Object Recognition Device and Object Recognition Method

• US 20120269382A1
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Monji, Tatsuhiko, Takahashi, Yoshitaka, Kiyohara, Masahiro, Irie, Kota, Kourogi, Naoki, Muramatsu, Shoji
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/80 Geometric correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• 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 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees

Abstract

An object recognition device includes; an image-capturing unit mounted to a mobile body; an image generation unit that converts images captured by the image-capturing unit at different time points to corresponding synthesized images as seen vertically downwards from above; a detection unit that compares together a plurality of the synthesized images and detects corresponding regions; and a recognition unit that recognizes an object present upon the road surface from a difference between the corresponding regions.

Claims

1. An object recognition device, comprising:

an image-capturing unit mounted to a mobile body;

an image generation unit that converts images captured by the image-capturing unit at different time points to corresponding synthesized images as seen vertically downwards from above;

a detection unit that compares together a plurality of the synthesized images and detects corresponding regions; and

a recognition unit that recognizes an object present upon the road surface from a difference between the corresponding regions.

2. An object recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects the region from the shift amount of the mobile body between the plurality of synthesized images.

3. An object recognition device according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit comprises a sensor that detects at least one of vehicle speed, acceleration, and angular velocity, and a shift amount of the mobile body is calculated by using at least one of the sensors.

4. An object recognition device according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit detects a characteristic feature included in the plurality of synthesized images, and calculates a shift amount of the mobile body from a shift amount of the characteristic feature.

5. An object recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the recognition unit generates an added image by adding together the corresponding regions, and recognizes an object present upon a road surface from the added image.

6. An object recognition device according to claim 1, wherein an object that is recognized by the recognition unit is a manhole.

7. An object recognition device according to claim 1, wherein an object that is recognized by the recognition unit is a road marking.

8. An object recognition method, comprising:

a step of converting images captured at different time points to corresponding synthesized images as seen vertically downwards from above;

a step of comparing together a plurality of the synthesized images and detecting corresponding regions; and

a step of recognizing an object present upon a road surface from a difference between the corresponding regions.