Warning sign placing apparatus and control method thereof

• US 10,339,413 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2015
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, Po-Liang, Hou, Chia-Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein
• Assistant Examiner(s): Castro, Paul A
• Application Number:
  US14/705,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20160202077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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

Abstract

A warning sign placing apparatus and a control method thereof are provided. The warning sign placing apparatus includes at least two camera units, a control unit, and a vehicle. The camera unit captures a plurality of images in a preset direction. The vehicle carries at least two camera units and control unit. The control unit identifies a traveling direction of the road and distinguishes at least one object on the road based on the images, and plans a route along the road for the vehicle according to the at least one object, where the vehicle travels along the route. A warning sign is configured in the warning sign placing apparatus and is able to automatically move to a preset position with a preset distance in order to avoid the risk of dangers in a case of manually placing the warning sign.

Claims

1. A warning sign placing apparatus comprising:

a warning sign equipment;

at least two camera units, capturing a plurality of images in a preset direction, wherein the at least two camera units have at least two different fields of view;

a control unit, coupled to the at least two camera units; and

a vehicle, having drive elements and carrying the warning sign equipment, the at least two camera units and the control unit,

wherein the warning sign placing apparatus is initially placed within a car,

wherein the control unit identifies a traveling direction of a road based on the images captured by the at least two camera units, distinguishes at least one object on the road, plans a route from the car to a target point along the road for the vehicle according to the at least one object, and controls the vehicle to travel along the route away from the car to place the warning sign equipment at the target point through the drive elements,

wherein the control unit enters its sleep state after transmitting the route to the vehicle, and the vehicle travels along the route by itself.

2. The warning sign placing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a storage unit, coupled to the control unit and storing the route; and

a receiving unit, coupled to the control unit and receiving a recall signal, wherein the recall signal is used to instruct the control unit for controlling the vehicle to return back along the route.

3. The warning sign placing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit distinguishes that the at least one object comprises a curb line sensed by the at least two camera units, and wherein the control unit calculates an angle between the curb line and a preset imaginary line and controls a traveling direction of the vehicle according to the angle.

4. The warning sign placing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit distinguishes that the at least one object comprises at least one obstacle, and wherein the control unit calculates obstacle information of the at least one obstacle and plans the route for the vehicle according to the obstacle information.

5. The warning sign placing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a light-emitting unit, coupled to the control unit and having a light-emitting range, wherein the control unit plans the route for the vehicle according to the road within the light-emitting range.

6. The warning sign placing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control unit defines a plurality of preset distance segments on the road according to the light-emitting range, and sets a plurality of target points according to the preset distance segments to plan the route of the vehicle.

7. The warning sign placing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the obstacle information of the at least one obstacle includes at least one of a reflectivity to light of the at least one obstacle and a color block of the at least one obstacle presented in the images.

8. The warning sign placing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the road is a curved road, and after the vehicle travels to a target point along the route, the control unit identifies a new traveling direction of a road based on a plurality of new images captured by the at least two camera units and the vehicle travels to the next target point in accordance with the curved road.

9. The warning sign placing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit detects the boundary line according to a boundary of a plurality of different color blocks in the images.

10. A control method of a warning sign placing apparatus, wherein the warning sign placing apparatus comprises a warning sign equipment, at least two camera units and a vehicle, wherein the vehicle has drive elements and carries the warning sign, the at least two camera units, and the control unit, and wherein the method comprises:

placing the warning sign placing apparatus within a car;

capturing a plurality of images in a preset direction by the at least two camera units;

identifying a traveling direction of a road and distinguishing at least one object on the road based on the images captured by the at least two camera units; and

planning a route from the car to a target point along the road for the vehicle according to the at least one object; and

controlling the vehicle to travel along the route away from the car to place the warning sign equipment at the target point through the drive elements,

wherein the control unit enters its sleep state after transmitting the route to the vehicle, and the vehicle travels along the route by itself.

11. The method according to claim 10 further comprising:

storing the route; and

receiving a recall signal, wherein the recall signal is used to instruct for controlling the vehicle to return back along the route.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of planning the route for the vehicle on the road according to the at least one object comprises:

distinguishing that the at least one object comprises a curb line sensed by the at least two camera units; and

calculating an angle between the curb line and a preset imaginary line, and controlling a traveling direction of the vehicle according to the angle.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of planning the route along the road for the vehicle according to the at least one object comprises:

distinguishing that the at least one object comprises at least one obstacle; and

calculating obstacle information of the at least one obstacle, and planning the route for the vehicle according to the obstacle information.

14. The method according to claim 10 further comprising:

planning the route for the vehicle according to the road within the light-emitting range.

15. A warning sign placing apparatus comprising:

a warning sign equipment;

at least two camera units, capturing a plurality of images in a preset direction, wherein the at least two camera units have at least two different field of view;

a control unit, coupled to the at least two camera units; and

a vehicle, having drive elements, and carrying the warning sign equipment, the at least two camera units and the control unit,

wherein the warning sign placing apparatus is initially placed within a car,

wherein the control unit identifies a traveling direction of a road based on the images captured by the at least two camera units, distinguishes at least one object on the road, plans a route from the car to a target point along the road for the vehicle according to the at least one object, and controls the vehicle to travel along the route away from the car to place the warning sign equipment at the target point through the drive elements;

a memory, coupled to the control unit and storing the route; and

a receiver, coupled to the control unit and receiving a recall signal, wherein the recall signal is used to instruct the control unit for controlling the vehicle to return back to the car from the target point along the route,

wherein the control unit enters its sleep state after transmitting the route to the vehicle, and the vehicle travels along the route by itself.