Method for Triggering a Driver Assistance Function Upon Detection of a Stop Light by Means of a Camera

• US 20160110620A1
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: CIUCUR, Radu, PAHONTU, Nicolae, CATANA, Sabin, VINTILA, Valentin, BOTUSESCU, Adrian
• Granted Patent: US 9,864,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/22 Devices for monitoring or checking brake systems; Signal devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/32 Vehicle surroundings
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for triggering a driver assistance function of a vehicle, in which image data of that part of the surroundings of the vehicle which is in front of the vehicle is generated by means of a camera and supplied to an analyzing unit for the purpose of analysis and the driver assistance function is triggered upon detection of a stop light (1) of a further vehicle (10) detected as an object, said stop light (1) being contained in the image data. According to the invention, at least one geometric region of a detected object (10) is determined in the image data, the pixels of said region essentially exhibiting the highest brightness values in the image data and the spectral color red, and the geometric region is detected as a raised stop light (1) of the further vehicle (10) if the geometric region is detected to be positioned essentially in the middle of the horizontal structure of the detected object (10).

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A method of triggering a driver assistance function of a vehicle, in which image data of a part of surroundings in front of the vehicle is generated by a camera and supplied to an analyzing unit for analysis, and the driver assistance function is triggered upon detection of a brake light of a further vehicle detected as an object in the image data, said brake light being contained in the image data, further comprising:

detecting at least one geometric region of the further vehicle in the image data, wherein pixels of said region exhibit a spectral color red and approximately highest brightness values in the image data,

determining that the geometric region is an illuminated raised brake light of the further vehicle if the geometric region is detected as having at least one of the following positioning features in the image data;

(a) a first positioning feature wherein the geometric region is positioned at least approximately in a horizontal middle of a horizontal structure of the further vehicle,

(b) a second positioning feature wherein the geometric region is positioned at or above a predetermined height above a roadway surface detected in the image data, or

(c) a third positioning feature wherein the geometric region is positioned at or below a predetermined distance below a rear window of the further vehicle detected in the image data, and

triggering the driver assistance function in response to said determining that the geometric region is the illuminated raised brake light.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the geometric region is determined to be the illuminated raised brake light if the geometric region is detected as having at least the first positioning feature.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the geometric region is determined to be the illuminated raised brake light only if the geometric region is detected as having at least both the first positioning feature and the second positioning feature.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the geometric region is determined to be the illuminated raised brake light only if the geometric region is detected as having all three of the first positioning feature, the second positioning feature and the third positioning feature.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the geometric region is determined to be the illuminated raised brake light if the geometric region is detected as having at least the second positioning feature.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the geometric region is determined to be the illuminated raised brake light only if the geometric region is detected as having at least both the second positioning feature and the third positioning feature.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein the geometric region is determined to be the illuminated raised brake light if the geometric region is detected as having at least the third positioning feature.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the geometric region is determined to be the illuminated raised brake light only if the geometric region is detected as having at least both the first positioning feature and the third positioning feature.

20. The method according to claim 12, further comprising detecting a further geometric region in the image data and determining that the further geometric region is a left brake light or a right brake light of the further vehicle.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the further geometric region is determined to be the left brake light or the right brake light if a distance between the raised brake light and the further geometric region forms a sloping hypotenuse of a virtual right triangle, and a length of a vertical leg and a length of a horizontal leg of the virtual right triangle are in a pre-defined proportion to one another.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein according to said pre-defined proportion, the vertical leg is shorter than the horizontal leg of the virtual right triangle.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein according to said pre-defined proportion, the vertical leg is at most three times as long as the horizontal leg of the virtual right triangle.

24. The method according to claim 12, wherein the driver assistance function comprises outputting to a driver of the vehicle at least one of an acoustic warning, a visual warning, or a haptic warning.

25. The method according to claim 12, wherein the driver assistance function comprises performing an automatic intervention in controlling at least one of longitudinal dynamics or lateral dynamics of the vehicle.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the automatic intervention comprises automatically actuating brakes of the vehicle.