Vehicle control system using a scanning system
A control system for a vehicle can include one or more controllers, and is configured to: determine a region of interest within a field-of-view of a scanning system of the vehicle; and operate the scanning system to scan portions of the field-of-view outside the region of interest at or below a nominal scanning resolution, and to scan the region of interest at an increased scanning resolution relative to the nominal scanning resolution.
1 . A control system for a vehicle, the control system comprising one or more controllers, the control system being configured to:
determine a first region of interest and a second region of interest within a field-of-view of a scanning system of the vehicle, wherein the first region of interest is in front of a first road wheel of the vehicle and the second region of interest is in front of a second road wheel of the vehicle, and wherein a location, a width, and a length of each of the first region of interest and the second region of interest are based on a current vehicle speed, driving direction, and terrain type;
operate the scanning system to scan portions of the field-of-view outside the first region of interest and the second region of interest at or below a nominal scanning resolution, and to scan the first region of interest and the second region of interest at an increased scanning resolution relative to the nominal scanning resolution;
receive a first signal comprising first data obtained by the scanning system related to the first region of interest and the second region of interest;
analyze, via a first algorithm, the first data related to the first region of interest and the second region of interest to identify a feature within the first region of interest or the second region of interest, wherein the first data is analyzed to detect objects or features that each road wheel is expected to encounter;
receive a second signal comprising second data obtained by the scanning system related to the portions of the field-of-view outside the first region of interest and the second region of interest;
analyze, via a second algorithm, the second data related to the portions of the field-of-view outside the first region of interest and the second region of interest, wherein the second data is analyzed for line detection, guardrail detection, and/or detection of other vehicles; and
generate a control signal to adjust operation of the vehicle in accordance with the feature identified within the first region of interest or the second region of interest, wherein the control signal is configured to adjust operation of a suspension system of the vehicle.
2 . The control system of claim 1 , wherein operating the scanning system to scan at an increased scanning resolution comprises any one or more of: reducing a scanning speed of the scanning system; increasing a scanning power of the scanning system; increasing a focal length of the scanning system; and increasing a scan frequency at which the scanning system scans the region of interest.
3 . The control system of claim 1 , wherein the objects or features that each road wheel is expected to encounter comprise a change in road surface texture, a pothole, and a stone.
4 . The control system of claim 1 , further configured to determine the first region of interest to correspond to a location directly ahead of the first road wheel of the vehicle with respect to the driving direction, such that the first region of interest includes a surface over which the first road wheel is about to travel.
5 . The control system of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the first data and analyzing the second data comprises analyzing the first data more thoroughly than the second data, including analyzing all of the first data collected, while analyzing only every second or third frame of the second data collected, and/or analyzing only a subset of the pixels of images captured of the portions of the field-of-view outside the first region of interest and the second region of interest.
6 . The control system of claim 1 , wherein operating the scanning system to scan at an increased scanning resolution comprises any one or more of:
reducing a scanning speed of the scanning system;
increasing a focal length of the scanning system; and
increasing a scan frequency at which the scanning system scans the first region of interest and the second region of interest relative to the portions of the field-of-view outside the first region of interest and the second region of interest.
7 . The control system of claim 1 , wherein operating the scanning system to scan at an increased scanning resolution comprises reducing a speed at which mirrors or prisms of the scanning system turn when scanning the first region of interest and the second region of interest and/or controlling the mirrors or prisms to scan the first region of interest and the second region of interest more frequently than the portions of the field-of-view outside the first region of interest and the second region of interest.
8 . The control system of claim 1 , configured to:
characterize the feature identified within the first region of interest or the second region of interest as any of: an irregularity in a surface over which the vehicle is travelling; an obstacle; and a pothole; and
generate the control signal to adjust operation of the vehicle in accordance with the characterization of the feature identified within the first region of interest or the second region of interest.
9 . The control system of claim 1 , wherein operating the scanning system to scan portions of the field-of-view outside the first region of interest and the second region of interest at or below the nominal scanning resolution, and to scan the first region of interest and the second region of interest at the increased scanning resolution relative to the nominal scanning resolution comprises adjusting the scanning resolution between the nominal scanning resolution and the increased scanning resolution in a gradual manner.
10 . A system, comprising:
a vehicle scanning system; and
the control system of claim 1 , including at least a first controller, wherein the at least a first controller is arranged to output a signal for operating the scanning system to scan portions of the field-of-view outside the first region of interest and the second region of interest at or below a nominal scanning resolution, and to scan the first region of interest and the second region of interest at an increased scanning resolution relative to the nominal scanning resolution.
11 . A vehicle comprising the control system of claim 1 .
12 . A method for operating a vehicle scanning system of a vehicle, the method comprising:
determining regions of interest within a field-of-view of the vehicle scanning system, the regions of interest including a respective region of interest ahead of each road wheel of the vehicle, wherein a location, a width, and a length of each region of interest are based on a current vehicle speed, driving direction, and terrain type;
operating the vehicle scanning system to scan portions of the field-of-view outside the regions of interest at or below a nominal scanning resolution, and to scan the regions of interest at an increased scanning resolution relative to the nominal scanning resolution;
receiving a signal comprising first data obtained by the scanning system related to the regions of interest;
analyzing, via a first algorithm, the first data to identify a feature within one or both of the regions of interest, the feature including an irregularity in a surface over which the vehicle is travelling, an obstacle, or a pothole;
receiving a second signal comprising second data obtained by the scanning system related to the portions of the field-of-view outside the regions of interest;
analyzing, via a second algorithm, the second data, wherein the second data is analyzed for line detection, guardrail detection, and/or detection of other vehicles; and
generating a control signal to adjust operation of the vehicle in accordance with the feature identified within one or both of the regions of interest, wherein the control signal is configured to adjust operation of a suspension system of the vehicle.
13 . A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more electronic processors, causes the one or more electronic processors to carry out the method of claim 12 .