Traffic Lane Marking Line Recognition System for Vehicle

• US 20080027627A1
• Filed: 05/17/2005
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Tetsuo, Unoura, Kiyozumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,421,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

In the traffic lane marking line recognition system for vehicle having an image compositing device for compositing images photographed at different time points by a camera to elongate a traffic lane marking line in the photographed image, a fore-aft direction angle of the vehicle relative to the traffic lane marking line and a distance of the vehicle from the line in each of the images to be composited are detected to determine deviations of the angles and distances between the images; and the images are composited after having been corrected such that the angles and distances of the vehicle relative to the line are equal to each other based on the determined deviations of the angles and distances. With this, the traffic lane marking lines are elongated in appearance in the composited image due to the correction, thereby enabling accurate and unerring recognition of the traffic lane marking line.

Claims

1. A system for recognizing a traffic lane marking line for a vehicle comprising:

image photographing means for photographing a range including a road surface in a direction of travel of the vehicle;

traffic lane marking line recognizing means configured to be capable of recognizing at least a traffic lane marking line in a broken line on the road surface in a photographed image photographed by the image photographing means;

image compositing means for compositing a plurality of images photographed at different time points by the image photographing means to elongate the traffic lane marking line in the photographed images; and

vehicle condition detecting means for detecting a fore-aft direction angle of the vehicle relative to the traffic lane marking line and a distance of the vehicle from the traffic lane marking line in the plurality of images to be composited by the image compositing means and determining deviations of the angles and distances between the plurality of the images;

wherein the image compositing means composites the plurality of images, after correcting the plurality of images such that the angles and distances of the vehicle relative to the traffic lane marking line are equal to each other in the plurality of images based on the deviations of the angles and distances determined by the vehicle condition detecting means.

3. The system according to claim 1, further including comprising:

pitch angle change detecting means for detecting a pitch angle of the vehicle at each of the time points where the plurality of images are photographed to determine a change in the pitch angle in the images; and

the image compositing means composites the plurality of images, after correcting the plurality of images such that the pitch angles are equal to each other in the plurality of images based on the change in the pitch angle determined by the pitch angle change detecting means.

2. A system for recognizing a traffic lane marking line for a vehicle comprising:

image photographing means for photographing a range including a road surface in a direction of travel of the vehicle;

traffic lane marking line recognizing means configured to be capable of recognizing at least a traffic lane marking line in a broken line on the road surface in a photographed image photographed by the image photographing means;

image compositing means for compositing a plurality of images photographed at different time points by the image photographing means to elongate the traffic lane marking line in the photographed images; and

vehicle condition detecting means for detecting a fore-aft direction angle of the vehicle relative to the traffic lane marking line and a distance of the vehicle from the traffic lane marking line in the plurality of images to be composited by the image compositing means and determining deviations of the angles and distances between the plurality of the images; and

wherein the image compositing means composites the plurality of images, by adjusting a compositing position of the plurality of images, such that the angles and distances of the vehicle relative to the traffic lane marking line are equal to each other in the plurality of images based on the deviations of the angles and distances determined by the vehicle condition detecting means.

4. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

pitch angle change detecting means for detecting a pitch angle of the vehicle at each of the time points where the plurality of images are photographed to determine a change in the pitch angle in the images; and

the image compositing means composites the plurality of images, by adjusting a compositing position of the plurality of images, such that the pitch angles are equal to each other in the plurality of images based on the change in the pitch angle determined by the pitch angle change detecting means.

5. A vehicle comprising:

image photographing means for photographing a range including a road surface in a direction of travel of the vehicle;

traffic lane marking line recognizing means configured to be capable of recognizing at least a traffic lane marking line in a broken line on the road surface in a photographed image photographed by the image photographing means;

image compositing means for compositing a plurality of images photographed at different time points by the image photographing means to elongate the traffic lane marking line in the photographed images; and

vehicle condition detecting means for detecting a fore-aft direction angle of the vehicle relative to the traffic lane marking line and a distance of the vehicle from the traffic lane marking line in the plurality of images to be composited by the image compositing means and determining deviations of the angles and distances between the plurality of the images,

wherein the image compositing means composites the plurality of images, after correcting the plurality of images such that the angles and distances of the vehicle relative to the traffic lane marking line are equal to each other in the plurality of images based on the deviations of the angles and distances determined by the vehicle condition detecting means.

7. The vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising:

pitch angle change detecting means for detecting a pitch angle of the vehicle at each of the time points where the plurality of images are photographed to determine a change in the pitch angle in the images; and

the image compositing means composites the plurality of images, after correcting the plurality of images such that the pitch angles are equal to each other in the plurality of images based on the change in the pitch angle determined by the pitch angle change detecting means.

6. A vehicle comprising:

image photographing means for photographing a range including a road surface in a direction of travel of the vehicle;

traffic lane marking line recognizing means configured to be capable of recognizing at least a traffic lane marking line in a broken line on the road surface in a photographed image photographed by the image photographing means;

image compositing means for compositing a plurality of images photographed at different time points by the image photographing means to elongate the traffic lane marking line in the photographed images; and

vehicle condition detecting means for detecting a fore-aft direction angle of the vehicle relative to the traffic lane marking line and a distance of the vehicle from the traffic lane marking line in the plurality of images to be composited by the image compositing means and determining deviations of the angles and distances between the plurality of the images,

wherein the image compositing means composites the plurality of images, by adjusting a compositing position of the plurality of images, such that the angles and distances of the vehicle relative to the traffic lane marking line are equal to each other in the plurality of images based on the deviations of the angles and distances determined by the vehicle condition detecting means.

8. The vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising:

pitch angle change detecting means for detecting a pitch angle of the vehicle at each of the time points where the plurality of images are photographed to determine a change in the pitch angle in the images; and

the image compositing means composites the plurality of images, by adjusting a compositing position of the plurality of images, such that the pitch angles are equal to each other in the plurality of images based on the change in the pitch angle determined by the pitch angle change detecting means.