SIGN INFORMATION OUTPUT APPARATUS

• US 20150035981A1
• Filed: 07/25/2014
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: OTSUKI, Masaru, TOKUNAGA, Yutaka, TAKATSUDO, Izumi, SAITO, Shinnosuke, YOKOCHI, Yuji, FUJITA, Yasuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 10,147,005 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/24 in front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0229 for displays, e.g. cathodic tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/00 Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• 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: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A sign information output apparatus includes an output instructor for instructing an information output section to stop output of sign information if a traveled distance measured in response to the detection of a sign exceeds a threshold value, and a threshold value changer for changing a threshold value depending on at least one of interval information with respect to an interval at which signs of one type are placed, speed limit information with respect to a speed limit of the road, and a speed of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A sign information output apparatus comprising:

an image capturing unit mounted on a vehicle configured to capture an image and acquire a captured image signal representing the captured image while the vehicle is being driven;

a sign detector configured to detect a sign on a peripheral edge of a road from an image area represented by the captured image signal acquired by the image capturing unit;

an information output section configured to output sign information with respect to a type of the sign that is detected by the sign detector;

a traveled distance measurer configured to measure a traveled distance over which the vehicle has traveled, in response to detection of the sign;

an output instructor configured to instruct the information output section to stop output of the sign information if the traveled distance measured by the traveled distance measurer exceeds a threshold value; and

a threshold value changer configured to change the threshold value depending on at least one of interval information with respect to an interval at which signs of one type are placed, speed limit information with respect to a speed limit of the road, and a speed of the vehicle.

2. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the traveled distance measurer measures the traveled distance from a most recently detected sign up to a next detected sign, which is of same type as the most recently detected sign;

and

the threshold value changer changes the threshold value depending on the traveled distance as the interval information.

3. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a storage unit configured to successively store measured traveled distances;

wherein the threshold value changer changes the threshold value according to a learning process that uses a plurality of most recently stored traveled distances stored in the storage unit as inputs, and uses the threshold value as an output.

8. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storage unit does not store the traveled distance if numerical values of speed limits represented by two adjacent signs differ from each other.

9. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storage unit does not store the traveled distance if the vehicle changes a direction of travel while the traveled distance is being measured.

15. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a measured amount acquirer configured to acquire a measured amount that is correlated to a behavior of the vehicle in transverse directions thereof; and

a starting time determiner configured to determine a starting time of a judgment process based on the measured amounts acquired by the measured amount acquirer;

wherein the output instructor instructs the information output section to stop output of the sign information if a time-dependent change of the measured amount from the starting time determined by the starting time determiner satisfies an output stop condition.

16. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the output instructor instructs the information output section to stop output of the sign information by judging that the time-dependent change of the measured amount satisfies the output stop condition, if an absolute value of a time integral of the measured amount exceeds a first threshold value.

17. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the measured amount acquirer acquires as the measured amount a time-dependent change of a steering angle or a yaw rate of the vehicle.

18. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the measured amount acquirer further acquires a measured result after the output instructor has instructed the information output section to stop output of the sign information;

and

the output instructor instructs the information output section to re-output the sign information, if the time-dependent change of the measured amount is judged to satisfy a re-output condition.

19. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the output instructor instructs the information output section to re-output the sign information by judging that the time-dependent change of the measured amount satisfies the re-output condition, if the absolute value of the time integral of the measured amount from the starting time becomes smaller than a second threshold value, which is smaller than the first threshold value, until a predetermined time elapses after the output instructor has instructed the information output section to stop output of the sign information.

20. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the starting time determiner determines as the starting time a time at which a blinker switch of the vehicle is turned on.

21. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the measured amount acquirer further acquires a measured amount after the blinker switch has been turned off, until a predetermined time elapses and/or the vehicle travels a predetermined distance.

22. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the output instructor instructs the information output section to stop output of the sign information if the time-dependent change of the measured amount, except for a time period in which the vehicle is stopping, satisfies the output stop condition.

23. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a directional change detector configured to detect whether or not a direction of travel of the vehicle has changed, based on captured image signals that are successively acquired by the image capturing unit;

wherein the starting time determiner determines as the starting time a time at which the directional change detector detects that the direction of travel of the vehicle starts to change.

24. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 23, wherein if the sign detector newly detects a sign, other than the sign that has been most recently detected while the vehicle is making a directional change, the output instructor outputs the sign information with respect to a type of the other sign, after the directional change detector has detected completion of the directional change.

4. A sign information output apparatus comprising:

an image capturing unit mounted on a vehicle configured to capture an image and acquire a captured image signal representing the captured image while the vehicle is being driven;

a sign detector configured to detect a sign on a peripheral edge of a road from an image area represented by the captured image signal acquired by the image capturing unit;

an information output section configured to output sign information with respect to a type of the sign that is detected by the sign detector;

a traveled distance measurer configured to measure a traveled distance over which the vehicle has traveled in response to detection of the sign;

an output instructor configured to instruct the information output section to stop output of the sign information if the traveled distance measured by the traveled distance measurer exceeds a threshold value; and

a threshold value changer configured to change the threshold value depending on a type of the road.

5. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sign detector detects whether the type of the road indicates a general road or an expressway, based on a numerical value of a speed limit represented by the sign;

and

the threshold value changer changes the threshold value by selecting one of a first threshold value with respect to the general road and a second threshold value with respect to the expressway.

6. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the threshold value changer changes the threshold value by selecting a third threshold value, which differs from the first threshold value and the second threshold value, if the sign detector is incapable of judging the type of the road.

7. A sign information output apparatus comprising:

an image capturing unit mounted on a vehicle configured to capture an image and acquire a captured image signal representing the captured image while the vehicle is being driven;

a sign detector configured to detect a sign on a peripheral edge of a road from an image area represented by the captured image signal acquired by the image capturing unit;

an information output section configured to output sign information with respect to a type of the sign that is detected by the sign detector;

a traveled distance measurer configured to measure a traveled distance over which the vehicle has traveled, in response to detection of the sign;

an output instructor configured to instruct the information output section to stop output of the sign information if the traveled distance measured by the traveled distance measurer exceeds a threshold value; and

a threshold value changer configured to change the threshold value depending on a jurisdictional region of the road.

10. A sign information output apparatus comprising:

an image capturing unit mounted on a vehicle configured to capture an image and acquire a captured image signal representing the captured image while the vehicle is being driven;

a sign detector configured to detect a sign from an image area represented by the captured image signal acquired by the image capturing unit;

an information output section configured to output sign information with respect to a type of the sign that is detected by the sign detector;

a measured amount acquirer configured to acquire a measured amount that is correlated to a behavior of the vehicle in transverse directions thereof;

a starting time determiner configured to determine a starting time of a judgment process based on the measured amounts acquired by the measured amount acquirer; and

an output instructor configured to instruct the information output section to stop output of the sign information if a time-dependent change of the measured amount from the starting time determined by the starting time determiner is judged to satisfy an output stop condition.

11. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the measured amount acquirer further acquires a measured amount after the output instructor instructs the information output section to stop output of the sign information;

and

the output instructor instructs the information output section to re-output the sign information, if the time-dependent change of the measured amount is judged to satisfy a re-output condition.

12. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the output instructor instructs the information output section to stop output of the sign information by judging that the time-dependent change of the measured amount satisfies the output stop condition, if an absolute value of a time integral of the measured amount exceeds a first threshold value.

13. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the output instructor instructs the information output section to re-output the sign information by judging that the time-dependent change of the measured amount satisfies the re-output condition, if the absolute value of the time integral of the measured amount from the starting time becomes smaller than a second threshold value, which is smaller than the first threshold value, until a predetermined time elapses after the output instructor has instructed the information output section to stop output of the sign information.

14. The sign information output apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a directional change detector configured to detect whether or not a direction of travel of the vehicle has changed, based on captured image signals that are successively acquired by the image capturing unit;

wherein the starting time determiner determines as the starting time a time at which the directional change detector detects that the direction of travel of the vehicle starts to change.