is provided for determining position information of an object (5) which has at least one surface (6, 6a) reflecting electromagnetic radiation and which is located in the vehicle (1), wherein the device (15) comprises: one or more vehicle-mounted sources (3) of electromagnetic radiation; at least one sensor (2) for detecting electromagnetic radiation reflected from the at least one reflective surface (6, 6a) of the object (5), which originates from the one or more vehicle-mounted sources (3) of electromagnetic radiation; EM 24-1232 a communication interface and/or a memory (9) for determining, acquiring or retrieving design details of the object (5); and a processor (8) configured to determine position information of the object (5) from the reflected electromagnetic radiation using the design details of the object (5) and position information from one or more vehicle-mounted sources (3) of electromagnetic radiation and the at least one sensor (2).
  11. 11. Vehicle (1), in particular motor vehicle (1), comprising a device (15) according to claim 10.
  12. 12. Computer program containing instructions which, if entered by a The device (15) according to claim 10 is designed to cause the device to perform the steps of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
  13. 13. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium on which a computer program according to claim 12 is stored. ...

Description

EM 24-1232 METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING POSITION INFORMATION, VEHICLE AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT The present invention relates to a method and a device for determining positional information of an object located in a vehicle. The invention further extends to a vehicle with such a device, as well as a corresponding computer program or computer program product. In the prior art, (road) vehicles are already known in which one or more cameras are installed to capture images of the vehicle's interior. Such cameras can be used, for example, to determine the position of a vehicle occupant's eyes, particularly that of the driver. Infrared radiation (IR radiation), which is invisible to the human eye, can be used for this purpose. CN 103886307 A discloses a method for determining the position of a driver's pupil and their gaze direction for fatigue detection. Other methods and devices for determining the position of objects that are not part of the human body are also known in the prior art. In prior art methods and devices known to the inventors, the position of objects in a plane perpendicular to a line extending through the object and the camera can be determined with relatively high accuracy. The inventors have recognized that existing methods or devices for determining the distance of an object from a camera installed in a vehicle are often not possible or may deliver relatively inaccurate results. Against this background, it is a task of the present revelation to at least mitigate the problems discussed above. EM 24-1232 A solution to this problem is achieved according to the teaching of the independent claims. Various embodiments and further developments of the solution are the subject of the dependent claims. A first aspect of the present disclosure relates to a (computer-implemented) method for determining position information of an object that has at least one surface reflective to electromagnetic radiation and that is located in a vehicle, wherein the method comprises: Detection of electromagnetic radiation reflected from at least one reflective surface of the object, originating from one or more vehicle-mounted sources of electromagnetic radiation, by at least one sensor, in particular at least one camera; Determining, recording, or retrieving construction details of the object; and Determining position information of the object from the reflected electromagnetic radiation using the object's construction details and position information from one or more vehicle-mounted sources of electromagnetic radiation and at least one sensor. The first aspect of the present disclosure is based on the following considerations of the inventors. For some objects that may be used in a vehicle, it is desirable or even necessary to determine the object's position relatively precisely, for example, to locate it with millimeter accuracy, not only with respect to its position on a plane perpendicular to a line extending through the object and the camera (or other sensor) (this is also referred to here as the xy-position), but also with respect to the distance between the object and the camera, i.e., along such a line (this is also referred to here as the z-position). In other words, the inventors have recognized that the position of such an object often needs to be determined in three dimensions (relative to a vehicle-fixed coordinate system). EM 24-1232 One example of this is AR glasses (augmented reality glasses). Their position relative to the vehicle often needs to be determined (within millimeters) so that vehicle-mounted content can be displayed correctly in the glasses. Other examples are explained below. The reflective surface can be an (external) surface of the object. However, it can also be an internal surface, for example, an internal surface coated with a non-reflective layer that is (essentially) transparent to electromagnetic radiation. For the purposes of this disclosure, a "reflective surface" is not only to be understood as a surface that reflects (essentially) 100% of the electromagnetic radiation, but also as a surface that is partially reflective, i.e., reflects a smaller percentage of the electromagnetic radiation, for example, up to 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, or 20% of the electromagnetic radiation. In principle, a percentage sufficient for reliable detection is adequate. The electromagnetic radiation can be located outside the visible range and can be, in particular, infrared radiation. The object's design details can include information about its shape or reflective surface. This information may be in the form of CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data, for example. Using these design details, the object's positional information can be determined, as described in more detail below. For the purposes of this disclosure, "position information" means information that specifies the position of the object relative to a point fixed to the vehicle. This position information may include information relating