ROAD SURFACE DIVISION MARK RECOGNITION APPARATUS, AND LANE DEPARTURE PREVENTION APPARATUS

• US 20100060738A1
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kageyama, Shioya, Kataoka, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,265,872 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/586 of parking space
• 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

Abstract

A road surface division mark recognition apparatus includes: a vehicle-mounted camera that takes an image of a road surface ahead of a vehicle; an image processing portion which has a plurality of image processing modes that correspond respectively to a plurality of kinds of road surface division marks, and which recognizes a road surface division mark in a selected image processing mode; a temperature measurement portion that measures the temperature of the vehicle-mounted camera; and a restriction portion that restricts the action of the vehicle-mounted camera if the temperature measured by the temperature measurement portion is higher than or equal to a threshold value. The threshold value differs between the image processing modes.

Claims

1. A road surface division mark recognition apparatus that recognizes a division mark on a road surface, comprising:

a vehicle-mounted camera that takes an image of the road surface;

an image processing portion which has a plurality of image processing modes that correspond respectively to a plurality of kinds of road surface division marks, and which recognizes the road surface division mark in a selected one of the image processing modes;

a temperature measurement portion that measures temperature of the vehicle-mounted camera; and

a restriction portion that restricts action of the vehicle-mounted camera if the temperature measured by the temperature measurement portion is higher than or equal to a threshold value,

wherein the threshold value differs depending on the plurality of image processing modes.

2. The road surface division mark recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing portion discerns the kind of the road surface division mark contained in the road surface image taken by the vehicle-mounted camera, and selects, from the plurality of image processing modes, an image processing mode that corresponds to the road surface division mark discerned.

3. The road surface division mark recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the restriction portion restricts the action of the vehicle-mounted camera by restricting supply of electric power to the vehicle-mounted camera.

4. The road surface division mark recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value used when the image processing mode is a Botts'"'"' dots recognition mode is set lower than the threshold value used when the image processing mode is a division line recognition mode.

5. The road surface division mark recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing portion, after discerning the kind of the road surface division mark, selects from the plurality of image processing modes an image processing mode that corresponds to the road surface division mark discerned.

6. A road surface division mark recognition apparatus that recognizes a division mark on a road surface, comprising:

a vehicle-mounted camera that takes an image of the road surface;

an image processing portion that calculates an edge point distribution of a region whose brightness is different from brightness of a surrounding region based on the image of the road surface taken by the vehicle-mounted camera, and that calculates a degree of dirtiness of the road surface and recognizes a road surface division mark based on the edge point distribution calculated;

a temperature measurement portion that measures temperature of the vehicle-mounted camera; and

a restriction portion that restricts action of the vehicle-mounted camera if the temperature measured by the temperature measurement portion is higher than or equal to a threshold value,

wherein the threshold value is set according to the degree of dirtiness of the road surface.

7. The road surface division mark recognition apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the restriction portion restricts the action of the vehicle-mounted camera by restricting supply of electric power to the vehicle-mounted camera.

8. The road surface division mark recognition apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the threshold value is set higher when the degree of dirtiness of the road surface is small than when the degree of dirtiness of the road surface is great.

9. A lane departure prevention apparatus that prevents a vehicle from departing from a traveling lane, comprising:

a vehicle-mounted camera that takes an image of a road surface;

an image processing portion that recognizes a road surface division mark that defines the traveling lane based on the image of the road surface taken by the vehicle-mounted camera;

a temperature measurement portion that measures temperature of the vehicle-mounted camera;

a restriction portion that restricts action of the vehicle-mounted camera if the temperature measured by the temperature measurement portion is higher than or equal to a threshold value;

a determination portion that makes a determination regarding possibility of the vehicle departing from the traveling lane based on a result of recognition by the image processing portion; and

a steering control portion that controls steering so that the vehicle does not depart from the traveling lane based on a result of determination by the determination portion,

wherein the steering control portion controls the steering by changing a control gain of rotary torque that is given to a steering shaft, and the threshold value is set according to magnitude of the control gain.

