ENVIRONMENT RECOGNITION DEVICE AND ENVIRONMENT RECOGNITION METHOD

• US 20120288145A1
• Filed: 04/26/2012
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo KK (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Kido, Shinnosuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,861,787 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• 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 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control

Abstract

There are provided an environment, recognition device and an environment recognition method. The environment, recognition device obtains a luminance of a target portion in a detection area; obtains a height of the target portion; derives a white balance correction value, assuming that white balancing is performed to the obtained luminance; derives the corrected luminance by subtracting the white balance correction value and a color correction value based upon a color correction intensity indicating a degree of an influence of environment light from the obtained luminance; and provisionally determines a specific object corresponding to the target portion from the corrected luminance of the target portion based on an association of a luminance range and the specific object retained in a data retaining unit.

Claims

1. An environment recognition device comprising:

a data retaining unit that retains association between a range of luminance and a specific object;

a luminance obtaining unit that obtains a luminance of a target portion in a detection area of a luminance image;

a white balance deriving unit that derives a white balance correction value, assuming white balance correction is performed on the obtained luminance;

a corrected luminance deriving unit that subtracts a color correction value, based upon the white balance correction value and a color correction intensity indicating a degree of an influence of an environment light, from the obtained luminance so as to derive a corrected luminance; and

a specific object provisional determining unit that provisionally determines a specific object corresponding to the target portion from the corrected luminance of the target portion on the basis of the association retained in the data retaining unit.

2. The environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the corrected luminance deriving unit subtracts the color correction value from the obtained luminance, if the color correction intensity is not less than a predetermined threshold value.

3. The environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the color correction value is a value obtained by dividing the color correction intensity by the white balance correction value.

4. The environment recognition device according to claim. 2, wherein the color correction value is a value obtained by dividing the color correction intensity by the white balance correction value.

5. The environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the color correction intensity is calculated based upon the intensity of the environment light and the transmittance of an imaging axis.

6. The environment recognition device according to claim 2, wherein the color correction intensity is calculated based upon the intensity of the environment light and the transmittance of an imaging axis.

7. The environment recognition device according to claim 3, wherein the color correction intensity is calculated based upon the intensity of the environment light and the transmittance of an imaging axis.

8. The environment recognition device according to claim 4, wherein the color correction intensity is calculated based upon the intensity of the environment light and the transmittance of an imaging axis.

9. The environment recognition device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a grouping unit that groups target portions, of which positions differences in a horizontal and a vertical directions are within a predetermined range and which are provisionally determined to correspond to a same specific object, into a target object; and

a specific object determining unit that determines the target object is the specific object.

10. The environment recognition device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a grouping unit that groups target portions, of which positions differences in a horizontal and a vertical directions are within a predetermined range and which are provisionally determined to correspond to a same specific object, into a target object; and

a specific object determining unit that determines the target object is the specific object.

11. The environment recognition device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a grouping unit that groups target portions, of which positions differences in a horizontal and a vertical directions are within a predetermined range and which are provisionally determined to correspond to a same specific object, into a target object; and

a specific object determining unit that determines the target object is the specific object.

12. The environment recognition device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a grouping unit that groups target portions, of which positions differences in a horizontal and a vertical directions are within a predetermined range and which are provisionally determined to correspond to a same specific object, into a target object; and

a specific object determining unit that determines the target object is the specific object.

13. An environment recognition method comprising:

obtaining a luminance of a target portion in a detection area of a luminance image;

deriving a white balance correction value, assuming that white balancing is performed to the obtained luminance;

deriving a corrected luminance by subtracting the color correction value, based upon the white balance correction value and a color correction intensity indicating a degree of an influence of an environment light, from the obtained luminance; and

provisionally determining a specific object corresponding to the target portion from the corrected luminance of the target portion based on an association of a luminance range and the specific object retained in the data retuning unit.