Vehicle, and control method thereof

• US 10,422,652 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2015
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Kang, Kyunghyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Abby Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Kelly D
• Application Number:
  US14/949,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20160272117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/50 characterised by the display information being shared, e.g. external display, data transfer to other traffic participants or centralised traffic controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

A vehicle includes: a communication unit to receive image information from a plurality of other vehicles existing around a vehicle; a determining unit which matches the received image information to create around view information and determines a lane on which the vehicle travels, based on the around view information; and a controller to control a device in the vehicle based on the result of the determination on the lane on which the vehicle travels to provide a route guidance.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive image information from a plurality of other vehicles existing around a vehicle, the image information including a plurality of images; and

a processor configured to;

match the received image information to create surrounding view information,

determine a lane of a road on which the vehicle travels, based on the surrounding view information, and

control a device in the vehicle based on a result of the determination of the lane on which the vehicle travels to provide a route guidance,

wherein the processor is configured to create the surrounding view information using coordinate information and size information of at least one singularity included in the received image information,

wherein the at least one singularity includes an object common in the plurality of images, and the processor is configured to;

set the object as a criterion and distinguish the criterion from other objects included in the plurality of images,

compare coordinate information of the criterion in one image of the plurality of images with coordinate information of the criterion in another image of the plurality of images,

determine a location of the vehicle relative to the other vehicles based on the coordinate information of the criterion,

distinguish the lane on which the vehicle is located from a lane of the road on which the other vehicles are located based on coordinate information of the criterion,

exclude an image of the received image information when a predetermined valid time has elapsed,

reset another object common in remaining images as the criterion after excluding the image, and

match remaining image information to create the surrounding view information based on the reset criterion after the processor excludes the image from the received image information.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to receive the image information from the plurality of other vehicles existing around the vehicle, through Device-to-Device (D2D) communication or via a base station.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to match the received image information using at least one singularity included in the received image information to create the surrounding view information.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a Global Positioning System (GPS) configured to acquire location information of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to specify the lane on which the vehicle is located among all lanes of the road on which the vehicle travels, using the surrounding view information and the location information of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to control the device in the vehicle based on road information and vehicle information extracted from the surrounding view information to provide the route guidance.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to determine a traffic flow for each lane of the road on which the vehicle travels, based on the road information and the vehicle information, and to set a driving route to which the traffic flow for each lane is reflected, based on the traffic flow for each lane and the result of the determination on the lane on which the vehicle is located.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the processor controls at least one of a display, a Head-Up Display (HUD), a windshield display, and a speaker in the vehicle, based on the result of the determination, to provide the route guidance.

9. A method of controlling a vehicle, comprising:

receiving, by a transceiver, image information from a plurality of other vehicles existing around a vehicle, the image information including a plurality of images;

determining, by a processor, a lane of a road on which the vehicle travels, based on surrounding view information created by matching the received image information; and

controlling, by the processor, a device in the vehicle based on a result of the determination to provide a route guidance,

wherein the determining of the lane comprises creating the surrounding view information using coordinate information and size information of at least one singularity included in the received image information, and

wherein the singularity includes an object common in the plurality of images, and setting the object as a criterion and distinguishing the criterion from other objects included in the plurality of images are performed by the processor;

distinguishing, by the processor, the lane on which the vehicle is located from a lane of the road on which the other vehicles are located based on coordinate information of the criterion;

comparing, by the processor, coordinate information of the criterion in one image of the plurality of images with coordinate information of the criterion in another image of the plurality of images;

determining, by the processor, a location of the vehicle relative to the other vehicles based on the coordinate information of the criterion,

excluding, by the processor, an image of the received image information when a predetermined valid time has elapsed;

resetting, by the processor, another object common in remaining images as the criterion after excluding the image; and

matching, by the processor, remaining image information to create the surrounding view information based on the reset criterion after excluding the image of the received image information when the predetermined valid time has elapsed.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the receiving of the image information comprises receiving the image information from the plurality of other vehicles existing around the vehicle, through a Device-to-Device (D2D) communication or via a base station.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the determining of the lane on which the vehicle travels comprises matching the received image information using at least one singularity included in the received image information to create the surrounding view information.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the determining of the lane on which the vehicle travels further comprises acquiring location information of the vehicle, through a GPS.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the determining of the lane on which the vehicle travels further comprises specifying the lane on which the vehicle is located among all lanes of the road on which the vehicle travels, using the surrounding view information and the location information of the vehicle.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the determining of the lane on which the vehicle travels comprises matching the received image information to create the surrounding view information, and extracting road information and vehicle information from the surrounding view information, and

wherein the controlling of the device in the vehicle comprises controlling the device in the vehicle based on the extracted road information and the extracted vehicle information to provide the route guidance.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the determining of the lane on which the vehicle travels comprises determining a traffic flow for each lane of the road on which the vehicle travels, based on the road information and the vehicle information, and setting a driving route to which the traffic flow for each lane is reflected, based on the traffic flow for each lane and the result of the determination on the lane on which the vehicle is located.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the controlling of the device in the vehicle comprises controlling at least one of a display, a Head-Up Display (HUD), a windshield display, and a speaker in the vehicle, based on the result of the determination, to provide the route guidance.