Automatic detection and analysis of traffic signal type information using image data captured on a vehicle

• US 10,269,124 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Corp.
• Original Assignee: Thinkware Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Han Woo
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Chan S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Mai H
• Application Number:
  US14/739,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20150363652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs

Abstract

Provided herein is a control method of an electronic apparatus. The control method of an electronic apparatus includes: generating signal type information using an image data of a signal region portion of a signal lamp in a driving-related image data of a vehicle; and performing a driving-related guide of the vehicle using the generated signal type information.

Claims

1. A control method of an electronic apparatus, the control method comprising:

searching for a pathway from a current position to a destination of a vehicle using map data;

acquiring path information including searched pathway data;

generating signal type information using image data of a signal region portion of a signal lamp in driving-related image data for the vehicle;

determining whether a signal is changed based on the signal type information;

determining whether the vehicle needs to start moving from a stationary state by matching a direction to the destination of the vehicle of the path information with a direction of the signal type information in response to the signal being changed; and

outputting a signal change guide if the direction to the destination of the vehicle of the path information corresponds to the direction of the signal type information, wherein the current position is determined using a GPS module.

2. The control method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the vehicle is in the stationary state using the driving-related image data, wherein the generating of the signal type information is performed when the vehicle is in the stationary state.

3. The control method of claim 2, wherein the determining whether the vehicle is in the stationary state includes:

generating gray image data for the driving-related image data; and

determining whether the vehicle is in the stationary state by comparing each of a plurality of frames included in the generated gray image data.

4. The control method of claim 2, wherein the generating of the signal type information includes:

determining a region-of-interest including the signal lamp in the driving-related image data; and

converting image data of the determined region-of-interest based on a preset pixel value to generate region-of-interest image data.

5. The control method of claim 4, wherein the generating of the signal type information includes:

detecting the image data of the signal region portion of the signal lamp by applying a first region having a first area and a second region including the first region and having a second area to the region-of-interest image data;

comparing a difference between an area pixel value of the second region and an area pixel value of the first region with a preset area pixel value; and

generating the signal type information of the signal lamp as a result of the comparison.

6. The control method of claim 2, wherein the signal type information is information for identifying each of a plurality of signals which is displayed in the signal lamp.

7. The control method of claim 6, further comprising outputting a signal guide using the signal type information.

8. The control method of claim 1, wherein the outputting is performed if the vehicle is in the stationary state during a preset time from timing when the signal of the signal lamp is changed.

9. The control method of claim 7, wherein the outputting includes:

generating an indicator for performing a driving-related guide; and

outputting the generated indicator based on augmented reality.

18. A non-transitory recording medium recorded with a program code for executing the control method of claim 1 on a computer.

10. An electronic apparatus comprising:

an output circuit outputting data of the electronic apparatus;

a signal type information generation circuit generating signal type information using image data of a signal region portion of a signal lamp in driving related image data for a vehicle; and

a controller configured to;

search for a pathway from a current position to a destination of a vehicle using map data;

acquire path information including searched pathway data;

determine whether a signal is changed based on the signal type information;

determine whether the vehicle needs to start moving from a stationary state by matching a direction to the destination of the vehicle of the path information with a direction of the signal type information in response to the signal being changed; and

control the output circuit to output a signal change guide if the direction to the destination of the vehicle of the path information corresponds to the direction of the signal type information, wherein the current position is determined using a GPS module.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a driving state determining circuit determining whether the vehicle is in the stationary state using the driving-related image data,

wherein the controller controls the signal type information generation circuit to generate the signal type information if it is determined that the vehicle is in the stationary state.

12. The electronic apparatus of claim 11, wherein the driving state determining circuit generates gray image data for the driving-related image data and compares each of a plurality of frames included in the generated gray image data to determine whether the vehicle is in the stationary state.

13. The electronic apparatus of claim 11, wherein the signal type information generation circuit determines a region-of-interest including the signal lamp in the driving-related image data and converts image data of the determined region-of-interest based on a preset pixel value to generate region-of-interest image data.

14. The electronic apparatus of claim 13, wherein the signal type information generation circuit detects the image data of the signal region portion of the signal lamp by applying a first region having a first area and a second region including the first region and having a second area to the region-of-interest image data, compares a difference between an area pixel value of the second region and an area pixel value of the first region with a preset area pixel value, and generates the signal type information of the signal lamp as a result of the comparison.

15. The electronic apparatus of claim 11, wherein the signal type information is information for identifying each of a plurality of signals which is displayed in the signal lamp.

16. The electronic apparatus of claim 15, wherein the controller controls the output circuit to output a signal guide using the signal type information.

17. The electronic apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control circuit controller controls the output circuit to output the signal change guide if the vehicle is in the stationary state during a preset time from timing when the signal of the signal lamp is changed.