OBJECT RECOGNIZING APPARATUS AND STAIN DETECTING METHOD

• US 20170076463A1
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: NISHIJIMA, Masakazu
• Granted Patent: US 10,045,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/04 Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0844 including a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10012 Stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10028 Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30168 Image quality inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0002 Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/111 Transformation of image signals corresponding to virtual viewpoints, e.g. spatial image interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/139 Format conversion, e.g. of frame-rate or size
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/254 in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0092 Image segmentation from stereoscopic image signals

Abstract

An object recognizing apparatus is mounted in a vehicle and uses photographed images of a stereo camera which photographs an exterior of a vehicle from a vehicle interior of the vehicle through an area of a window glass wiped by a wiper. The object recognizing apparatus is provided with: a light source detector configured to detect a light source on a photographed image; an edge detector configured to detect an edge extending in a direction crossing a wiping direction of the wiper, on the photographed image; and a determinator configured to determine that the window glass is stained, if the edge extending in the crossing direction from the light source is detected continuously for a predetermined time, on the basis of a detection result of the light source detector and a detection result of the edge detector.

Claims

1. An object recognizing apparatus, which is mounted in a vehicle and which uses photographed images of a stereo camera, the stereo camera having two cameras, each of which photographs an exterior of a vehicle from a vehicle interior of the vehicle through an area of a window glass wiped by a wiper, said object recognizing apparatus comprising:

a light source detector configured to detect a light source on a photographed image photographed by at least one of the two cameras;

an edge detector configured to detect an edge extending in a direction crossing a wiping direction of the wiper, on the photographed image photographed by at least one of the two cameras; and

a determinator configured to determine that the window glass is stained, if the edge extending in the crossing direction from the light source is detected continuously for a predetermined time, on the basis of a detection result of the light source detector and a detection result of the edge detector.

2. The object recognizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determinator is configured to determine that the window glass is stained, if the edge extending in the direction crossing the wiping direction of the wiper on a first image, which is the photographed image photographed by at least one of the two cameras, from the light source on the first image is detected continuously for the predetermined time and if the edge extending in the direction crossing the wiping direction of the wiper on a second image, which is a photographed image photographed by the other camera of the two cameras at the same time as the first image, from the light source on the second image is detected continuously for the predetermined time, on the basis of the detection result of the light source detector and the detection result of the edge detector.

3. A stain detecting method in an object recognizing apparatus, which is mounted in a vehicle and which uses photographed images of a stereo camera, the stereo camera having two cameras, each of which photographs an exterior of a vehicle from a vehicle interior of the vehicle through an area of a window glass wiped by a wiper, said object recognizing method comprising:

detecting a light source on a photographed image photographed by at least one of the two cameras;

detecting an edge extending in a direction crossing a wiping direction of the wiper, on the photographed image photographed by at least one of the two cameras; and

determining that the window glass is stained, if the edge extending in the crossing direction from the light source is detected continuously for a predetermined time, on the basis of a detection result of the detecting a light source and a detection result of the detecting an edge.