ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR RECOGNIZING ROAD SIGNS

• US 20120046855A1
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Wey, Torsten, Gunia, Dirk, Doerne, Gerald, Roeber, Marc, Schlaug, Christoph
• Granted Patent: US 9,218,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking

Abstract

Various embodiment include a system and a method for recognizing road signs. An image of a road sign may be captured by least one image sensor. A vehicle computer may receive the image data representing one or more road signs along a route and display one or more images of the road sign based on the image data. The display may be capable of presenting one or more status of the road sign based on one or more travel states for the vehicle. These travel states may include at least one of an amount of elapsed travel time, distance travelled, or speed.

Claims

1. A system for displaying road signs along a route in a vehicle, the system comprising:

at least one vehicle computer configured to;

receive image data representing one or more road signs along a route; and

display one or more images of the road sign based on the image data, the display capable of presenting one or more aging statuses for the road sign based on one or more travel states for the vehicle including at least one of an amount of elapsed travel time, distance travelled, or speed.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more aging statuses include a newly detected road sign, a time-aged road sign, a distance-aged road sign, and an inapplicable status for the one or more road signs.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the at least one computer is configured to change an intensity of the displayed road sign in the vehicle according to the aging status.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the display change includes at least three intensity levels.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein a shorter elapsed travel time or distance travelled causes the road sign to be displayed at a greater intensity than a longer elapsed time or distance travelled.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more statuses represent a reliability with respect to a validity of the displayed road sign.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a vehicle image sensor.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the vehicle image sensor in a front-mounted camera.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the image data includes road sign identification information.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more travel states further include environmental conditions, roadway conditions and roadway restrictions.

11. A system for displaying road signs along a route in a vehicle, the system comprising:

one or more vehicle image sensors configured to capture one or more images of road signs along a route; and

at least one vehicle computer configured to;

receive the captured image of the road signs along a route; and

display one or more images of one or more road signs based on at least one of an amount of elapsed travel time, distance travelled, or speed of the vehicle, wherein the amount of elapsed travel time, distance travelled, or speed of the vehicle corresponds to an aging status of the road sign.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the vehicle image sensor is a front-mounted camera.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the vehicle computer is configured to simultaneously display at least two road signs on different displays.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein each display is capable of changing intensity based on at least one of the amount of elapsed travel time, distance travelled, or speed of the vehicle.

15. A method comprising:

receiving at a vehicle computer image data representing one or more road signs detected along a route;

displaying at the vehicle computer one or more images of the road signs based on the image data; and

displaying one or more statuses for the detected road sign at the vehicle computer based on one or more travel states for the vehicle including at least one of an amount of elapsed travel time, distance travelled, or speed.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the road sign status changes according to a new detection of the one or more road signs, a time-aged detection of the one or more road signs, a distance-aged detection of the one or more road signs, and an inapplicable status for the one or more road signs.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the time-aged detection is a predefined time since detection of the road sign and the distance-aged detection is a predefined distance since the detection of the road sign.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein displaying the road sign statuses includes changing an intensity of the displayed road sign according to the road sign statuses.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the intensity decreases based on at least one of time since detection and distance travelled since detection.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the one or more travel states further include environmental conditions, roadway conditions and roadway restrictions.