Device for image detecting objects, people or similar in the area surrounding a vehicle

• US 20050030378A1
• Filed: 06/15/2002
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Stiller, Christoph
• Granted Patent: US 7,652,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• 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: G06T 2207/10021 Stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/85 Stereo camera calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/97 Determining parameters from multiple pictures depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A device for detecting objects, persons or the like, including, for example, in the surroundings of a vehicle, has a stereo-sensitive image recording unit which includes at least two image sensors and an evaluation unit to evaluate the signals, supplied by the image sensors, using which, in a simple manner, a three-dimensional geometry of the surroundings of a vehicle is variably recordable at a desired operating range and at a desired viewing angle, and in which the optical axes of the image sensors are changeably alignable relative to each other and/or relative to vehicle.

Claims

1-10. -10. (Canceled).

11. A device for detecting at least one of an object and a person, comprising:

a stereo-sensitive image recording unit including at least two image sensors; and

an evaluation unit to evaluate signals supplied by the at least two image sensors,

wherein optical axes of the at least two image sensors are aligned in a changed manner relative to each other, so that an overlapping region of recording regions of the at least two image sensors is one of enlarged and reduced, respectively, corresponding to a change of the optical axes.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the device is operable to detect the at least one of the object and the person in a surrounding of a vehicle.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the optical axes are aligned in a changed manner relative to the vehicle.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the optical axes are aligned in a changed manner with respect to at least one of a vehicle longitudinal axis, a vehicle transverse axis, and a vehicle vertical axis.

15. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

a drive device that is assigned to each of the at least two image sensors.

16. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

a carrier to arrange the at least two image sensors on; and

a drive device assigned to the carrier.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the optical axes are alignable in a horizontal plane.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the optical axes are alignable on cone envelope surfaces.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein the image recording unit is arranged at a roof region of a vehicle.

20. The device of claim 11, wherein the image sensors include CMOS cameras.

21. The device of claim 15, wherein the drive device includes one of a stepper motor and a motor that is continuously adjustable.

22. The device of claim 11, wherein the evaluation unit generates control signals for a drive device as a function of supplied image signals of the at least two image sensors.