Image information processing system, image information processing method, image information processing program, and automobile

• US 20060115144A1
• Filed: 11/29/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nagaoka, Nobuharu, Kanai, Kazunori
• Granted Patent: US 7,599,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/154
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0025 Transfer function weighting factor
• 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: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands

Abstract

A system and the like capable of stably displaying image information according to an object shot by infrared cameras by offsetting disadvantages of two-dimensional image processing and three-dimensional image processing. According to an image information processing system 100 of the present invention, a weighting factor calculation unit 140 calculates a first weighting factor C1 (0≦C1≦1) and a second weighting factor C2 (=1−C1), on the basis of a measured value of a variable according to a distance between infrared cameras 210 and an object. Moreover, a composite image recognition unit 150 recognizes a composite image area A composed of a first image area A1 recognized by a first image area recognition unit 110 through the infrared camera 210 by performing the two-dimensional image processing and the second image area A2 recognized by a second image area recognition unit 120 through the infrared cameras 210 by performing the three-dimensional image processing, with being weighted by the first weighting factor C1 and the second weighting factor C2, respectively. Then, the image information control unit 160 causes the HUD 110 to display a frame enclosing the composite image area A.

Claims

1. An image information processing system for processing an image of an object shot by infrared cameras mounted on a movable body and thereby displaying image information of the object on an image display device mounted on the movable body, the image information processing system comprising:

first image area recognition means for recognizing an image area according to the object as a first image area by performing two-dimensional image processing of the object shot by an infrared camera;

second image area recognition means for recognizing an image area according to the object as a second image area by performing three-dimensional image processing of the object stereographically shot by two infrared cameras;

variable measurement means for measuring a variable whose value changes with a distance between the infrared cameras and the object;

weighting factor calculation means for calculating a first weighting factor C1 (0≦

C1≦

1) having a property of increasing along with an increase in the distance according to the variable and calculating a second weighting factor C2 (=1−

C1) having a property of increasing along with a decrease in the distance according to the variable, on the basis of the variable measured by the variable measurement means;

composite image area recognition means for recognizing a composite image area composed of the first image area recognized by the first image area recognition means and the second image area recognized by the second image area recognition means, with being weighted by the first weighting factor C1 and the second weighting factor C2 calculated by the weighting factor calculation means, respectively; and

image information control means for causing the image display device to display image information according to the composite image area recognized by the composite image area recognition means.

2. The image information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the variable measurement means measures an elapsed time t at a time point after elapse of a predetermined period of time since the start time of shooting the object by using the infrared cameras as the variable; and

the weighting factor calculation means calculates the first weighting factor C1 according to a decreasing function C1(t) of the time t and calculates the second weighting factor C2 according to an increasing function C2(t) of the time t, on the basis of the time t measured by the variable measurement means.

3. The image information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the weighting factor calculation means calculates the first weighting factor C1 according to the first function C1(t)=1/(Ct+1) (C>

0) and calculates the second weighting factor C2 according to the second function C2(t)=1−

{1/(Ct+1)}, on the basis of the time t measured by the variable measurement means.

6. An automobile, as the movable body, on which the image information processing system according to claim 1 is mounted.

4. An image information processing method for processing an image of an object shot by infrared cameras mounted on a movable body and thereby displaying image information of the object on an image display device mounted on the movable body, the image information processing method comprising:

a first image area recognition step of recognizing an image area according to the object as a first image area by performing two-dimensional image processing of the object shot by an infrared camera;

a second image area recognition step of recognizing an image area according to the object as a second image area by performing three-dimensional image processing of the object stereographically shot by two infrared cameras;

a variable measurement step of measuring a variable whose value changes with a distance between the infrared cameras and the object;

a weighting factor calculation step of calculating a first weighting factor C1 (0≦

C1≦

1) having a property of increasing along with an increase in the distance according to the variable and calculating a second weighting factor C2 (=1−

C1) having a property of increasing along with a decrease in the distance according to the variable, on the basis of the variable measured in the variable measurement step;

a composite image area recognition step of recognizing a composite image area composed of the first image area recognized in the first image area recognition step and the second image area recognized in the second image area recognition step, with being weighted by the first weighting factor C1 and the second weighting factor C2 calculated in the weighting factor calculation step, respectively; and

an image information control step of causing the image display device to display image information according to the composite image area recognized in the composite image area recognition step.

5. An image information processing program for imparting a computer a function of processing an image of an object shot by infrared cameras mounted on a movable body and thereby displaying image information of the object on an image display device mounted on the movable body, the function comprising:

a first image area recognition function of recognizing an image area according to the object as a first image area by performing two-dimensional image processing of the object shot by an infrared camera;

a second image area recognition function of recognizing an image area according to the object as a second image area by performing three-dimensional image processing of the object stereographically shot by two infrared cameras;

a variable measurement function of measuring a variable whose value changes with the distance between the infrared cameras and the object;

a weighting factor calculation function of calculating a first weighting factor C1 (0≦

C1≦

1) having a property of increasing along with an increase in the distance according to the variable and calculating a second weighting factor C2 (=1−

C1) having a property of increasing along with a decrease in the distance according to the variable, on the basis of the variable measured using the variable measurement function;

a composite image area recognition function of recognizing a composite image area composed of the first image area recognized using the first image area recognition function and the second image area recognized using the second image area recognition function, with being weighted by the first weighting factor C1 and the second weighting factor C2 calculated using the weighting factor calculation function, respectively; and

an image information control function of causing the image display device to display image information according to the composite image area recognized using the composite image area recognition function.