Vehicular driving assist system with enhanced estimation of objects

1 . A vehicular control system, the vehicular control system comprising:

a vehicle dynamics sensor disposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular control system, wherein the vehicle dynamics sensor captures vehicle dynamics data representative of a state of motion of the vehicle, and wherein the vehicle dynamics data comprises (i) an acceleration of the vehicle and (ii) an angular velocity of the vehicle;

an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software;

wherein vehicle dynamics data captured by the vehicle dynamics sensor is transferred to and is processed at the ECU;

wherein the vehicular control system, when the vehicle is at a first location on a road the vehicle is traveling along, determines the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location via processing of vehicle dynamics data captured by the vehicle dynamics sensor and transferred to the ECU, and wherein the state of motion is represented by a nine-dimensional vector comprising a translation, a rotation represented in exponential coordinates, and a body-frame linear velocity;

wherein the vehicular control system is operable to determine sensitivity of the state of motion of the vehicle to change in at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) pitch of the vehicle, (ii) roll of the vehicle and (iii) yaw of the vehicle by determining a Jacobian of a dynamic model of the state of motion;

wherein the vehicular control system determines the Jacobian representing the sensitivity of the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location;

wherein the vehicular control system, after the vehicle has traveled along the road from the first location, predicts a second location of the vehicle based on (i) the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location, (ii) the determined Jacobian and (iii) map data; and

wherein the vehicular control system maneuvers the vehicle based on the predicted second location of the vehicle.

2 . The vehicular control system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular control system predicts the second location of the vehicle by predicting an initial second location of the vehicle based on the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location and adjusting the predicted initial second location of the vehicle based at least in part on (i) the determined sensitivity of the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location and (ii) a global positioning system of the vehicle.

3 . The vehicular control system of claim 2 , wherein the vehicular control system adjusts the predicted initial second location of the vehicle by fusing the predicted second location of the vehicle with the map data.

4 . The vehicular control system of claim 3 , wherein the vehicular control system, when fusing the predicted initial second location of the vehicle with the map data, weights the map data based on the determined sensitivity.

5 . The vehicular control system of claim 2 , wherein the vehicular control system adjusts the predicted second location of the vehicle by determining a confidence of the predicted second location based on the determined sensitivity.

6 . The vehicular control system of claim 1 , wherein the map data is derived from an output of a global positioning system of the vehicle.

7 . The vehicular control system of claim 1 , wherein the state of motion of the vehicle comprises (i) a position of the vehicle, (ii) a rotation of the vehicle, and (iii) a velocity of the vehicle.

8 . The vehicular control system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle dynamics sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU).

9 . The vehicular control system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular control system determines an exponential coordinates representation of the state of motion of the vehicle.

10 . The vehicular control system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular control system determines the sensitivity of the state of motion of the vehicle based on the Jacobian of a matrix representing the state of motion of the vehicle.

11 . The vehicular control system of claim 10 , wherein the Jacobian of the matrix representing the state of motion of the vehicle comprises a twelve by twelve matrix.

12 . A vehicular control system, the vehicular control system comprising:

a vehicle dynamics sensor disposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular control system, wherein the vehicle dynamics sensor captures vehicle dynamics data representative of a state of motion of the vehicle, and wherein the vehicle dynamics data comprises (i) an acceleration of the vehicle and (ii) an angular velocity of the vehicle;

an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software;

wherein vehicle dynamics data captured by the vehicle dynamics sensor is transferred to and is processed at the ECU;

wherein the vehicular control system, when the vehicle is at a first location on a road the vehicle is traveling along, determines the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location via processing of vehicle dynamics data captured by the vehicle dynamics sensor and transferred to the ECU, and wherein the state of motion is represented by a nine-dimensional vector comprising a translation, a rotation represented in exponential coordinates, and a body-frame linear velocity;

wherein the vehicular control system is operable to determine sensitivity of the state of motion of the vehicle to change in at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) pitch of the vehicle, (ii) roll of the vehicle and (iii) yaw of the vehicle by determining a Jacobian of a dynamic model of the state of motion;

wherein the vehicular control system determines the Jacobian representing the sensitivity of the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location;

wherein the vehicular control system, after the vehicle has traveled along the road from the first location, predicts a second location of the vehicle based on the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location and adjusting the predicted second location of the vehicle based at least in part on (i) the determined Jacobian and (ii) a global positioning system of the vehicle; and

wherein the vehicular control system maneuvers the vehicle based on the predicted second location of the vehicle.

13 . The vehicular control system of claim 12 , wherein the vehicular control system adjusts the predicted second location of the vehicle by fusing the predicted second location of the vehicle with map data associated with the global positioning system of the vehicle.

14 . The vehicular control system of claim 13 , wherein the vehicular control system, when fusing the predicted second location of the vehicle with the map data, weights the map data based on the determined sensitivity.

15 . The vehicular control system of claim 12 , wherein the vehicular control system adjusts the predicted second location of the vehicle by determining a confidence of the predicted second location based on the determined sensitivity.

16 . A vehicular control system, the vehicular control system comprising:

an inertial measurement unit (IMU) disposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular control system, wherein the IMU captures vehicle dynamics data representative of a state of motion of the vehicle, and wherein the vehicle dynamics data comprises (i) an acceleration of the vehicle and (ii) an angular velocity of the vehicle;

an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software;

wherein vehicle dynamics data captured by the IMU is transferred to and is processed at the ECU;

wherein the vehicular control system, when the vehicle is at a first location on a road the vehicle is traveling along, determines the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location via processing of vehicle dynamics data captured by the IMU and transferred to the ECU, and wherein the state of motion is represented by a nine-dimensional vector comprising a translation, a rotation represented in exponential coordinates, and a body-frame linear velocity;

wherein the vehicular control system is operable to determine sensitivity of the state of motion of the vehicle to change in at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) pitch of the vehicle, (ii) roll of the vehicle and (iii) yaw of the vehicle by determining a Jacobian of a dynamic model of the state of motion;

wherein the vehicular control system determines the Jacobian representing the sensitivity of the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location;

wherein the vehicular control system, after the vehicle has traveled along the road from the first location, predicts a second location of the vehicle based on (i) the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location, (ii) the determined Jacobian and (iii) map data; and

wherein the vehicular control system maneuvers the vehicle based on the predicted second location of the vehicle.

17 . The vehicular control system of claim 16 , wherein the vehicular control system determines an exponential coordinates representation of the state of motion of the vehicle.

18 . The vehicular control system of claim 16 , wherein the state of motion of the vehicle comprises (i) a position of the vehicle, (ii) a rotation of the vehicle, and (iii) a velocity of the vehicle.

19 . The vehicular control system of claim 16 , wherein the map data is derived from an output of a global positioning system of the vehicle.

20 . The vehicular control system of claim 16 , wherein the vehicular control system predicts the second location of the vehicle by predicting an initial second location of the vehicle based on the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location and adjusting the predicted initial second location of the vehicle based at least in part on (i) the determined sensitivity of the state of motion of the vehicle at the first location and (ii) a global positioning system of the vehicle.