Method for Combining a Road Sign Recognition System and a Lane Detection System of a Motor Vehicle

• US 20130101174A1
• Filed: 03/19/2011
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Meis, Urban, Kristensen, Steen, Schorn, Matthias, Gutmann, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 9,177,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/104
• 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 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for combining a road sign recognition system (1) and a lane detection system (2) of a motor vehicle, wherein the road sign recognition system (1) generates road sign information from sensor data of a camera-based or video-based sensor system (4) and the lane detection system (2) generates lane course information from said sensor data; according to the invention, meaning-indicating data for road signs are generated from the lane course information, the meaning-indicating data for road signs are used to check the plausibility of and/or to interpret the road sign information, data indicating the course of the lane are generated from the road sign information, and the data indicating the course of the lane are used to check the plausibility of and/or to interpret the lane course information.

Claims

1. A method for combining a road sign recognition system (1) and a lane detection system (2) of a motor vehicle, wherein the road sign recognition system (1) generates road sign information from sensor data of a camera-based or video-based sensor system (4) and the lane detection system (2) generates lane course information from said sensor data,

characterized in that

meaning-indicating data for road signs are generated from the lane course information,

the meaning-indicating data for road signs are used to check the plausibility of and/or to interpret the road sign information,

data indicating the course of the lane are generated from the road sign information, and

the data indicating the course of the lane are used to check the plausibility of and/or to interpret the lane course information.

2. The method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

a plausibility check of a road sign recognized by means of the road sign recognition system (1) is performed using lane-course-indicating data of the lane detection system (2).

3. The method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

information about a line structure of a fast lane of a pavement is generated from the lane course information of the lane detection system (2) as meaning-indicating data for road signs, and

the plausibility of road signs indicating a restriction on passing and recognized by the road sign recognition system (1) is checked using the information about the line structure.

4. The method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

information indicating an exit ramp or an exit ramp region is generated from the lane course information of the lane detection system (2) as meaning-indicating data for road signs, and

the plausibility of road signs indicating a speed limit and/or a restriction on passing and recognized by the road sign recognition system (1) is checked using the information indicating an exit ramp or an exit ramp region.

5. The method according to claim 4,

characterized in that

the fact that the motor vehicle is driving past the exit ramp is detected from the current lane detected by means of the lane detection system (2) and/or from a lane change of the motor vehicle detected by means of the lane detection system and from the information indicating an exit ramp, and

those data which concern recognized road signs indicating a speed limit and/or a restriction on passing and concerning the exit ramp are rejected by the road sign recognition system (1).

6. The method according to claim 4,

characterized in that

the fact that the motor vehicle is leaving the road is detected from the current lane detected by means of the lane detection system (2) and/or from a lane change of the motor vehicle detected by means of the lane detection system (2) and from the information indicating an exit ramp, and

road signs indicating a speed limit and/or a restriction on passing and assigned to the exit ramp and recognized by the road sign recognition system (1) are outputted to a Human Machine Interface (3) of the motor vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

information indicating an exit ramp or an exit ramp region is generated from the lane course information of the lane detection system (2) concerning the current lane of the motor vehicle as meaning-indicating data for road signs, and

road signs indicating a speed limit and/or a restriction on passing and recognized by the road sign recognition system (1) are interpreted as being canceled using the information indicating an exit ramp or an exit ramp region.

8. The method according to claim 1

characterized in that

information indicating an exit ramp or an exit ramp region is generated from the lane course information of the lane detection system (2) concerning the current lane as meaning-indicating data for road signs, and

the plausibility of road signs indicating “

driving on the right”

or “

driving on the left” and

recognized by the road sign recognition system (1) is checked on the basis of the frequency of the detected exit ramps or exit ramp regions.

9. The method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

construction-site-indicating information is generated from the lane course information of the lane detection system (2) concerning the current lane as meaning-indicating data for road signs, and

the plausibility of road signs indicating a speed limit and/or a restriction on passing and recognized by the road sign recognition system (1) is checked using the information indicating a construction site.

10. The method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

construction-site-indicating information is generated from the road sign information generated by the road sign recognition system (1) as data indicating the course of the lane, and

the sensor data are analyzed for particular lane course scenarios and/or for indicators for particular lane course scenarios, said analysis being performed by means of the lane detection system (2) on the basis of the construction-site-indicating information.

11. The method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

information indicating road signs indicating a speed limit and/or the road type is generated from the road sign information generated by the road sign recognition system (1) as data indicating the course of the lane, and

the information indicating road signs indicating a speed limit and/or the road type is analyzed for road-type-indicating features by means of the lane detection system (2) or the plausibility of the identified road types is checked.

12. The method according to claim 1

characterized in that

information indicating road signs indicating a speed limit and/or the road type is generated from the road sign information generated by the road sign recognition system (1) as data indicating the course of the lane, and

the filter dynamics of a filter of the lane detection system (2) is adjusted for generating a lane course scenario, said adjustment being performed using the information that indicates road signs indicating a speed limit and/or the road type.