PARKING AREA DETECTING APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20150130640A1
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Industry-University Cooperation Foundation Hanyang University, Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Industry-University Cooperation Foundation Hanyang University, Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: RYU, Seong Sook, CHANG, Eu Gene, CHOI, Jae Seob, YOON, Dae Joong, SUHR, Jae Kyu, JUNG, Ho Gi
• Granted Patent: US 9,361,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/586 of parking space
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

A parking area detecting method includes generating a top view image by capturing images of surroundings of a vehicle, detecting a first directional parking line from the top view image, detecting a second directional parking line having a direction different from a direction of the first directional parking line from the top view image, and detecting a parking area by combining the first directional parking line and the second directional parking line.

Claims

1. A parking area detecting method, comprising:

generating a top view image by capturing images of surroundings of a vehicle;

detecting a first directional parking line from the top view image;

detecting a second directional parking line having a direction different from a direction of the first directional parking line from the top view image; and

detecting a parking area by combining the first directional parking line and the second directional parking line.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detecting of the first directional parking line includes:

detecting edge pixels included in the top view image;

detecting two parallel linear lines from the top view image by using the detected edge pixels; and

setting an area between the two parallel linear lines as an area of the first directional parking line.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, in the detecting of the edge pixels, edge pixels having a particular direction, among edge pixels included in the top view image, are detected.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, in the detecting of the edge pixels, edge pixels existing within a pre-set distance from the vehicle, among the edge pixels, are detected.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detecting of the second directional parking line includes:

detecting edge pixels at a pre-set angle with respect to the first directional parking line among the edge pixels included in the top view image;

measuring differences between a linear template and the edge pixels by positions of the first directional parking line by using the linear template; and

determining positions of local minimum points of the differences, as positions of the second directional parking line.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the detecting of the edge pixels includes detecting edge pixels having pixel values decreased in the first direction and edge pixels having pixel values increased in the first direction, respectively.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

calculating reliability of a parking area on the basis of a difference of the second directional parking line constituting the parking area;

calculating occupancy of an interior of the parking area by using position information of an object around the vehicle obtained by an ultrasonic sensor; and

determining a parking area on the basis of the reliability and occupancy.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

when a parking area detected previously exists, predicting a current location according to a movement of the vehicle with respect to the previously detected parking area;

comparing the parking area with the previously detected parking area and determining a proportion of an overlapping area therebetween; and

when the overlapping area is equal to or less than a pre-set proportion, registering the parking available area as a new parking area, and when the overlapping area exceeds the pre-set proportion, selecting one of the parking available area and the previously detected parking area.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating a template in at least one of detected parking areas and a tracked parking area.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

when a parking area is not detected from within the top view image, predicting a current location according to a movement of the vehicle with respect to the previously detected parking area; and

displaying the predicted parking area within the top view image.