US 12,455,350 B2
Axial deviation estimating device
Katsuhiko Kondo, Nisshin (JP); Akiyoshi Mizutani, Kariya (JP); and Takuya Takayama, Kariya (JP)
Assigned to DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed by DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed on Apr. 7, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/658,392.
Application 17/658,392 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2020/038209, filed on Oct. 8, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-186317 (JP), filed on Oct. 9, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0229168 A1, Jul. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 7/40 (2006.01); G01B 15/08 (2006.01); G01S 13/42 (2006.01); G01S 13/931 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 7/4026 (2013.01) [G01B 15/08 (2013.01); G01S 13/42 (2013.01); G01S 13/931 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An axial misalignment estimation apparatus that is mounted in a moving body, the axial misalignment estimation apparatus comprising:
an acquiring unit that is configured to acquire, for each of a plurality of reflection points that are detected by a radar apparatus, reflection point information that includes at least a horizontal angle and a vertical angle that are an orientation angle of the reflection point and determined with reference to a beam direction that is a direction along a center axis of a radar beam, and a distance between the radar apparatus and the reflection point;
an extracting unit that is configured to extract, from the plurality of reflection points, a plurality of road-surface reflection points that are detected by reflection on a road surface based on at least the reflection point information;
a flatness level calculating unit that is configured to calculate a road-surface flatness level that is a numeric value that indicates a degree of flatness of the road surface;
a flatness determining unit that is configured to determine whether the road surface is flat based on the road-surface flatness level;
a coordinate system coordinate unit that is configured to identify, for each road-surface reflection point, apparatus system coordinates that are three-dimensional coordinates that are based on coordinate axes of the radar apparatus based on the reflection point information; and
an estimating unit that is configured to estimate an axial misalignment angle of the radar apparatus and a height of the radar apparatus using a relational expression that is established between at least two unknown parameters and at least two elements,
the at least two unknown parameters including the axial misalignment angle that is a misalignment angle of a coordinate axis of the radar apparatus around a target axis that is one of a horizontal axis and a moving-direction axis that are coordinate axes of the moving body, and a mounting height of the radar apparatus, and
the at least two elements being included in the apparatus system coordinates of the road-surface reflection point, wherein:
the estimating unit includes
a weighting processing unit that is configured to perform weighting based on the road-surface flatness level using the relational expression and estimate the axial misalignment angle and the mounting height of the radar apparatus, in response to the flatness determining unit determining that the road surface is not flat, and
the estimating unit adjusts, by an adjustment apparatus mounted to the radar apparatus, a mounting angle of the radar apparatus and the mounting height of the radar apparatus, based on the estimated axial misalignment angle of the radar apparatus and the estimated height of the radar apparatus.