METHOD AND DEVICE FOR RECOGNIZING ROAD SIGNS IN THE VICINITY OF A VEHICLE AND FOR SYNCHRONIZATION THEREOF TO ROAD SIGN INFORMATION FROM A DIGITAL MAP

• US 20120150428A1
• Filed: 12/07/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: NIEM, Wolfgang, Ibele, Philipp
• Granted Patent: US 8,918,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/409
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• 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 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A method for recognizing road signs in the vicinity of a vehicle and for synchronization thereof to road sign information from a digital map where, in the case of a recognition of road signs, road-sign recognition data are generated, navigation data being provided for localizing the vehicle in digital map data, and the road-sign recognition data being synchronized to the map data. To be able to provide unambiguous and the most accurate possible and thus improved road sign information to be output to the driver in the context of such a method, in the case of a discrepancy between the map data and the road-sign recognition data, the decision is made with the aid of reliability factors for the camera and map as to whether the data from the digital map or the road-sign recognition data are output in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for recognizing road signs in a vicinity of a vehicle and for synchronizing to road sign information from a digital map, comprising:

generating, in the case of a recognition of a road sign, road-sign recognition data;

providing navigation data for localizing the vehicle in digital map data;

synchronizing the road-sign recognition data to the map data;

deciding, in the case of a discrepancy between road-sign data derived from the map data and the road-sign recognition data, whether to output in the vehicle the road-sign data from the digital map or the road-sign recognition data in the vehicle, with the aid of at least one reliability factor, wherein existence of road sign data from the digital map indicated by information “

road sign present”

has a lower reliability factor, and existence of road-sign recognition data indicated by information “

no road sign present”

has a higher reliability factor; and

outputting road sign data in the vehicle based on the deciding.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the reliability factor relates to a reliability of at least one of the road sign recognition and of the digital map.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the reliability factor encompasses at least one of the following factors:

vehicle speed, weather, time of day, outside air temperature, driving-environment conditions, number of traffic lanes, and age of a camera of the vehicle.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein values for determining the reliability factor are obtained from vehicle sensors.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the road sign is a speed limitation road sign.

6. A device for recognizing a road sign in a vicinity of a vehicle and for synchronizing to road sign information from a digital map, comprising:

a road-sign recognition device to provide road-sign recognition data;

a navigation device for providing navigation data, digital map material being provided for mapping the navigation data;

a data synchronization device to synchronize the road-sign recognition data to road sign data derived from the map data;

an arrangement in the case of a discrepancy between the road sign data derived from the map data and the road-sign recognition data, decides with the aid of reliability factors for a camera of the vehicle and a map as to whether the data from the digital map or the road-sign recognition data are output in the vehicle; and

an output device to output the data in the vehicle.

7. A computer readable medium storing a computer program, the computer program when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform:

generating, in the case of a recognition of a road sign, road-sign recognition data;

providing navigation data for localizing the vehicle in digital map data;

synchronizing the road-sign recognition data to the map data;

deciding, in the case of a discrepancy between road-sign data derived from the map data and the road-sign recognition data, whether to output in the vehicle the road-sign data from the digital map or the road-sign recognition data in the vehicle, with the aid of at least one reliability factor, wherein existence of road sign data from the digital map indicated by information “

road sign present”

has a lower reliability factor, and existence of road-sign recognition data indicated by information “

no road sign present”

has a higher reliability factor; and

outputting road sign data in the vehicle based on the deciding.