Wireless Vehicle Control of Vehicle Sensor Calibration Environment

Abstract

Sensors coupled to a vehicle are calibrated using a calibration environment that includes sensor targets, and optionally includes a motorized turntable that rotates the vehicle to different orientations, with the sensors capturing data at each orientation. The vehicle's computer identifies representations of the sensor targets within the data captured by the sensors, determines whether characteristics such as lighting or positioning of the representations of the sensor targets are optimal for calibration, sends signals to lighting systems or motorized target movement systems if necessary to adjust those characteristics, and calibrates the sensor based on the representations of the sensor targets.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for vehicle environment control, the system comprising:
 an actuator in a calibration environment;   a communication interface;   a memory storing instructions; and   a processor that executes the instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor to:
 receive an environment adjustment signal from a vehicle computing system of a vehicle in the calibration environment via the communication interface; 
 activate the actuator automatically in response to receiving the environment adjustment signal from the vehicle computing system, wherein activating the actuator effects an adjustment to a characteristic of a sensor target in the calibration environment; and 
 send a confirmation signal to the vehicle computing system via the communication interface, the confirmation signal indicative of the adjustment to the characteristic of the sensor target. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the environment adjustment signal identifies the characteristic. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the environment adjustment signal identifies the adjustment. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the environment adjustment signal indicates that a representation of the sensor target in a sensor capture dataset is suboptimal for calibration, wherein the sensor capture dataset is captured by a sensor of the vehicle. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the characteristic of the sensor target includes a lighting condition of the sensor target, wherein activation of the actuator includes adjusting a light source, and wherein the adjustment to the characteristic includes a modification to the lighting condition of the sensor target. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the characteristic of the sensor target includes a brightness of the sensor target, wherein adjusting the light source includes modifying a brightness of the light source, and wherein the modification to the lighting condition of the sensor target includes a modification to the brightness of the sensor target. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the characteristic of the sensor target includes a direction of light affecting the sensor target, wherein adjusting the light source includes moving the light source, and wherein the modification to the lighting condition of the sensor target includes a modification to the direction of light affecting the sensor target. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 the light source.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the characteristic of the sensor target includes a positioning of the sensor target, wherein activation of the actuator actuates a motor, and wherein the adjustment to the characteristic includes moving the sensor target from a first sensor target position to a second sensor target position via the motor. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein moving the sensor target from a first sensor target position to a second sensor target position via the motor includes rotating the sensor target about an axis. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein moving the sensor target from a first sensor target position to a second sensor target position via the motor includes effecting a translational movement of the sensor target along a defined movement path. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 the motor.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the sensor target.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor to:
 actuate a motor associated with a motorized turntable to rotate a platform of the motorized turntable about a base of the motorized turntable, wherein the vehicle is configured to rest atop the platform of the motorized turntable while the platform of the motorized turntable rotates about the base of the motorized turntable, wherein actuating the motor associated with the motorized turntable rotates the vehicle from a first position to a second position.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein receiving the environment adjustment signal from the vehicle computing system via the communication interface includes receiving the environment adjustment signal from the vehicle computing system via the communication interface while the vehicle is in the first position. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein receiving the environment adjustment signal from the vehicle computing system via the communication interface includes receiving the environment adjustment signal from the vehicle computing system via the communication interface while the vehicle is in the second position. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 the motorized turntable; and   the motor associated with the motorized turntable.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the communication interface includes a wireless communication interface, wherein receiving the environment adjustment signal from the vehicle computing system via the communication interface includes receiving the environment adjustment signal from the vehicle computing system via the wireless communication interface, wherein sending the confirmation signal to the vehicle computing system via the communication interface includes sending the confirmation signal to the vehicle computing system via the wireless communication interface. 
     
     
         19 . A method of vehicle environment control, the method comprising:
 receiving an environment adjustment signal from a vehicle computing system of a vehicle in a calibration environment via a communication interface;   activating an actuator automatically in response to receiving the environment adjustment signal from the vehicle computing system, wherein activating the actuator effects an adjustment to a characteristic of a sensor target in the calibration environment; and   sending a confirmation signal to the vehicle computing system via the communication interface, the confirmation signal indicative of the adjustment to the characteristic of the sensor target.   
     
     
         20 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, wherein the program is executable by a processor to perform a method of vehicle environment control, the method comprising:
 receiving an environment adjustment signal from a vehicle computing system of a vehicle in a calibration environment via a communication interface;   activating an actuator automatically in response to receiving the environment adjustment signal from the vehicle computing system, wherein activating the actuator effects an adjustment to a characteristic of a sensor target in the calibration environment; and   sending a confirmation signal to the vehicle computing system via the communication interface, the confirmation signal indicative of the adjustment to the characteristic of the sensor target.