THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECT EMERGENCE DETECTION DEVICE

• US 20110234761A1
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kiyohara, Masahiro, Yumiba, Ryo, Monji, Tatsuhiko, Irie, Kota
• Application Number:
  US13/133,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20110234761A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/46
• 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 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/605 the adjustment being automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/12 Panospheric to cylindrical image transformations
• 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

Provided is a three-dimensional object emergence detecting device capable of detecting the emergence of a three-dimensional object rapidly and correctly at low costs.

Based on a bird'"'"'s-eye view image 30 taken by a camera 21 mounted in a vehicle 20, the three-dimensional object emergence detecting device detects the emergence of a three-dimensional object 22 in the vicinity of the vehicle. From the bird'"'"'s-eye view image 30, the three-dimensional object emergence detecting device extracts orthogonal-direction characteristic components 46 and 47, which are on the bird'"'"'s-eye view image 30 and has directions 36 and 37 orthogonal to a view direction 33 of the camera 21, and based on amounts of the extracted orthogonal-direction characteristic components 46 and 47, detects the emergence of the three-dimensional object 22. This prevents from erroneously detecting incidental changes in the image, such as sway of sunshine or movement of a shadow, as the emergence of the three-dimensional object.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional object emergence detecting device configured to detect the emergence of a three-dimensional object in the vicinity of a vehicle based on a bird'"'"'s-eye view image taken by a camera mounted in the vehicle, wherein

the three-dimensional object emergence detecting device extracts orthogonal-direction characteristic components, each of which is on the bird'"'"'s-eye view image and has a direction nearly orthogonal to a view direction of the camera, from the bird'"'"'s-eye view image, and detects the emergence of the three-dimensional object based on amounts of the extracted orthogonal-direction characteristic components.

2. A three-dimensional object the emergence detecting device configured to detect the emergence of a three-dimensional object in the vicinity of a vehicle based on a bird'"'"'s-eye view image taken by a camera mounted in the vehicle, comprising:

a bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtaining means for obtaining the plurality of bird'"'"'s-eye view images taken by the camera at a predetermined time interval;

a directional characteristic component extracting means for extracting orthogonal-direction characteristic components, each of which is a directional characteristic component that is on the bird'"'"'s-eye view image and has a direction nearly orthogonal to a view direction of the in-vehicle camera, from the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtained by the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtaining means; and

a three-dimensional object detecting means for comparing amounts of the orthogonal-direction characteristic components extracted by the directional characteristic component extracting means among the plurality of bird'"'"'s-eye view images, and when increments of the orthogonal-direction characteristic components are equal to or more than preliminarily set threshold values, it is determined that there is the emergence of the three-dimensional object.

7. The three-dimensional object emergence detecting device according to claim 2, comprising an alarm means for issuing an alarm when the three-dimensional object detecting means determines that there is the emergence of the three-dimensional object.

8. The three-dimensional object emergence detecting device according to claim 7, wherein the alarm means displays, on a screen, the bird'"'"'s-eye view image and a frame line showing a silhouette of the three-dimensional object.

9. The three-dimensional object emergence detecting device according to claim 8, wherein the alarm means changes a size of the frame line depending on a distance between the camera and the three-dimensional object.

10. The three-dimensional object emergence detecting device according to claim 7, wherein the alarm means converts the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtained by the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtaining means into a bird'"'"'s-eye view image having a narrower angle of view, and displays the converted bird'"'"'s-eye view image on the screen.

14. The three-dimensional object emergence detecting device according to claim 8, wherein the alarm means converts the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtained by the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtaining means into a bird'"'"'s-eye view image having a narrower angle of view, and displays the converted bird'"'"'s-eye view image on the screen.

15. The three-dimensional object emergence detecting device according to claim 9, wherein the alarm means converts the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtained by the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtaining means into a bird'"'"'s-eye view image having a narrower angle of view, and displays the converted bird'"'"'s-eye view image on the screen.

3. A three-dimensional object emergence detecting device configured to detect the emergence of a three-dimensional object in the vicinity of a vehicle based on a bird'"'"'s-eye view image taken by a camera mounted in the vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle signal obtaining means for obtaining a signal from at least one of a control device of the vehicle and an information device mounted in the vehicle;

an operation controlling means for, based on the signal from the vehicle signal obtaining means, recognizing a start point and an end point of an interval when attention of a driver of the vehicle is deviated from confirmation of surroundings of the vehicle;

a bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtaining means for, based on information from the operation controlling means, obtaining the plurality of bird'"'"'s-eye view images taken by the camera at a predetermined time interval;

a directional characteristic component extracting means for extracting orthogonal-direction characteristic components, each of which is a directional characteristic component that is on the bird'"'"'s-eye view image and has a direction nearly orthogonal to a view direction of the in-vehicle camera, from the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtained by the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtaining means; and

a three-dimensional object detecting means for comparing amounts of the orthogonal-direction characteristic components extracted by the directional characteristic component extracting means among the plurality of bird'"'"'s-eye view images, and when increments of the orthogonal-direction characteristic components are equal to or more than preliminarily set threshold values, it is determined that there is the emergence of the three-dimensional object.

11. The three-dimensional object emergence detecting device according to claim 3, comprising an alarm means for issuing an alarm when the three-dimensional object detecting means determines that there is the emergence of the three-dimensional object.

4. A three-dimensional object emergence detecting device configured to detect the emergence of a three-dimensional object in the vicinity of a vehicle based on a bird'"'"'s-eye view image taken by a camera mounted in the vehicle, comprising:

a bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtaining means for obtaining the bird'"'"'s-eye view image;

an image detecting means for detecting image changes or image features due to the three-dimensional object by performing image processing on the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtained by the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtaining means;

a directional characteristic component extracting means for, when the image changes or the image features detected by the image detecting means satisfy preliminarily set conditions, extracting orthogonal-direction characteristic components, each of which is a directional characteristic component that is on the bird'"'"'s-eye view image and has a direction nearly orthogonal to a view direction of the in-vehicle camera, from the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtained by the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtaining means; and

a three-dimensional object detecting means for detecting the emergence of the three-dimensional object based on amounts of the orthogonal-direction characteristic components extracted by the directional characteristic component extracting means.

5. The three-dimensional object emergence detecting device according to claim 4, wherein also when losing sight of the detected three-dimensional object, the image detecting means continues detection of the three-dimensional object by means of the three-dimensional object detecting means.

12. The three-dimensional object emergence detecting device according to claim 4, comprising an alarm means for issuing an alarm when the three-dimensional object detecting means determines that there is the emergence of the three-dimensional object.

13. The three-dimensional object emergence detecting device according to claim 5, comprising an alarm means for issuing an alarm when the three-dimensional object detecting means determines that there is the emergence of the three-dimensional object.

6. A three-dimensional object emergence detecting device configured to detect the emergence of a three-dimensional object in the vicinity of a vehicle based on a bird'"'"'s-eye view image taken by a camera mounted in the vehicle, comprising:

a bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtaining means for obtaining the bird'"'"'s-eye view image;

a sensor for detecting the three-dimensional object present around the vehicle;

a directional characteristic component extracting means for, when the sensor detects the three-dimensional object, extracting orthogonal-direction characteristic components, each of which is a directional characteristic component that is on the bird'"'"'s-eye view image and has a direction nearly orthogonal to a view direction of the in-vehicle camera, from the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtained by the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtaining means; and

a three-dimensional object detecting means for detecting the emergence of the three-dimensional object based on amounts of the orthogonal-direction characteristic components extracted by the directional characteristic component extracting means.