VEHICLE PERIPHERY MONITORING DEVICE, VEHICLE, AND VEHICLE PERIPHERY MONITORING PROGRAM

• US 20100278392A1
• Filed: 10/07/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arriver Software AB (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yokochi, Yuji, Nagaoka, Nobuharu
• Granted Patent: US 7,974,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/106
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/24 in front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/30 providing vision in the non-visible spectrum, e.g. night or infrared vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/301 combining image information with other obstacle sensor information, e.g. using RADAR/LIDAR/SONAR sensors for estimating risk of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/307 virtually distinguishing relevant parts of a scene from the background of the scene
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30261 Obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/136 involving thresholding
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/255 Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/08 Detecting or categorising vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition

Abstract

A vehicle periphery monitoring device which determines type of an object with high accuracy, wherein the size of object regions that are set in each of the image representing the peripheral condition of the vehicle [[1]] in each of two different points in time and that include the identical objects, are aligned on the basis of the distance from the vehicle to the object in each of the two different point in time. Further, local regions with the same arrangement pattern are set taking each of the object regions with aligned size as reference. Still further, the object is classified into the object class which corresponds to the arrangement pattern in the case where the degree of correlation between the local regions becomes equal to or larger than [[the]] a threshold value.

Claims

1. A vehicle periphery monitoring device which monitors a periphery of a vehicle using images representing a peripheral condition of the vehicle obtained through an imaging device mounted on the vehicle, comprising:

an object detecting element which recognizes the existence of an object on the basis of the image;

an object tracing element which determines whether or not the objects detected by the object detecting element on the basis of the images taken at each of a first point in time and a second point in time satisfy an identity requirement that the objects are identical;

a distance measuring element which measures a distance from the vehicle to the object;

a first object region setting element which sets a region in the image where the object exists as a first object region;

a first local region setting element which sets a region arranged at a pattern in accordance with each of a plurality of object classes, taking the first object region at the first point in time as reference, as a first local region;

a second object region setting element which sets, for the object determined as satisfying the identity requirement by the object tracing element, the first object region at the second point in time which is enlarged or reduced by a ratio of the distance at the second point in time to the distance at the first point in time that are measured by the distance measuring element, as a second object region;

a second local region setting element which sets, in the same pattern as with the arrangement pattern of the first local region set by the first local region setting element, a region arranged taking the second object region set by the second object setting element as reference, as a second local region;

a degree of correlation evaluating element which evaluates a degree of correlation between the first local region set by the first local region setting element and the second local region set by the second local region setting element; and

an object classifying element which classifies the object to the object class in accordance with the arrangement pattern of the first local region satisfying a correlation requirement that the degree of correlation evaluated by the degree of correlation evaluating element is equal to or larger than a threshold value.

2. A vehicle equipped with the vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 1, which monitors the periphery of the vehicle using images representing the peripheral condition of the vehicle obtained through the imaging device.

3. A vehicle periphery monitoring program, which makes a computer mounted on a vehicle to function as the vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 1, which monitors the periphery of the vehicle using images representing the peripheral condition of the vehicle obtained through the imaging device mounted on the vehicle.