US 12,222,458 B2
Apparatus for determining orientation and position of sensor
Kazuki Katou, Kariya (JP)
Assigned to DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed by DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed on Aug. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/822,369.
Application 17/822,369 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2021/006595, filed on Feb. 22, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-032762 (JP), filed on Feb. 28, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0413112 A1, Dec. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 7/497 (2006.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 7/4972 (2013.01) [G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An orientation-position determining apparatus for a sensor installed in a vehicle, comprising:
an imaging unit which obtains a ranging image and an ambient light image at different times from the sensor, the ranging image representing a distance to a target lying in a light emission range to which light is emitted from the sensor, the ambient light image representing an intensity of ambient light and having a resolution higher than or equal to that of the ranging image; and
an orientation-position detector which is configured to use the ranging image and the ambient light image to detect an orientation and/or a position of the sensor,
wherein
the target includes a target which is used in determining the orientation and/or the position and equipped with a predetermined detection pattern on a flat surface of the target,
the orientation-position detector is configured to detect a position of a pixel of the ambient light image which represents a feature point arranged on the target,
a three-dimensional corresponding-point position is derived from a pixel value of a corresponding pixel that is a pixel of the ranging image which corresponds to the position of the pixel representing the feature point, and
the three-dimensional corresponding-point position is used to determine the orientation and/or the position of the sensor.