PARALLAX CALCULATION APPARATUS, STEREO CAMERA APPARATUS, VEHICLE, AND PARALLAX CALCULATION METHOD

• US 20180225838A1
• Filed: 07/29/2016
• Published: 08/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: OHARA, Naoto, KONO, Kenji, AKIMOTO, Kazumasa
• Granted Patent: US 10,614,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/085 with electronic parallax measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/14 with binocular observation at a single point, e.g. stereoscopic type G01C3/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/00 General purpose image data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10012 Stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images

Abstract

A parallax calculation apparatus (12) includes an input interface (15) configured to acquire a stereo image including a first image and a second image and a controller (16) configured to calculate parallax by performing sequential matching of a block that is a portion of the second image with the first image while sequentially shifting the block from an initial position in a baseline length direction. The controller (16) varies the pitch at which the block is shifted next in accordance with the shift amount of the block from the initial position.

Claims

1. A parallax calculation apparatus comprising:

an input interface configured to acquire a stereo image including a first image and a second image; and

a controller configured to calculate parallax by performing sequential matching of a block that is a portion of the second image with the first image while sequentially shifting the block from an initial position in a baseline length direction, wherein

the controller varies a pitch at which the block is shifted next in accordance with a shift amount of the block from the initial position.

2. The parallax calculation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pitch at which the block is shifted is longer when the shift amount of the block is large compared to when the shift amount of the block is small.

3. The parallax calculation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller sets the pitch at which the block is shifted to be equal to or less than a width of the block in the baseline length direction.

4. The parallax calculation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller varies a minimum value of the shift amount by which the block is shifted in accordance with a position of the block in a direction orthogonal to the baseline length direction.

5. The parallax calculation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the controller divides the second image into a plurality of areas, and

the block is one area among the plurality of areas divided by the controller.

6. A stereo camera apparatus comprising:

a stereo camera; and

a parallax calculation apparatus comprising an input interface configured to acquire a stereo image including a first image and a second image captured by the stereo camera, and a controller configured to calculate parallax by performing sequential matching of a block that is a portion of the second image with the first image while sequentially shifting the block from an initial position in a baseline length direction, wherein the controller varies a pitch at which the block is shifted next in accordance with a shift amount of the block from the initial position.

7. A vehicle comprising:

a stereo camera apparatus comprising a stereo camera and a parallax calculation apparatus, wherein the parallax calculation apparatus comprises an input interface configured to acquire a stereo image including a first image and a second image captured by the stereo camera and a controller configured to calculate parallax by performing sequential matching of a block that is a portion of the second image with the first image while sequentially shifting the block from an initial position in a baseline length direction, wherein the controller varies a pitch at which the block is shifted next in accordance with a shift amount of the block from the initial position.

8. A parallax calculation method comprising:

acquiring a stereo image including a first image and a second image captured by a stereo camera; and

calculating parallax by performing sequential matching of a block that is a portion of the second image with the first image while sequentially shifting the block from an initial position in a baseline length direction, wherein

a pitch at which the block is shifted next is varied in accordance with a shift amount of the block from the initial position.