METHOD FOR OPERATING A DRIVER ASSISTANCE DEVICE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE, DRIVER ASSISTANCE DEVICE AND MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20140354815A1
• Filed: 01/17/2013
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Connaught Electronics Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Connaught Electronics Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Hughes, Ciaran, Finn, Sean
• Application Number:
  US14/370,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20140354815A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/108 using 'non-standard' camera systems, e.g. camera sensor used for additional purposes i.a. rain sensor, camera sensor split in multiple image areas
• 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 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a driver assistance device (2) in a motor vehicle (1), in which an image (15) of an environmental region (12) of the motor vehicle (1) is captured by means of a camera (11) of the driver assistance device (2) and in addition sensor data is captured to the environmental region (12) by means of a sensor (3 to 6) different from the camera (11), wherein an object (16) located in the environmental region (12) is identified in the image (15) by means of an electronic computing device of the driver assistance device (2) and the sensor data of the sensor (3 to 6) is used for identifying the object (16) in the image (15).

Claims

1. Method for operating a driver assistance device (2) in a motor vehicle (1) by

capturing an image (15) of an environmental region (12) of the motor vehicle (1) by means of a camera (11) of the driver assistance device (2), and

capturing sensor data to the environmental region (12) by means of ultrasonic sensors (3 to 6) with an individual detection range (7 to 10) covering partial segment of the environmental region (12),

characterized in that

an object (16) located in the environmental region (12) is identified in the image (15) by means of an electronic computing device of the driver assistance device (2), and the sensor data of the sensors (3 to 6) is used for identifying the object (16) in the image (15).

2. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the identification of the object (16) in the image (15) includes that at least one region of the object (16) depicted in the image (15) is surrounded by a bounding box (19, 20, 21).

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2,

characterized in that

the object (16) is identified in the image (15) both based on the sensor data of the sensors (3 to 6) and based on the image (15) of the camera (11) by means of the computing device.

4. Method according to claims 2 and 3,

characterized in that

in the image (15) a first bounding box (19) is generated based on the sensor data of the sensors (3 to 6) as well as a second bounding box (20) is generated based on the image (15) of the camera (11) and the two bounding boxes (19, 20) are combined to a common bounding box (21).

5. Method according to claim 3 or 4,

characterized in that

the identification of the object (16) includes that a width of the object (16) is determined based on the image (15) of the camera (11) and the position of a lower end (18) of the object (16) is determined in the image (15) based on the sensor data of the sensors (3 to 6).

6. Method according to claims 4 and 5,

characterized in that

the combination of the two bounding boxes (19, 20) includes that the width of the second bounding box (20) and the position of a lower edge (23) of the first bounding box (19) in the image (15) are used for the common bounding box (21).

7. Method according to anyone of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

if the object (16) is within a detection range (7 to 10) of the sensor (3 to 6), to which the sensor data is captured, and outside of an image analysis range (25, 26), in which the identification of the object (16) based on the image (15) is possible, the same object (16) is identified in the image (15) solely based on the sensor data of the sensors (3 to 6).

8. Method according to anyone of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

if the object (16) is outside of a detection range (7 to 10) of the sensors (3 to 6), the same object (16) is identified in the image (15) solely based on the image (15) of the camera (11).

9. Method according to anyone of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

an ultrasonic sensor is used as the sensors (3 to 6).

10. Driver assistance device (2) for a motor vehicle (1), including at least one camera (11) for capturing images (15) of an environmental region (12) of the motor vehicle (1), including ultrasonic sensors (3 to 6) with an individual detection range (7 to 10) covering partial segment of the environmental region (12) for capturing sensor data to the environmental region (12), and including an electronic computing device for processing the images (15) and the sensor data,

characterized in that

the computing device is arranged to perform a method according to anyone of the preceding claims.

11. Motor vehicle (1) including a driver assistance device (2) according to claim 10.