Marked parking space identification system and method thereof

• US 10,242,575 B1
• Filed: 12/06/2017
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Chan, Sheng-Wei, Chen, Yu-Chung, Lin, Chantel, Chen, Pin-Yung
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Shirley
• Application Number:
  US15/832,937
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/586 of parking space
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/142 external to the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/148 Management of a network of parking areas

Abstract

A marked parking space identification system and a marked parking space identification method are disclosed. The marked parking space identification method includes: receiving a first image of a first parking space with markings; identifying a plurality of corners in the first image of the first parking space with markings; pairing up two adjacent corners to become a parking corner group; and using the parking corner group to identify a first marked parking space.

Claims

1. A marked parking space identification method, comprising:

receiving a first image of a first parking space with markings;

identifying a plurality of corners in the first image of the first parking space with markings;

pairing up two adjacent corners to be a parking corner group; and

identifying a first marked parking space based on the parking corner group.

2. The marked parking space identification method of claim 1, wherein the two adjacent corners correspond to each other and are supplementary angles.

3. The marked parking space identification method of claim 1, further comprising determining a first region of interest based on the parking corner group, wherein the first marked parking space is determined within the first region of interest.

4. The marked parking space identification method of claim 3, further comprising identifying whether there is a line between the two adjacent corners of the parking corner group in the first region of interest;

if so, determining a space delineated by the parking corner group and the line to be the first marked parking space.

5. The marked parking space identification method of claim 1, further comprising calculating location information of the first marked parking space based on a lens parameter inputted in advance.

6. The marked parking space identification method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of corners in the first image of the first parking space with markings are identified by a corner detector trained by using a machine learning algorithm.

7. The marked parking space identification method of claim 1, further comprising determining a feature pair-up value between the first image of the first parking space with markings at a current moment and the first image of the first parking space with markings at a previous moment.

8. The marked parking space identification method of claim 7, further comprising calculating and outputting location information of the first marked parking space at the current moment when the feature pair-up value is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

9. The marked parking space identification method of claim 7, further comprising storing data associated with the first marked parking space in a tracking database when the feature pair-up value is less than a predetermined threshold, and calculating location information of the first marked parking space by using a tracking algorithm when a continuous storage duration of the data associated with the first marked parking space stored in the tracking database is not greater than a predetermined continuous storage duration and there has been no update on the location information of the first marked parking space.

10. The marked parking space identification method of claim 7, further comprising storing data associated with the first marked parking space in a tracking database when the feature pair-up value is less than a predetermined threshold, and deleting the data associated with the first marked parking space from the tracking database when a continuous storage duration of the data associated with the first marked parking space stored in the tracking database is greater than a predetermined continuous storage duration and there has been no update on the location information of the first marked parking space.

11. The marked parking space identification method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second image of the second parking space with markings;

identifying a plurality of corners in the second image of the second parking space with markings;

pairing up two adjacent corners to be a second parking corner group;

identifying a second marked parking space based on the second parking corner group; and

determining a first feature pair-up value between the first image of the first parking space with markings at a current moment and the first image of the first parking space with markings at a previous moment, and determining a second feature pair-up value between the second image of the second parking space with markings at the current moment and the second image of the second parking space with markings at the previous moment.

12. The marked parking space identification method of claim 11, further comprising calculating and outputting location information of the first marked parking space and the second marked parking space at the current moment when the first feature pair-up value and the second feature pair-up value are greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

13. The marked parking space identification method of claim 11, further comprising storing data associated with the second marked parking space in a tracking database when the second feature pair-up value is less than a predetermined threshold, and deleting the data associated with the second marked parking space from the tracking database when a continuous storage duration of the data associated with the second marked parking space stored in the tracking database is greater than a predetermined continuous storage duration and there has been no update on the location information of the second marked parking space.

14. The marked parking space identification method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of other images of other marking spaces with markings;

identifying a plurality of corners in each of the other images of the other marking spaces with markings;

identifying other marked parking spaces based on the plurality of corners; and

tracking each of the other marked parking spaces.

15. A marked parking space identification system, comprising:

at least an image capturing device configured for capturing a first image of a first parking space with markings; and

a parking space identification module electrically connected with the image capturing device and configured for performing a marked parking space identification method, wherein the marked parking space identification method includes;

receiving the first image of the first parking space with markings;

identifying a plurality of corners in the first image of the first parking space with markings;

pairing up two adjacent corners to be a parking corner group; and

identifying a first marked parking space based on the parking corner group.

16. The marked parking space identification system of claim 15, wherein the parking space identification module includes a parking space marking feature detecting unit, and the parking space marking feature detecting unit includes a corner detector configured for identifying the plurality of corners.

17. The marked parking space identification system of claim 15, wherein the parking space identification module includes a left and right feature pairing unit configured for pairing up the two adjacent corners into the parking corner group.

18. The marked parking space identification system of claim 15, wherein the parking space identification module includes a parking space determining unit configured for determining and calculating location information of the first marked parking space.

19. The marked parking space identification system of claim 18, wherein the parking space determining unit determines a first region of interest based on the parking corner group.

20. The marked parking space identification system of claim 15, wherein the parking space identification module includes a marked parking space tracking unit configured for tracking the first marked parking space.

21. The marked parking space identification system of claim 15, further comprising an image display device electrically connected with the parking space identification module and configured for displaying location information and image of the first marked parking space.

22. The marked parking space identification system of claim 21, wherein the image display device includes a touch display device.