Image processing device for vehicle, image processing method of detecting three-dimensional object, and image processing program

• US 20090262188A1
• Filed: 04/14/2009
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hoki, Kenta
• Granted Patent: US 8,102,421 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/140
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20132 Image cropping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30261 Obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/25 Determination of region of interest [ROI] or a volume of interest [VOI]
• 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

Abstract

An image processing device determines, cuts and extracts a processing area from an image data monitored by a camera mounted onto a driver'"'"'s vehicle based on a distance between a front target object and a driver'"'"'s vehicle, a horizontal position of the driver'"'"'s vehicle, and a strength of a radar wave transmitted from a radar device and then reflected by objects in front of the driver'"'"'s vehicle. The radar device is mounted to the driver'"'"'s vehicle and transmits the radar wave to the front area of the driver'"'"'s vehicle. The image processing device extracts vertical edges and horizontal edges from the image data in the processing area, and subtracts the horizontal edge values from the vertical edge values, and finally detects whether or not the front target object is a three-dimensional object based on the calculated result of the subtraction of the edges.

Claims

1. An image processing device for a vehicle comprising:

image obtaining means that receives monitored image data of front objects that exist in front of a driver'"'"'s vehicle;

position information obtaining means that receives position information of the front objects that are obtained from a wave transmitted toward the front area in front of the driver'"'"'s vehicle and reflected by the front objects;

processing area determining means that determines a processing area including a front target object in the front objects in the monitored image data based on the position information; and

judgment means that judges whether or not the front target object is a three-dimensional object based on edges detected in the image data in the processing area determined by the processing area determining means.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the judgment means judges the front target object is a three-dimensional object based on post-calculated vertical edge values obtained by subtracting horizontal edge values from vertical edge values in the image data of the processing area.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the judgment means judges the front target object is a three-dimensional object when at least one of following conditions (a) and (b) is satisfied:

(a) a maximum value is not less than a predetermined maximum threshold value, where the maximum value is the maximum value in vertical column edge values that is obtained by summing vertical edge values per each column in the image data in the processing area; and

(b) an average value is not less than a predetermined average threshold value, where the average value is the average value of the vertical column edge values that is obtained by summing the vertical edge values per each column in the image data in the processing area.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the position information obtaining means receives at least an intensity of the reflected wave, and the judgment means changes at least one of the predetermined maximum threshold value and the predetermined average threshold value according to the intensity of the reflected wave.

5. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the position information obtaining means receives at least an intensity of the reflected wave, and the processing area determining means changes the size of the processing area according to the intensity of the reflected wave.

6. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing area determining means adjusts a position of the processing area in the monitored image data according to a distance from the driver'"'"'s vehicle to the front target object based on the position information.

7. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein when the front target object is a target vehicle to be detected, the processing area determining means shifts the position of the processing area toward an upper side in the monitored image data so that the distance between the driver'"'"'s vehicle and the target vehicle is changed from a distance between the driver'"'"'s vehicle and the front part of the target vehicle to a distance between the driver'"'"'s vehicle and the tires of the target vehicle at the driver'"'"'s vehicle side.

8. A three-dimensional object judging method comprising steps of:

receiving monitored image data of front objects that exist in front of a driver'"'"'s vehicle;

receiving position information of the front objects that are obtained from a wave transmitted to the front area in front of the driver'"'"'s vehicle and reflected by the front objects;

determining a processing area including a front target object in the front objects in the monitored image data based on the position information; and

detecting whether or not the front target object is a three-dimensional object based on edges detected in the image data in the determined processing area.

9. A program for performing an image processing comprising:

image obtaining means configured to receive monitored image data of front objects that exist in front of a driver'"'"'s vehicle;

position information obtaining means configured to receive position information of the front objects that are obtained from a wave transmitted to the front area in front of the driver'"'"'s vehicle and reflected by the front objects;

processing area determining means configured to determine a processing area including a front target object in the front objects in the monitored image data based on the position information; and

detecting means configured to detect whether or not the front target object is a three-dimensional object based on edges detected in the image data in the processing area determined by the processing area determining means.