Detection apparatus, detection method, driving assistance apparatus, and driving assistance method

• US 10,068,142 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2013
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Duley, Janese
• Application Number:
  US14/782,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20160042237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,980 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10021 Stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30261 Obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/136 involving thresholding
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/285 using a sequence of stereo image pairs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

A jump-out determination unit determines whether or not an object is approaching a travel direction of a vehicle based on movement information relating to movement of the object, the movement information having been acquired by a speed variation calculation unit after a pre-indication of that the object approaches the travel direction of the vehicle is detected by a jump-out pre-indication calculation unit of a detection apparatus. As a result, the sudden approach of the object toward the travel direction, which is difficult to determine solely from the movement information relating to the object, can be detected with improved precision.

Claims

1. A detection apparatus comprising:

a computer programmed to;

detect a pre-indication that an object approaches a travel direction of a vehicle;

in parallel with the pre-indication detection, determine whether a speed of the object exceeds a threshold α

at predetermined time intervals;

acquire movement information, which is information relating to movement of the object; and

determine whether or not the object is approaching the travel direction of the vehicle based on the movement information that is acquired after the pre-indication is detected,

wherein the object is determined to be approaching the travel direction of the vehicle when the speed of the object in an approaching direction relative to the travel direction of the vehicle, the speed being included in the movement information that is acquired, increases between a time T2 when the pre-indication is detected and a time T2+Tβ

following the time T2 of detection of the pre-indication,

the object is determined to be approaching the travel direction of the vehicle when the speed of the object in the approaching direction relative to the travel direction of the vehicle, the speed being included in the movement information that is acquired, exceeds the threshold α

at a time T1 before the time T2+Tβ

following detection of the pre-indication,

the object is determined to be approaching the travel direction of the vehicle using the threshold α

, which is set to be lower as a time of the increase in the speed of the object in the approaching direction relative to the travel direction of the vehicle, the speed being included in the movement information that is acquired, approaches a time Tγ

that is earlier than the time T2+Tβ

following detection of the pre-indication, so that T2<

Tγ

<

T2+Tβ

,

wherein, when the speed of the object varies after the time T2 of the pre-indication detection, the probability of the object jumping out is determined, based on a histogram, to increase until the time Tγ

after the time T2 of the pre-indication detection, reach a maximum value at the time Tγ

following the time T2 of the pre-indication detection, and then decrease from the time Tγ

; and

after the time T2 of the pre-indication detection, lower the threshold α

as the time T1 approaches the time Tγ

of when the probability of the object jumping out reaches the maximum value.

2. A driving assistance apparatus comprising:

a computer programmed to;

detect a pre-indication that an object approaches a travel direction of a vehicle;

in parallel with the pre-indication detection, determine whether a speed of the object exceeds a threshold α

at predetermined time intervals;

acquire movement information, which is information relating to movement of the object; and

determine whether or not the object is approaching the travel direction of the vehicle based on the movement information that is acquired after the pre-indication is detected,

implement driving assistance on the vehicle based on the determination of whether or not the object is approaching the travel direction of the vehicle based on the movement information,

wherein

the object is determined to be approaching the travel direction of the vehicle when the speed of the object in an approaching direction relative to the travel direction of the vehicle, the speed being included in the movement information that is acquired, increases between a time T2 when the pre-indication is detected and a time T2+Tβ

following the time T2 of detection of the pre-indication,

the object is determined to be approaching the travel direction of the vehicle when the speed of the object in the approaching direction relative to the travel direction of the vehicle, the speed being included in the movement information that is acquired, exceeds the threshold α

at a time T1 before the time T2+Tβ

following detection of the pre-indication,

the computer is further programmed to determine whether or not the object is approaching the travel direction of the vehicle using the threshold α

, which is set to be lower as a time of the increase in the speed of the object in the approaching direction relative to the travel direction of the vehicle, the speed being included in the movement information that is acquired, approaches a time Tγ

that is earlier than the time T2+Tβ

following detection of the pre-indication, so that T2<

Tγ

<

T2+Tβ

,

wherein, when the speed of the object varies after the time T2 of the pre-indication detection, the probability of the object jumping out is determined, based on a histogram, to increase until the time Tγ

after the time T2 of the pre-indication detection, reach a maximum value at the time Tγ

following the time T2 of the pre-indication detection, and then decrease from the time Tγ

; and

after the time T2 of the pre-indication detection, lower the threshold α

as the time T1 approaches the time Tγ

of when the probability of the object jumping out reaches the maximum value.

3. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the computer determines that the object is approaching the travel direction of the vehicle, the implementation of the driving assistance on the vehicle is implemented to a greater extent than when the computer determines that the object is not approaching the travel direction of the vehicle.

4. A driving assistance apparatus comprising:

a computer programmed to;

detect a pre-indication that an object approaches a travel direction of a vehicle;

in parallel with the pre-indication detection, determine whether a speed of the object exceeds a threshold α

at predetermined time intervals;

acquire movement information, which is information relating to movement of the object; and

implement driving assistance on the vehicle based on the determination of whether the object is approaching the travel direction of the vehicle based on the movement information,

determine that the object is approaching the travel direction of the vehicle when the speed of the object in the approaching direction relative to the travel direction of the vehicle, the speed being included in the movement information that is acquired, increases between time T2 when the pre-indication is detected and a time T2+Tβ

following the time T2 of detection of the pre-indication, and

promote implementation of the driving assistance on the vehicle to a greater extent as a time of the increase in the speed of the object in the approaching direction relative to the travel direction of the vehicle, the speed being included in the movement information that is acquired, approaches a time Tγ

that is earlier than the time T2+Tβ

following detection of the pre-indication, so that T2<

Tγ

<

T2+Tβ

,

wherein, when the speed of the object varies after the time T2 of the pre-indication detection, the probability of the object jumping out is determined, based on a histogram, to increase until the time Tγ

after the time T2 of the pre-indication detection, reach a maximum value at the time Tγ

following the time T2 of the pre-indication detection, and then decrease from the time Tγ

; and

after the time T2 of the pre-indication detection, lower the threshold α

as the time Tγ

, of when the probability of the object jumping out reaches the maximum value, approaches.