CONTEXT-AWARE METHOD AND APPARATUS BASED ON FUSION OF DATA OF IMAGE SENSOR AND DISTANCE SENSOR

• US 20120163671A1
• Filed: 12/20/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: MIN, Kyoung-Wook, AN, Kyoung-Hwan, SUNG, Kyung-Bok, KWAK, Dong-Yong, LIM, Dong-Sun, CHOI, Jeong-Dan
• Application Number:
  US13/331,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20120163671A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/104
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a context-aware method and apparatus. In the context-aware method, distance data is collected using a distance sensor. Thereafter, image data is collected using an image sensor. Thereafter, the distance data and the image data are fused with each other, and then context awareness is performed. Thereafter, safe driving management is performed based on the fusion of the data using the results of the context awareness.

Claims

1. A context-aware method, comprising:

collecting distance data using a distance sensor;

collecting image data using an image sensor;

performing context awareness by using fusing the distance data and the image data; and

performing safe driving management based on the fusion of the data, using results of the context awareness.

2. The context-aware method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the performing context awareness comprises performing context awareness by recognizing an object using contour points extracted from the distance data and raster data extracted from the image data.

3. The context-aware method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the performing context awareness comprises recognizing the object using object pattern information of a database management system in which attribute information about objects has been stored, the object being one of the objects.

4. The context-aware method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the attribute information comprises geometry information about each of the objects and danger level information about a level of danger resulting from a collision with each of the objects.

5. The context-aware method as set forth in claim 4, wherein the performing context awareness comprises:

determining whether the distance data and the image data correspond to a shadow;

determining whether a situation in question is a low illuminance situation unsuitable for object recognition using the distance data and the image data; and

recognizing the object as an obstacle.

6. The context-aware method as set forth in claim 5, wherein the performing context awareness comprises, if only the image data of the distance data and the image data corresponds to the object, determining that the object corresponds to the shadow.

7. The context-aware method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the performing context awareness comprises, if only the distance data of the distance data and the image data corresponds to the object, determining that the situation in question is the low illuminance situation.

8. The context-aware method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the performing context awareness comprises, if the situation in question is the low illuminance situation, recognizing the object using only the distance data of the distance data and the image data, controlling the image sensor so that the low illuminance situation is overcome, and collecting the image data again.

9. A context-aware apparatus, comprising:

a location and contour extractor for receiving distance data from a distance sensor and extracting contour points from the distance data;

an image separator for receiving image data from an image sensor and extracting raster data from the image data; and

a data fuser for fusing the contour points and the raster data with each other and performing context awareness.

10. The context-aware apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the context-aware apparatus further comprises:

a safe driving management unit for performing safe driving management based on the fusion of the data using results of the context awareness; and

a database management system for storing attribute information about objects.

11. The context-aware apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the data fuser recognizes the object using object pattern information of the database management system, the object being one of the objects.

12. The context-aware apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the data fuser comprises a shadow processing unit for, if only the image data of the distance data and the image data corresponds to the object, determining that the distance data and the image data corresponds to a shadow.

13. The context-aware apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein the data fuser further comprises a low illuminance situation processing unit for determining that, if only the distance data among the distance data and the image data corresponds to the object, a situation in question is a low illuminance situation unsuitable for object recognition and recognizing the object using only the distance data.

14. The context-aware apparatus as set forth in claim 13, wherein the low illuminance situation processing unit, if it is determined that the situation in question is the low illuminance situation, controls an image sensor so that the low illuminance is overcome, and collects the image data again.