Road obstacle monitoring device

• US 5,486,819 A
• Filed: 05/22/1995
• Issued: 01/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Horie, Ryuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US08/447,083
• Time in Patent Office: 246 Days
• Field of Search: 340/903, 340/905, 340/435, 340/436, 340/937, 340/901, 348/143, 348/148, 348/149, 348/162, 348/164, 382/1
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30236 Traffic on road, railway or crossing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0008 checking presence/absence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 10/40 Controlling or monitoring, e.g. of flood or hurricane; Forecasting, e.g. risk assessment or mapping

Abstract

A road obstacle monitoring device is disclosed, in which a monitoring imaging section monitors and images a road section, where road obstacles by wave flooding, land slip, etc. are foreseen, to output image signals; the image signals thus generated are data-processed by an image processing section so that component data corresponding to the road obstacles are extracted; and the component data corresponding to the road obstacles thus extracted are measured by a measuring recognizing section for measuring the component data corresponding to the road obstacles thus extracted so that it is detected from a result of measurements whether there exist the road obstacles or not and a result of recognition thus obtained is displayed for warning so as to inform passengers, drivers of vehicles, etc. passing therethrough of the road obstacles by wave flooding, land slip, etc. in the road section to be monitored.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring selected road sections and for detecting the occurrence of obstacles that occupy said selected road sections, said system comprising:

a road section imaging device for generating image data of a selected road section being monitored, said image data including reference image data of said selected road section having no obstacles and monitored image data of said selected road section when obstacles may be present;

an image processing device communicatively connected to receive said image data from said road section imaging device, said image processing device including means for detecting an obstacle based on detecting a frame difference between said reference image data and monitored image data;

means connected to said image processing device, for measuring physical dimensions of said detected obstacle and for generating an output signal when said physical dimensions of said obstacle exceed predetermined minimum physical dimension data; and

means communicatively connected to receive said output signal from said measuring means, for generating a warning display of said detected obstacle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said obstacle detecting means of said image processing device is further for extracting image component data of said obstacle based on said frame difference between said reference image data and monitored image data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said image processing device includes means for verifying the presence of said obstacle in said selected road section based on a predetermined number of repetitions of detecting a frame difference between said reference image data and said monitored image data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for measuring physical dimensions of said detected obstacle is further for measuring a height of said obstacle and for generating said output signal when said height of said obstacle exceeds a predetermined minimum height.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said obstacle being detected is a flood wave.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for measuring physical dimensions of said detected obstacle is further for measuring a size of said obstacle and for generating said output signal when said size of said obstacle exceeds a predetermined minimum size.

7. A remote system for monitoring selected road sections and for detecting the occurrence of obstacles that occupy said selected road sections, said system comprising:

a remote terminal device located to monitor a selected road section, said terminal device including

a road section imaging means for generating image data on a selected road section being monitored, said image data including reference image data of said selected road section having no obstacles and monitored image data of said selected road section when obstacles may be present,

first communication means for transmitting signals of said image data, and

means for generating a warning display of an obstacle detected in said selected road section; and

a central monitor device including

second communication means for receiving said signals of said image data,

an image processing means connected to said second communication means, for detecting an obstacle based on image processing a frame difference between said reference image data and said monitored image data, and

means connected to said image processing means, for measuring physical dimensions of said detected obstacle and for generating an output signal when said physical dimensions of said obstacle exceed predetermined minimum physical dimension data, wherein

said second communication means is further for transmitting said output signal from said measuring means to said first communication means, and said warning display means generates a warning display of said detected obstacle based on said output signal received by said first communication means.

8. The remote system of claim 7, wherein said image processing means of said image processing device is further for extracting image component data of said obstacle based on said frame difference between said reference image data and monitored image data.

9. The remote system of claim 7, wherein said image processing means is further for verifying a presence of said obstacle in said selected road section based on a predetermined number of repetitions of detecting a frame difference between said reference image data and monitored image data.

10. The remote system of claim 7, wherein said means for measuring physical dimensions of said detected obstacle is further for measuring a height of said obstacle and for generating said output signal when said height of said obstacle exceeds a predetermined minimum height.

11. The remote system of claim 10, wherein said detected obstacle being detected is a flood wave.

12. The remote system of claim 7, wherein said means for measuring physical dimensions of said detected obstacle is further for measuring a size of said obstacle and for generating said output signal when said size of said obstacle exceeds a predetermined minimum size.