METHOD FOR DETECTING MOVING OBJECTS IN A BLIND SPOT REGION OF A VEHICLE AND BLIND SPOT DETECTION DEVICE

• US 20080309516A1
• Filed: 05/02/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zimmermann, Klaus, Siddiqui, Muhammad, FRIEDRICHS, Fabian
• Granted Patent: US 8,040,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/935
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/223 using block-matching
• 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

Abstract

A method for detecting moving objects In a blind spot of vehicle is provided, comprising: taking a sequence of images of said blind spot region, partitioning each of said images of said sequence into blocks, identifying moving blocks which have moved between consecutive images of said sequence, determining a direction and a distance of said movement of said moving blocks; grouping adjacent moving blocks, for which directions within a predetermined direction interval and distances within a predetermined distance interval have been determined, and determining said moving objects based on said step of grouping. A corresponding blind spot detection device is provided as well.

Claims

1. Method for detecting moving objects in a blind spot region of a vehicle, comprising:

taking a sequence of images of said blind spot region;

partitioning each of said images of said sequence into blocks;

identifying moving blocks which have performed a movement between consecutive images of said sequence;

determining a direction and a distance of said movement of said moving blocks;

grouping adjacent moving blocks, for which directions within a predetermined direction interval and distances within a predetermined distance interval have been determined; and

determining said moving objects based on said step of grouping.

2. Method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining at least one false alarm among said moving objects; and

generating an alarm if at least one of said moving objects is no false alarm.

3. Method according to claim 2, comprising:

determining an object size of said moving object;

comparing said object size with a predetermined size; and

generating said false alarm if said object size is smaller than said predetermined size.

4. Method according to claim 3, further comprising:

determining a vanishing point within said images, wherein said predetermined size depends on a distance of said moving object from said vanishing point.

5. Method according to claim 2, further comprising:

identifying a vanishing point within said images,

determining an object size of said moving object;

determining a vertical distance of said moving object from said vanishing point; and

generating said false alarm, if said object size is below a predetermined object size and if said vertical distance is above a predetermined distance.

6. Method according to any of claims 2 to 5, further comprising:

calculating a histogram and/or edge based statistical measure of at least one of said moving objects;

evaluating said histogram and/or edge based statistical measure; and

generating said false alarm based on said step of evaluating.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein said statistical measure is a variance, an inter quartier range, a mean, a median, an energy, an edge energy, a uniformity, a smoothness, a third moment and/or an entropy.

8. Method according to any of claims 2 to 7, further comprising:

evaluating a trajectory of said moving object; and

generating said false alarm based on said step of evaluating.

9. Method according to any of claims 2 to 8, further comprising:

is determining a size of said moving object;

calculating a difference between a region surface and a convex hull if said size is greater than a predetermined size; and

redefining said moving objects, if said difference is above a predetermined difference.

10. Method according to any of claim 1 to 9, further comprising:

splitting said images of said sequence into at least two regions.

11. Method according to claim 10, further comprising:

using different criteria in said at least two regions in said steps of grouping said adjacent blocks.

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein a different search region and/or a different matchblock size are used as different criteria.

13. Method according to any of claims 10 to 12, further comprising:

using different training data for identifying moving objects in said at least two regions.

14. Method according to any of claims 10 to 13, further comprising:

upscaling or downscaling images differently in said at least two regions.

15. Method according to any of claims 2 to 9, further comprising:

splitting said images of said sequence into at least two regions; and

using different thresholds for identifying false alarms within different regions.

16. Method according to any of claim 10 to 15, further comprising:

splitting said images of said sequence into two regions.

21. Computer program product, comprising a computer program code which when loaded into a processor performs the method according to any of claims 1 to 16.

17. Blind spot detection device for a vehicle, comprising:

a camera configured to take a sequence of images of said blind spot region;

a processor configured to partition each of said images of said sequence into blocks;

to identify moving blocks which have performed a movement between consecutive images of said sequence;

to determine a direction and a distance of said movement of said moving blocks, to group adjacent moving blocks, for which directions within a predetermined direction interval and distances within a predetermined distance interval have been determined; and

further configured to determine said moving objects; and

an indicator configured to indicate a dangerous situation, if a moving object in said blind spot has been detected.

18. Blind spot detection device according to claim 17, further comprising:

a false alarm rejection unit, connected to said processor and to said indicator, said false alarm rejection unit being configured to identify false alarms among said moving objects;

wherein said indicator is further configured to generate an alarm if at least one of said moving objects is no false alarm.

19. Blind spot detection device according to any of claims 17 to 18, further comprising:

a splitting region unit, configured to split said images of said sequence into at least two regions.

20. Blind spot detection device according to any of claims 17 to 19, further comprising:

an active sensor configured to determine a distance to said moving object.