VEHICLE EXTERIOR ENVIRONMENT RECOGNITION APPARATUS

• US 20170144587A1
• Filed: 11/22/2016
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: OGAWA, Genya
• Granted Patent: US 10,442,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0023 the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/3321 Detection of streetlights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/44 Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A vehicle exterior environment recognition apparatus includes a computer and an illumination mechanism. The computer serves as a vehicle extractor that extracts a tail lamp of a preceding vehicle, a preceding vehicle recognizer that recognizes the preceding vehicle on a basis of the extracted tail lamp, and a light-distribution controller that determines light distribution of a headlamp. The illumination mechanism switches between a low beam and a high beam on a basis of instruction issued by the light-distribution controller. The vehicle extractor determines, on a basis of an angle of view and a depth distance of a block in the image, and a cut-off line angle of the high beam, whether the block is irradiated with the high beam, and changes, on a basis of a result of the determination as to whether the block is irradiated, thresholds that determine whether the tail lamp is the tail lamp.

Claims

1. A vehicle exterior environment recognition apparatus comprising:

a vehicle extractor that extracts a tail lamp of a preceding vehicle from an image;

a preceding vehicle recognizer that recognizes the preceding vehicle on a basis of the tail lamp extracted by the vehicle extractor;

a light-distribution controller that determines a light distribution of a headlamp of an own vehicle on a basis of a result of the recognition performed by the preceding vehicle recognizer; and

an illumination mechanism that switches between a low beam and a high beam of the headlamp on a basis of an instruction issued by the light-distribution controller,

the vehicle extractor determining, on a basis of an angle of view of a block in the image, a depth distance of the block in the image, and a cut-off line angle of the high beam, whether the block in the image is irradiated with the high beam, and changing, on a basis of a result of the determination as to whether the block is irradiated with the high beam, thresholds that determine whether the tail lamp is the tail lamp.

3. The vehicle exterior environment recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the cut-off line angle of the high beam is determined from a table, the table containing a plurality of distance ranges and cut-off line angles associated with the respective distance ranges,

the cut-off line angles are each based on a depth distance from the own vehicle which is shortest in corresponding one of the distance ranges, and

the cut-off line angle of the high beam is one of the cut-off line angles which is associated with corresponding one of the distance ranges.

5. The vehicle exterior environment recognition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the distance ranges are narrower in a depth direction as the depth distance from the own vehicle is shorter.

2. A vehicle exterior environment recognition apparatus comprising:

a vehicle extractor that extracts a headlamp of an oncoming vehicle from an image,

an oncoming vehicle recognizer that recognizes the oncoming vehicle on a basis of the headlamp extracted by the vehicle extractor, and

a light-distribution controller that determines a light distribution of a headlamp of an own vehicle on a basis of a result of the recognition performed by the oncoming vehicle recognizer; and

an illumination mechanism that switches between a low beam and a high beam of the headlamp of the own vehicle on a basis of an instruction issued by the light-distribution controller,

the vehicle extractor determining, on a basis of an angle of view of a block in the image, a depth distance of the block in the image, and a cut-off line angle of the high beam, whether the block in the image is irradiated with the high beam, and changing, on a basis of a result of the determination as to whether the block is irradiated with the high beam, thresholds that determine whether the headlamp of the oncoming vehicle is the headlamp of the oncoming vehicle.

4. The vehicle exterior environment recognition apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the cut-off line angle of the high beam is determined from a table, the table containing a plurality of distance ranges and cut-off line angles associated with the respective distance ranges,

the cut-off line angles are each based on a depth distance from the own vehicle which is shortest in corresponding one of the distance ranges, and

the cut-off line angle of the high beam is one of the cut-off line angles which is associated with corresponding one of the distance ranges.

6. The vehicle exterior environment recognition apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the distance ranges are narrower in a depth direction as the depth distance from the own vehicle is shorter.

7. A vehicle exterior environment recognition apparatus comprising:

circuitry that

extracts a tail lamp of a preceding vehicle from an image,

recognizes the preceding vehicle on a basis of the tail lamp extracted from the image, and

determines a light distribution of a headlamp of an own vehicle on a basis of a result of the recognition of the preceding vehicle; and

an illumination mechanism that switches between a low beam and a high beam of the headlamp on a basis of an instruction that is issued on a basis of the determination on the light distribution,

the circuitry determining, on a basis of an angle of view of a block in the image, a depth distance of the block in the image, and a cut-off line angle of the high beam, whether the block in the image is irradiated with the high beam, and changing, on a basis of a result of the determination as to whether the block is irradiated with the high beam, thresholds that determine whether the tail lamp is the tail lamp.

8. A vehicle exterior environment recognition apparatus comprising:

circuitry that

extracts a headlamp of an oncoming vehicle from an image,

recognizes the oncoming vehicle on a basis of the headlamp extracted from the image, and

determines a light distribution of a headlamp of an own vehicle on a basis of a result of the recognition of the own vehicle; and

an illumination mechanism that switches between a low beam and a high beam of the headlamp of the own vehicle on a basis of an instruction that is issued on a basis of the determination on the light distribution,

the circuitry determining, on a basis of an angle of view of a block in the image, a depth distance of the block in the image, and a cut-off line angle of the high beam, whether the block in the image is irradiated with the high beam, and changing, on a basis of a result of the determination as to whether the block is irradiated with the high beam, thresholds that determine whether the headlamp of the oncoming vehicle is the headlamp of the oncoming vehicle.