Control device of an autonomously moving body and evaluation method for data thereof

• US 5,307,419 A
• Filed: 12/02/1991
• Issued: 04/26/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sakagami, Yoshiaki, Hasegawa, Hiroshi, Tsujino, Hiroshi, Yamashita, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancuso, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US07/801,708
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 382/1, 382/48, 382/22, 382/14, 382/15, 358/103, 358/105, 701/1, 701/8, 701/46, 701/47, 395/80, 395/81, 395/88
• US Class Current: 382/153
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/001 Planning or execution of driving tasks
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/457 by analysing connectivity, e.g. edge linking, connected component analysis or slices
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

A control device of an autonomously moving body according to the present invention comprises at least one image pickup unit which picks up the image of a moving road of an automatically moving body; an image processing unit which processes a plurality of image data outputted from the image pickup unit and detects and outputs the condition of said moving read, or an outside information obtaining unit which obtains environmental information other than image; a storage means which stores data outputted from said image processing unit or said outside information obtaining means; a data control section which corrects said data stored in said storage means to data of an arbitrary time and position; a data evaluating section which integrates a plurality of data outputted from said data control section into one moving road data; and a control section which controls the movement of the autonomously moving body according to the moving road data outputted from said data evaluating section.

Claims

1. A control system for an autonomously moving body comprising:

a plurality of data accumulation and processing means for generating a plurality of data sets descriptive of a travel area in a direction of movement of said autonomously moving body;

data control means coupled to said plurality of data accumulation and processing means, said data control means including at least one data base for storing said data sets descriptive of said travel area and including means for transforming and synchronizing said data sets such that said data sets represent said travel area and a position of said autonomously moving body at a selected moment in time;

data evaluation means coupled to said data control means for integrating said transformed data sets into a single data set descriptive of said travel area and verifying that said data sets include data descriptive of a travel path along which said autonomously moving body is travelling; and

motion control means coupled to said data evaluation means for controlling the motion of said autonomously moving body such that said autonomously moving body is capable of moving along said travel path.

2. The control system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of data accumulation and processing means comprise:

at least one video camera for generating image data descriptive of said travel area in said direction of travel of said autonomously moving body;

region extracting means for extracting data representative of a road from said image data descriptive of said travel area, said road having at least one edge;

general line segment extraction means for extracting from said image data general line data representing said at least one edge of said road;

local line segment tracing means for extracting from said image data local line segments representative of said at least one edge of said road; and

a radar system for generating location data corresponding to obstacles disposed within said travel area.

3. The control system of claim 2 further comprising environmental description means for providing environmental map data descriptive of a position of said autonomous moving body within said travel area, said environmental description means being coupled to said data evaluation means and said motion control means and including an environmental description data base.

4. The control system of claim 3 further comprising a navigation system coupled to a user interface and to said environmental description means, said user interface providing a means for entering control data into said control system, and said navigation means in response to data input via said user interface providing a general route description to said environmental description means.

5. A control system for an autonomously running body comprising:

at least one color video camera and at least one monochromatic video camera for generating image data descriptive of a travel area in a direction of travel of said autonomously moving body;

region extracting means for extracting data representative of a road from said image data descriptive of said travel area, said road having at least one edge;

general line segment extraction means for extracting from said image data general line data representing said at least one edge of said road;

local line segment tracing means for extracting from said image data local line segments representative of said at least one edge of said road;

a radar system for generating location data corresponding to obstacles disposed within said travel area;

data control means coupled to said region extraction means, said general line segment extraction means, said local line segment extraction means, and said radar system, said data control means including at least one control data base for storing said data generated by said radar system and for storing said data extracted by said region extraction means, said general line segment extraction means, and said local line segment extraction means;

said data control means including means for transforming and synchronizing said data stored in said at least one control data base such that said data stored in said at least one control data base represents said travel area and a position of said autonomously moving body at a selected moment in time;

data evaluation means coupled to said data control means for integrating said transformed data into a single data set descriptive of said travel area and verifying that said single data set includes data descriptive of a travel path along which said autonomously moving body is travelling;

environmental description means for providing environmental map data descriptive of a position of said autonomous moving body within said travel area, said environmental description means being coupled to said data evaluation means and said motion control means and including an environmental description data base; and

motion control means coupled to said data evaluation means for controlling the motion of said autonomously moving body such that said autonomously moving body is capable of moving along said travel path.