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Method and system for dynamically ascertaining alignment of vehicular cameras

  • US 10,654,423 B2
  • Filed: 12/04/2017
  • Issued: 05/19/2020
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2011
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for dynamically ascertaining alignment of a vehicular camera relative to a vehicle to which the camera is attached, said method comprising:

  • (a) determining a plurality of steering angle ranges for the vehicle, wherein a steering angle range is a range of steering angles that approximates straight vehicle motion over less than two seconds of travel time of the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion and turning;

    (b) measuring, via a steering angle sensor of a vehicle, steering angle of the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion;

    (c) acquiring image frames of image data captured by a camera of the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion;

    (d) processing image data captured by the camera via a processor of the vehicle;

    (e) determining, via processing by the processor of image data captured by the camera, a central vanishing point when the vehicle is in motion and moving straight;

    (f) responsive to processing by the processor of image data captured by the camera, selecting a plurality of feature points in the image frames for each steering angle range of the plurality of steering angle ranges while the vehicle is in motion and turning;

    (g) tracking, via processing by the processor of image data captured by the camera, motion trajectory of each selected feature point in the image frames for each steering angle range of the plurality of steering angle ranges;

    (h) determining, via processing by the processor of image data captured by the camera, a vanishing point in an image plane of the image frames for the plurality of tracked motion trajectories for each steering angle range of the plurality of steering angle ranges;

    (i) determining a vanishing line in the image plane based on a locus of the determined vanishing points; and

    (j) determining alignment of the camera based at least in part on the determined central vanishing point and the determined vanishing line.

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