10. The lane departure prevention apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the restriction portion restricts the action of the vehicle-mounted camera by restricting supply of electric power to the vehicle-mounted camera.

11. The lane departure prevention apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the threshold value is set higher with a reduction in the control gain.

12. A lane departure prevention apparatus that prevents a vehicle from departing from a traveling lane, comprising:

a vehicle-mounted camera that takes an image of a road surface;

an image processing portion that recognizes a road surface division mark that defines the traveling lane based on the image of the road surface taken by the vehicle-mounted camera;

a temperature measurement portion that measures temperature of the vehicle-mounted camera;

a restriction portion that restricts action of the vehicle-mounted camera if the temperature measured by the temperature measurement portion is higher than or equal to a threshold value;

a determination portion that makes a determination regarding possibility of the vehicle departing from the traveling lane based on a result of recognition by the image processing portion; and

a warning output portion that outputs a warning that indicates possibility of departure from the traveling lane, before the vehicle departs from the traveling lane, based on a result of determination by the determination portion,

wherein the threshold value is set according to a warning timing that is set in the warning output portion.

13. The lane departure prevention apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the warning timing is a time that indicates how many seconds prior to an expected time of departure of the vehicle from the traveling lane the warning is to be output.

14. The lane departure prevention apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the restriction portion restricts the action of the vehicle-mounted camera by restricting supply of electric power to the vehicle-mounted camera.

15. The lane departure prevention apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the threshold value is set higher when the warning timing is short than when the warning timing is long.

16. A lane departure prevention apparatus that prevents a vehicle from departing from a traveling lane, comprising:

a vehicle-mounted camera that takes an image of a road surface;

an image processing portion that recognizes a road surface division mark that defines the traveling lane based on the image of the road surface taken by the vehicle-mounted camera;

a temperature measurement portion that measures temperature of the vehicle-mounted camera;

a determination portion that makes a determination regarding possibility of the vehicle departing from the traveling lane based on a result of recognition by the image processing portion;

a steering control portion that controls steering so that the vehicle does not depart from the traveling lane based on a result of determination by the determination portion, wherein the steering control portion controls the steering by changing a control gain of rotary torque that is given to a steering shaft; and

a control gain adjustment portion that adjusts the control gain according to the temperature measured by the temperature measurement portion.

17. The lane departure prevention apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the control gain adjustment portion gradually lessens the control gain with an increase in the temperature.

18. The lane departure prevention apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a restriction portion that restricts supply of electric power to the vehicle-mounted camera if the temperature measured by the temperature measurement portion is higher than or equal to a threshold value.

19. A lane departure prevention apparatus that prevents a vehicle from departing from a traveling lane, comprising:

a vehicle-mounted camera that takes an image of a road surface;

an image processing portion that recognizes a road surface division mark that defines the traveling lane based on the image of the road surface taken by the vehicle-mounted camera;

a temperature measurement portion that measures temperature of the vehicle-mounted camera;

a determination portion that makes a determination regarding possibility of the vehicle departing from the traveling lane based on a result of recognition by the image processing portion;

a warning output portion that outputs a warning that indicates a possibility of departure from the traveling lane based on a result of determination by the determination portion; and

a timing adjustment portion that adjusts a timing of the warning according to the temperature measured by the temperature measurement portion.

20. The lane departure prevention apparatus according to claim 19, wherein:

the warning timing is a time that indicates how many seconds prior to an expected time of departure of the vehicle from the traveling lane the warning is to be output; and

the timing adjustment portion gradually shortens the warning timing with an increase in the temperature.

21. The lane departure prevention apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a restriction portion that restricts supply of electric power to the vehicle-mounted camera if the temperature measured by the temperature measurement portion is higher than or equal to a threshold value.