THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECT GROUND-CONTACT DETERMINING APPARATUS

• US 20190102602A1
• Filed: 09/28/2018
• Published: 04/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: UCHIDA, Naohide, SUGAYA, Fumio, TANABE, Ken, ISHIGAMI, Hirotake, KUWAHARA, Masaki
• Granted Patent: US 10,740,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 9/00201 Recognising three-dimensional objects, e.g. using range or tactile information arrangements for measuring depth G01B11/22, for measuring curvatures G01B11/24; processing image data for depth or shape recovery G06T7/50; registration of range data G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 9/00805 Detecting potential obstacles recognising people G06K9/00362
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• 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 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals

Abstract

An apparatus comprises three-dimensional object detecting means for detecting a three-dimensional object in a taken image, temporarily determining means for calculating, based on parallax information, a lower end height from a road surface to a lower end of the object, for temporarily determining that the object is a ground-contacting object when the lower end height is less than or equal to a threshold, and for temporarily determining that the object is a floating object when the lower end height exceeds the threshold, and finally determining means for finally determining whether the object is a ground-contacting object or a floating object. The finally determining means finally determines that the object is a ground-contacting object at the current computation timing when the object is determined to be a ground-contacting object in at least one of the temporary determination at the current computation timing and the final determination at the previous computation timing.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional object ground-contact determining apparatus mounted on a vehicle comprising;

imaging means for taking an image of a region in front of said vehicle by means of a stereo camera;

parallax information calculating means for calculating, based on a taken image taken by said imaging means, parallax information including a parallax of each of pixels composing said taken image;

three-dimensional object detecting means for detecting a three-dimensional object in said taken image based on said parallax information;

temporarily determining means;

for calculating, based on said parallax information, a lower end height which is a height from a road surface to a lower end of said detected three-dimensional object; and

for making a temporary determination every time a predetermined computation interval elapses to temporarily determine that said three-dimensional object is a ground-contacting object which is ground-contacted with said road surface when said lower end height is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and to temporarily determine that said three-dimensional object is a floating object floating from said road surface when said lower end height exceeds said predetermined threshold; and

finally determining means for making a final determination every time said predetermined computation interval elapses to finally determine whether said three-dimensional object is a ground-contacting object or a floating object,

wherein,

said finally determining means is configured to;

finally determine that said three-dimensional object is a ground-contacting object at a current computation timing when it is determined that said three-dimensional object is a ground-contacting object in at least one of said temporary determination at a current computation timing and said final determination at a previous computation timing; and

finally determine that said three-dimensional object is a floating object at a current computation timing when it is determined that said three-dimensional object is a floating object in both of said temporary determination at a current computation timing and said final determination at a previous computation timing.

2. The three-dimensional object ground-contact determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

said finally determining means is configured to change a final determination result of said three-dimensional object from a ground-contacting object to a floating object when a temporary determination result that said three-dimensional object is a floating object continues for a predetermined reset time longer than said computation interval in a case when it is temporarily determined that said three-dimensional object which was finally determined to be a ground-contacting object at a previous computation timing is a floating object at a current computation timing.

3. A three-dimensional object ground-contact determining apparatus mounted on a vehicle comprising;

a stereo camera for taking a stereo image of a region in front of said vehicle;

a processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and

a set of computer-executable instructions stored on said computer-readable storage medium that cause said processor to implement;

calculating, based on said stereo image, parallax information including a parallax of each of pixels composing said stereo image;

detecting a three-dimensional object in said stereo image based on said parallax information;

calculating, based on said parallax information, a lower end height which is a height from a road surface to a lower end of said detected three-dimensional object;

making a temporary determination every time a predetermined computation interval elapses to temporarily determine that said three-dimensional object is a ground-contacting object which is ground-contacted with said road surface when said lower end height is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and to temporarily determine that said three-dimensional object is a floating object floating from said road surface when said lower end height exceeds said predetermined threshold; and

making a final determination every time said predetermined computation interval elapses to finally determine whether said three-dimensional object is a ground-contacting object or a floating object,

wherein,

said processor is configured to;

finally determine that said three-dimensional object is a ground-contacting object at a current computation timing when it is determined that said three-dimensional object is a ground-contacting object in at least one of said temporary determination at a current computation timing and said final determination at a previous computation timing; and

finally determine that said three-dimensional object is a floating object at a current computation timing when it is determined that said three-dimensional object is a floating object in both of said temporary determination at a current computation timing and said final determination at a previous computation timing.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions, said instructions comprising;

acquiring a set of images of a region in front of a vehicle, said set of images being taken by a stereo camera;

calculating, based on said set of images, parallax information including a parallax of each of pixels composing said set of images;

detecting a three-dimensional object in said set of images based on said parallax information;

calculating, based on said parallax information, a lower end height which is a height from a road surface to a lower end of said detected three-dimensional object;

making a temporary determination every time a predetermined computation interval elapses to temporarily determine that said three-dimensional object is a ground-contacting object which is ground-contacted with said road surface when said lower end height is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and to temporarily determine that said three-dimensional object is a floating object floating from said road surface when said lower end height exceeds said predetermined threshold; and

making a final determination every time said predetermined computation interval elapses to finally determine whether said three-dimensional object is a ground-contacting object or a floating object,

wherein,

said making a final determination is configured to;

finally determine that said three-dimensional object is a ground-contacting object at a current computation timing when it is determined that said three-dimensional object is a ground-contacting object in at least one of said temporary determination at a current computation timing and said final determination at a previous computation timing; and

finally determine that said three-dimensional object is a floating object at a current computation timing when it is determined that said three-dimensional object is a floating object in both of said temporary determination at a current computation timing and said final determination at a previous computation timing.