Obstacle recognition system and obstacle recognition method

• US 20050270225A1
• Filed: 06/02/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tokoro, Setsuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,570,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/87 Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4004 of parts of a radar system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/497 Means for monitoring or calibrating

Abstract

The present invention relates to an obstacle recognition system and an obstacle recognition method. A radar detects existence of an object around a vehicle, an image taking part such as a camera takes an image of the object around the vehicle, a determination threshold is set at a low value when it is determined based on image information of the photographic image that a possibility of presence of an obstacle is high, the determination threshold is set at a high value when it is determined that the possibility of the presence of the obstacle is low, and these determination threshold values are used to detect the obstacle to travel of the vehicle on the basis of the output from the radar.

Claims

1. An obstacle recognition system comprising:

a radar for detecting existence of an object around a vehicle;

an image taking device for taking an image of the object;

an obstacle detecting element for detecting an obstacle to travel of the vehicle on the basis of an output from the radar; and

a criterion value changing element for changing a criterion value in the obstacle detection of the obstacle detecting element on the basis of image information of the image taken by the image taking device.

2. The obstacle recognition system according to claim 1, further comprising an obstacle estimating element for estimating presence of the obstacle on the basis of the image information,

wherein the criterion value changing element changes the criterion value on the basis of a possibility of the presence of the obstacle estimated by the obstacle estimating element.

3. The obstacle recognition system according to claim 2, wherein the obstacle estimating element sets a detection area in the image on the basis of the output from the radar and estimates the presence of the obstacle in the detection area on the basis of the image information.

4. The obstacle recognition system according to claim 3, wherein the detection area set by the obstacle estimating element is set based on a distance from the vehicle to the object and a relative position of the object to the vehicle.

5. The obstacle recognition system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the obstacle estimating element estimates the presence of the obstacle on the basis of an edge density distribution obtained through image processing of the image.

6. The obstacle recognition system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the obstacle estimating element calculates a possibility of absence of the obstacle on the basis of entire edge data obtained through image processing of a predetermined region in the image, calculates the possibility of the presence of the obstacle on the basis of edge data resulting from subtraction of edge data of lane markers from the entire edge data, and estimates the presence of the obstacle on the basis of the possibility of the absence of the obstacle and the possibility of the presence of the obstacle.

7. The obstacle recognition system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the criterion value changing element changes the criterion value so that the obstacle becomes less likely to be detected as a possibility of absence of the obstacle is estimated to be higher based on the image information.

8. The obstacle recognition system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the criterion value changing element changes the criterion value so that the obstacle becomes more likely to be detected as a possibility of presence of the obstacle is estimated to be higher based on the image information.

9. The obstacle recognition system according to any one of claims 2 to 8, further comprising a collision avoiding/relieving element for avoiding a collision with the obstacle or for relieving influence of the collision,

wherein the collision avoidance or collision influence relief by the collision avoiding/relieving element is activated earlier when the obstacle estimating element estimates that the possibility of the presence of the obstacle is high than when the obstacle estimating element estimates that the possibility of the presence of the obstacle is not high.

10. An obstacle recognition method comprising:

a criterion value changing step of changing a criterion value in obstacle detection on the basis of image information of an image taken by an image taking device for taking an image around a vehicle; and

an obstacle detecting step of detecting an obstacle to travel of the vehicle on the basis of an output from a radar for detecting existence of an object by use of the criterion value set in the criterion value changing step.

11. The obstacle recognition method according to claim 10, further comprising an obstacle estimating step of estimating presence of the obstacle on the basis of the image information,

wherein the criterion value changing step comprises changing the criterion value on the basis of a possibility of the presence of the obstacle estimated in the obstacle estimating step.

12. The obstacle recognition method according to claim 11, wherein the obstacle estimating step comprises setting a detection area in the image on the basis of the output from the radar and estimating the presence of the obstacle in the detection area on the basis of the image information.

13. The obstacle recognition method according claim 12, wherein the detection area in the obstacle estimating step is set based on a distance from the vehicle to the object and a relative position of the object to the vehicle.

14. The obstacle recognition method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the obstacle estimating step comprises estimating the presence of the obstacle on the basis of an edge density distribution obtained through image processing of the image.

15. The obstacle recognition method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the obstacle estimating step comprises calculating a possibility of absence of the obstacle on the basis of entire edge data obtained through image processing of a predetermined region in the image, calculating the possibility of the presence of the obstacle on the basis of edge data resulting from subtraction of edge data of lane makers from the entire edge data, and estimating the presence of the obstacle on the basis of the possibility of the absence of the obstacle and the possibility of the presence of the obstacle.

16. The obstacle recognition method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the criterion value changing step comprises changing the criterion value so that the obstacle becomes less likely to be detected as a possibility of absence of the obstacle is estimated to be higher based on the image information.

17. The obstacle recognition method according to either one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the criterion value changing step comprises changing the criterion value so that the obstacle becomes more likely to be detected as a possibility of presence of the obstacle is estimated to be higher based on the image information.

18. The obstacle recognition method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, further comprising a collision avoiding/relieving step of avoiding a collision with the obstacle or relieving influence of the collision,

wherein the collision avoidance or collision influence relief in the collision avoiding/relieving step is activated earlier when the possibility of the presence of the obstacle is estimated to be high in the obstacle estimating step than when the possibility of the presence of the obstacle is estimated not to be high.