PEDESTRIAN DETECTION SYSTEM

• US 20120194680A1
• Filed: 10/04/2010
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Ishii, Katsuichi
• Application Number:
  US13/501,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20120194680A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• 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 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Disclosed is a pedestrian detection system including a pedestrian detection device (20) for detecting pedestrians based on an image captured and obtained by an infrared camera (10). The pedestrian detection device (20) includes: a correlation value detection unit for performing matching between the image and pre-stored templates for outlines of pedestrians, and obtaining correlation values with the templates; a high correlation region detection unit for detecting image regions in the image as pedestrian candidates, the image regions each having the correlation value indicating a high probability that the image region is a pedestrian; and a selection unit for obtaining an average value of height of a plurality of pedestrian candidates as appears on the image, determining whether each pedestrian candidate is suitable or not on the basis of the average value and the height of the each pedestrian candidate as appears on the image, and performing selection processing for excluding unsuitable candidates from the pedestrian candidates.

Claims

1. A pedestrian detection system comprising:

an imaging device installed in a vehicle to capture images around the vehicle; and

a pedestrian detection device for detecting pedestrians based on an image captured and obtained by the imaging device,

wherein

the pedestrian detection device includes;

a correlation value detection unit for performing matching between the image obtained by the imaging device and a pre-stored template for an outline of a pedestrian, and obtaining a correlation value with the template;

a high correlation region detection unit for detecting image regions in the image obtained by the imaging device as pedestrian candidates, the image regions each having the correlation value indicating a high probability that the image region is a pedestrian; and

a selection unit for obtaining an average value of height of a plurality of pedestrian candidates as appears on the image, determining whether or not each pedestrian candidate is suitable on the basis of the average value and the height of the each pedestrian candidate as appears on the image, and performing selection processing for excluding unsuitable pedestrian candidates from the pedestrian candidates.

2. The pedestrian detection system according to claim 1, wherein the correlation value detection unit includes a plurality of templates of different dimensions in the height direction of the image, and the selection unit performs, in the selection processing, processing of dividing the plurality of pedestrian candidates into groups for the respective templates highly correlated therewith, obtaining the average value for each of the groups, and excluding an unsuitable candidate, from the pedestrian candidates, for which the difference between the average value and the height of the pedestrian candidate included in the group is outside a preset range.

3. The pedestrian detection system according to claim 1, wherein the correlation value detection unit includes a plurality of templates of different dimensions in the height direction of the image, and the selection unit performs, in the selection processing, processing of dividing the plurality of pedestrian candidates into groups for the respective templates highly correlated therewith, obtaining an overall reference height from an average value of a certain group including a plurality of pedestrian candidates among the groups, setting a group reference height corresponding to each group based on the overall reference height, and excluding an unsuitable candidate, from the pedestrian candidates, for which the difference between the group reference height and the height of the pedestrian candidate is outside a preset range.

4. The pedestrian detection system according to claim 3, wherein, in the selection processing, the selection unit obtains the average value from the group highly correlated with the smallest template among the groups including more pedestrian candidates than a set value set in advance.

5. The pedestrian detection system according to claim 1, wherein the correlation value detection unit includes a plurality of templates of different dimensions in the height direction of the image, and the selection unit performs processing of dividing the plurality of pedestrian candidates into groups for the respective templates highly correlated therewith, obtaining an average value of height of the pedestrian candidates for each of the groups, setting an overall reference height based on the average value, obtaining a group reference height of each group based on the overall reference height, and excluding an unsuitable candidate, from the pedestrian candidates, for which the difference between the group reference height and the height of the pedestrian candidate included in the group is outside a preset range.

6. The pedestrian detection system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is an infrared camera which is installed at a height that can be recognized as the center position in the height direction of the pedestrian, and the selection unit performs processing of obtaining a determination reference value that is an average value of height data of all the pedestrian candidates, and excluding an unsuitable candidate, from the pedestrian candidates, for which the difference between the determination reference value and the height of the pedestrian candidate is outside a preset range.

7. The pedestrian detection system according to claim 1, wherein the pedestrian candidate that is low within a set range is determined to be a child based on the average value.