DETECTING DEVICE, DETECTING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20090018711A1
• Filed: 06/12/2008
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Asokawa, Yoshinobu, Ito, Yoshiro, Iketani, Takashi, Ueda, Tadakazu
• Application Number:
  US12/138,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20090018711A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

Information necessary to control a vehicle is to be effectively detected in accordance with a situation. A supposition situation selecting section selects a supposition situation closest to the present situation of an own vehicle from a plurality of pre-supposed supposition situations on the basis of situation information acquired from a situation information acquiring unit and a supposition situation selection table through a situation information input I/F circuit. A detection process selecting portion selects a detection process to be actually performed from detection processes which can be performed by each detecting portion of a target detecting section on the basis of the selected supposition situation and a detection process selection table. The invention is applicable to an in-vehicle image processing device.

Claims

1. A detecting device which performs a plurality of detection processes of detecting information on a predetermined target, the information being used to control a vehicle, and detects information on a plurality of the targets, the detecting device comprising:

situation selecting means for selecting a supposition situation closest to a situation of the vehicle from a plurality of the supposition situations supposed in advance on the basis of information on a state of the vehicle or a surrounding situation of the vehicle; and

detection process selecting means for selecting the detection process to be actually performed from the plurality of detection processes on the basis of the selected supposition situation.

2. The detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the detection process selecting means determines a sequence for performing the detection processes on the basis of the supposition situation.

3. The detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the supposition situation is a situation which is supposed on the basis of a situation in which a driver has to be careful during driving.

4. The detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the detection process selecting means selects the detection process of detecting information on the target which a driver has to be careful of in the selected supposition situation.

5. The detecting device according to claim 4, wherein the detection process selecting means determines a sequence for performing the detection processes on the basis of a sequence of the targets which a driver has to be careful of.

6. A method of controlling a detection process of a detecting device which performs a plurality of the detection processes of detecting information on a predetermined target, the information being used to control a vehicle, and detects information on a plurality of the targets, the method comprising:

a situation selecting step of selecting a supposition situation closest to a situation of the vehicle from a plurality of the supposition situations supposed in advance on the basis of information on a state of the vehicle or a surrounding situation of the vehicle; and

a detection process selecting step of selecting the detection process to be performed from the plurality of detection processes on the basis of the selected supposition situation.

7. A program for allowing a detection process controlling process to be executed on a computer of a detecting device which performs a plurality of detection processes of detecting information on a predetermined target, the information being used to control a vehicle, and detects information on a plurality of the targets, the program comprising:

a situation selecting step of selecting a supposition situation closest to a situation of the vehicle from a plurality of the supposition situations supposed in advance on the basis of information on a state of the vehicle or a surrounding situation of the vehicle; and

a detection process selecting step of selecting the detection process to be performed from the plurality of detection processes on the basis of the selected supposition situation.