System and method for vehicle control based on red color and green color detection

• US 10,380,438 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fung, Kin C., Dick, Timothy J., Palande, Dhanashree
• Primary Examiner(s): Bernardi, Brenda C
• Application Number:
  US15/450,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20180253613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/56 relating to colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control

Abstract

A method for vehicle control includes receiving a color image from an imaging system. The color image includes a traffic indicator with a color portion. The method includes extracting red color components from the color image by subtracting a grayscale intensity value of each pixel from a red-scale value of each pixel. The method includes extracting green color components from the color image by subtracting the grayscale intensity value of each pixel from a green-scale value of each pixel. The method includes performing blob analysis based on the red color components and the green color components. The method includes determining, based on the blob analysis, a color of the color portion of the traffic indicator, and controlling a vehicle system of a vehicle based on the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for vehicle control, comprising:

receiving a color image from an imaging system, the color image including a traffic indicator having a color portion;

extracting red color components from the color image by subtracting a grayscale intensity value of each pixel in the color image from a red-scale value of each pixel in the color image;

extracting green color components from the color image by subtracting the grayscale intensity value of each pixel in the color image from a green-scale value of each pixel in the color image;

performing blob analysis based on the red color components and the green color components;

determining, based on the blob analysis, a color of the color portion of the traffic indicator; and

controlling a vehicle system of a vehicle based on the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further including converting the color image to a grayscale image to determine the grayscale intensity value of each pixel in the color image.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein performing the blob analysis includes setting a first output value to true upon detecting a red blob and a second output value to true upon detecting a green blob.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining, based on the blob analysis, the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator further includes upon detecting a red color and a green color simultaneously in the color image, the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator is determined to be the red color.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein upon determining the first output value is true and the second output value is true, the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator is determined to be a red color.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further including receiving vehicle data from the vehicle.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein controlling the vehicle system of the vehicle further includes controlling the vehicle system of the vehicle based on the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator and the vehicle data.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the vehicle data includes a head pose of a driver of the vehicle and braking information, and upon determining the head pose is in a downward direction, the vehicle is in a non-moving state based on the braking information, and the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator is green, controlling the vehicle system of the vehicle includes providing an alert in the vehicle.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the vehicle data includes braking information, and upon determining the vehicle is in a moving state based on the braking information and the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator is red, controlling the vehicle system of the vehicle includes providing an alert in the vehicle.

10. A vehicle image processing system, comprising:

an imaging system which captures a color image, the color image including a traffic indicator having a color portion; and

a processor operably connected for computer communication to the imaging system, wherein the processor receives the color image from the imaging system, wherein the processor extracts red color components from the color image and green color components from the color image by subtracting grayscale intensity values of each pixel in the color image from respective red-scale values and green-scale values of each pixel in the color image,

wherein the processor performs blob analysis based on the red color components and the green color components, and determines, based on the blob analysis, a color of the color portion of the traffic indicator, wherein the processor executes control of a vehicle system of a vehicle based on the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator.

11. The vehicle image processing system of claim 10, further including the processor identifying a red blob from the blob analysis based on the red color components by the processor comparing a size of each blob identified based on the red color components to a predetermined threshold.

12. The vehicle image processing system of claim 11, further including the processor identifying a green blob from the blob analysis based on the green color components by the processor comparing a size of each blob identified based on the green color components to the predetermined threshold.

13. The vehicle image processing system of claim 12, wherein the processor determines the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator based on the identified red blob and the identified green blob.

14. The vehicle image processing system of claim 10, wherein the processor identifies red blobs and green blobs based on the blob analysis and upon determining the color image includes red blobs and green blobs, the processor determines the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator to be red.

15. The vehicle image processing system of claim 10, further including the processor receiving vehicle data from the vehicle and the processor executes control of the vehicle system of the vehicle based on the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator and the vehicle data.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a color image from an imaging system, the color image including a traffic indicator having a color portion;

extract red color components from the color image by subtracting a grayscale intensity value of each pixel in the color image from a red-scale value of each pixel in the color image;

extract green color components from the color image by subtracting the grayscale intensity value of each pixel in the color image from a green-scale value of each pixel in the color image;

perform blob analysis based on the red color components and the green color components;

determine, based on the blob analysis, a color of the color portion of the traffic indicator; and

control a vehicle system of a vehicle based on the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein performing the blob analysis includes set a first output value to true upon detecting a red blob and a second output value to true upon detecting a green blob.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein determining, based on the blob analysis, the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator further includes upon detecting a red color and a green color simultaneously in the color image, the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator is determined to be the red color.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein upon determining the first output value is true and the second output value is true, the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator is determined to be a red color.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further including receive vehicle data from the vehicle and controlling the vehicle system further includes controlling the vehicle system based on the color of the color portion of the traffic indicator and the vehicle data.