Vehicular image processing apparatus and related method

• US 20030169902A1
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Published: 09/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Satoh, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,171,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/00 General purpose image data processing
• 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
• 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: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A vehicular image processing apparatus and related method are disclosed as having a high speed camera 2 that picks up an image of a surrounding of a vehicle, a low speed image extracting unit 6 extracting an image calculated with a low speed area calculating unit 4, a high speed image extracting unit 5 extracting other image than that calculated with the low speed area calculating unit 4, and an image outputting unit 9 synthesizing image information extracted with the high image extracting unit 5 and image information related to the image of the low speed area to provide an output which is applied to an image recognition device 11 to detect an obstacle around the vehicle or a road shape. A frame rate adjusting unit 8 enables the output image of the low speed image extracting unit 6 to be applied to the image outputting unit 9.

Claims

1. A vehicular image processing apparatus, comprising:

an imaging device picking up an image of at least a portion of a surrounding of a vehicle;

a processing device detecting at least a portion of an object, to be detected around the surrounding of the vehicle, from image information picked up with the imaging device;

an output unit outputting the image, picked up with the image pickup unit, to the processing device; and

a dividing unit dividing an area of the image, picked up with the imaging device, into an area to be outputted at a high frame rate and an area to be outputted at a lower frame rate than that of the high frame rate.

2. The vehicular image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle information detecting device detecting a traveling status of the vehicle; and

wherein the dividing unit comprises;

a low speed area calculating unit calculating the area, to be picked up at the low frame rate, in dependence on an output of the vehicle information detecting device;

a low speed image extracting unit extracting an image calculated with the low speed area calculating unit; and

a high speed image extracting unit extracting other images than that calculated with the low speed area calculating unit; and

wherein the output unit comprises;

an image outputting unit synthesizing image information, extracted from the high speed image extracting unit, and image information outputted from the low speed image extracting unit to provide an output which is applied to the processing device as an input image.

3. The vehicular image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle information detecting device detecting a traveling status of the vehicle; and

wherein the dividing unit comprises;

a low speed area calculating unit calculating the area, to be picked up at the low frame rate, in dependence on an output of the vehicle information detecting device;

a frame rate calculating unit calculating a frame rate of a low speed area on the basis of an area calculated with the low speed area calculating unit;

a low speed image extracting unit extracting an image of the area calculated with the low speed area calculating unit;

a high speed image extracting unit extracting other images than that calculated with the low speed area calculating unit; and

a frame rate adjusting unit outputting the image, extracted with the low speed image extracting unit, at a frame rate calculated with the frame rate calculating unit; and

wherein the output unit comprises;

an image outputting unit synthesizing image information, extracted with the high speed image extracting unit, and image information outputted from the frame rate adjusting unit to provide an output which is applied to the processing device as an input image.

4. The vehicular image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle information detecting device detecting a traveling status of the vehicle; and

wherein the dividing unit comprises;

a high speed imaging device picking up an image of surroundings of the vehicle at a high frame rate;

a low speed area calculating unit calculating the area, to be picked up at the low frame rate, in dependence on an output of the vehicle information detecting device;

a frame rate calculating unit calculating a frame rate of a low speed area on the basis of an area calculated with the low speed area calculating unit;

a low speed imaging device picking up the image of the surroundings of the vehicle at a frame rate, lower than that of the high speed imaging device, calculated with the frame rate calculating unit;

a low speed image extracting unit extracting an image of the area calculated with the low speed area calculating unit; and

a high speed image extracting unit extracting other images than that calculated with the low speed area calculating unit, from images picked up with the high speed imaging device; and

wherein the output unit comprises;

an image outputting unit synthesizing image information, extracted with the high speed image extracting unit, and image information outputted from the low speed image extracting unit to provide an output which is applied to the processing device as an input image.

5. The vehicular image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the imaging device picks up an image of a forward area of the vehicle with area segments, laying at right and left sides of the image, to be outputted at a high frame rate and with area segments, laying at a central portion of the image, to be outputted at a low frame rate.

6. The vehicular image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the imaging device picks up an image of a forward area of the vehicle with the area to be outputted at the low frame rate includes an area within own vehicle'"'"'s traffic lane.

7. The vehicular image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the imaging device picks up an image of a forward area of the vehicle with the area to be outputted at the low frame rate includes an area in which a preceding vehicle is detected.

8. A method of processing an image for a vehicle, comprising:

picking up an image of at least a portion of a surrounding of a vehicle with an imaging device;

detecting at least a portion of an object, to be detected around the surrounding of the vehicle, from image information picked up with the imaging device;

outputting the image, picked up with the imaging device, to a processing device; and

dividing an area of the image, picked up with the imaging device, into an area to be outputted at a high frame rate and an area to be outputted at a lower frame rate than that of the high frame rate.

9. A vehicular image processing apparatus, comprising:

image pickup means for picking up an image of at least a portion of a surrounding of a vehicle;

processing means for detecting at least a portion of an object, to be detected around the surrounding of the vehicle, from image information picked up with the image pickup means;

output means for outputting the image, picked up with the image pickup means, to the processing means; and

dividing means for dividing an area of the image, picked up with the image pickup means, into an area to be outputted at a high frame rate and an area to be outputted at a lower frame rate than that of the high frame rate.