IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE, METHOD THEREOF, AND MOVING BODY ANTI-COLLISION DEVICE

• US 20120236122A1
• Filed: 03/16/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Any Co. Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Any Co. Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukawa, Yasurou
• Granted Patent: US 9,858,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/67 Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/743 Bracketing, i.e. taking a series of images with varying exposure conditions

Abstract

An image processing device is disclosed that is able to accurately recognize objects at a close distance. The image processing device includes a camera unit, and an image processing unit. The camera unit includes a lens, a focusing unit and an image pick-up unit. The focusing unit drives the lens to sequentially change the focusing distance of the camera unit to perform a focus-sweep operation, so that clear images of objects at different positions in an optical axis of the lens are sequentially formed on the image pick-up unit. The image processing unit receives the plurality of images obtained by the image pick-up unit in the focus-sweep operation, identifies objects with clear images formed in the plurality of images, and produces an object distribution view according to the focusing distances used when picking up the plurality of image to show a position distribution of the identified objects.

Claims

1. An image processing device, comprising:

a camera unit, and

an image processing unit that processes images provided by the camera unit,

wherein

the camera unit includes;

a lens,

a focusing unit that drives the lens to change a focusing distance of the camera unit, and

an image pick-up unit,

wherein

the focusing unit drives the lens to sequentially change the focusing distance of the camera unit to perform a focus-sweep operation, so that clear images of objects at different positions in an optical axis of the lens are formed on the image pick-up unit,

the image pick-up unit picks up a plurality of images corresponding to different focusing distances in the focus-sweep operation, and

the image processing unit receives the plurality of images obtained by the image pick-up unit of the camera unit in the focus-sweep operation, identifies objects with clear images formed in the plurality of images, and produces an object distribution view according to the focusing distances used when picking up the plurality of images, said object distribution view indicating a position distribution of the identified objects.

2. The image processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

a difference between the focusing distances of two adjacent images sequentially captured by the camera unit in the focus-sweep operation is less than or equal to one meter.

3. The image processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the camera unit picks up images at a speed greater than or equal to 500 frames per second.

4. The image processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the camera unit repeatedly performs a plurality of the focus-sweep operations, and

the image processing unit produces a plurality of the object distribution views corresponding to the plurality of the focus-sweep operations.

5. The image processing device as claimed in claim 4, wherein

the camera unit performs five or more focus-sweep operations per second.

6. The image processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the image pick-up unit includes one or more of a CCD sensor and a CMOS sensor.

7. The image processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the image pick-up unit includes an infrared image pick-up unit.

8. The image processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the lens includes a zooming lens, and

the camera unit includes a zooming unit that drives the lens to change a focal length thereof,

when the focusing distance is greater than a predetermined value, the zooming unit drives the lens to increase the focal length,

when the focusing distance is less than a predetermined value, the zooming unit drives the lens to decrease the focal length.

9. A method of an image processing device including a camera unit and an image processing unit that processes images provided by the camera unit, wherein the camera unit includes a lens, a focusing unit that drives the lens to change a focusing distance, and an image pick-up unit,

said method comprising the steps of:

driving the lens to sequentially change the focusing distance of the camera unit to perform a focus-sweep operation so as to form, in the image pick-up unit, clear images of objects at different positions in an optical axis of the lens, wherein the image pick-up unit picks up a plurality of images corresponding to the different focusing distances in the focus-sweep operation,

receiving the plurality of images obtained by the image pick-up unit of the camera unit in the focus-sweep operation, and identifying objects with clear images formed in the plurality of images, and

producing an object distribution view according to the focusing distances used when picking up the plurality of images, said object distribution view indicating a position distribution of the identified objects.

10. A moving body anti-collision device provided on a moving body, comprising;

a camera unit that picks up images around the moving body,

an image processing unit that processes images provided by the camera unit, and

a collision determination unit,

wherein

the camera unit includes;

a lens,

a focusing unit that drives the lens to change a focusing distance, and

an image pick-up unit,

wherein

the focusing unit drives the lens to sequentially change the focusing distance of the camera unit to perform a focus-sweep operation, so that clear images of objects at different distances from the moving body in an optical axis of the lens are sequentially formed on the image pick-up unit,

the image pick-up unit picks up a plurality of images corresponding to different focusing distances in the focus-sweep operation,

the image processing unit receives the plurality of images obtained by the image pick-up unit of the camera unit in the focus-sweep operation, identifies objects with clear images formed in the plurality of images, and produces an object distribution view according to the focusing distances used when picking up the plurality of images, said object distribution view indicating relative positions between the identified objects and the moving body, and

the collision determination unit determines whether the moving body is to collide with the identified body according to the object distribution view.

11. The moving body anti-collision device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

a display unit that displays the object distribution view,

wherein

the display unit displays the identified object with a different color when the collision determination unit determines the moving body is to collide with the identified body.

12. The moving body anti-collision device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

a notification unit that notifies an operator of the moving body,

wherein

the notification unit transmits a warning message to the operator when the collision determination unit determines the moving body is to collide with the identified body.

13. A moving body anti-collision device provided on a moving body, comprising;

a camera unit that picks up images around the moving body,

an image processing unit that processes images provided by the camera unit, and

a display unit,

wherein

the camera unit includes;

a lens,

a focusing unit that drives the lens to change a focusing distance, and

an image pick-up unit,

wherein

the focusing unit drives the lens to sequentially change the focusing distance of the camera unit to perform a focus-sweep operation, so that clear images of objects at different distances from the moving body in an optical axis of the lens are sequentially formed on the image pick-up unit,

the image pick-up unit picks up a plurality of images corresponding to different focusing distances in the focus-sweep operation,

the image processing unit receives the plurality of images obtained by the image pick-up unit of the camera unit in the focus-sweep operation, identifies objects with clear images formed in the plurality of images, and produces an object distribution view according to the focusing distances used when picking up the plurality of images, said object distribution view indicating relative positions between the identified objects and the moving body, and

the display unit displays the object distribution view.

14. The moving body anti-collision device as claimed in claim 13, wherein

the object distribution view is a three-dimension view.