Image processing apparatus, image processing method, navigation apparatus, program storage device and computer data signal embodied in carrier wave
First Claim
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1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
- an image taking device for taking an image on a side of a movable body and outputting an image signal corresponding to the taken image;
a movement vector detecting device for detecting a movement vector for each area of the image taken by said image taking device, on the basis of the image signal while said movable body is moving; and
a distance calculating device for judging a spatial changing rate of a magnitude of the detected movement vector and calculating the distance to a road edge on the basis of the spatial changing rate.
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Abstract
An image processing apparatus is provided with: an image taking device (19a, 19b) for taking an image on a side of a movable body and outputting an image signal corresponding to the taken image; a movement vector detecting device (18, 24) for detecting a movement vector for each area of the image taken by the image taking device, on the basis of the image signal while the movable body is moving; and a distance calculating device (18, 25) for judging a spatial changing rate of a magnitude of the detected movement vector and calculating the distance to a road edge on the basis of the spatial changing rate.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
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an image taking device for taking an image on a side of a movable body and outputting an image signal corresponding to the taken image;
a movement vector detecting device for detecting a movement vector for each area of the image taken by said image taking device, on the basis of the image signal while said movable body is moving; and
a distance calculating device for judging a spatial changing rate of a magnitude of the detected movement vector and calculating the distance to a road edge on the basis of the spatial changing rate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
said image taking device comprises a first image taking device for taking the image on a left side of said movable body and a second image taking device for taking the image on a right side of said movable body, and said distance calculating device calculates a first distance to the road edge on the left side and a second distance to the road edge on the right side. -
3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a road width calculating device for calculating a road width of the road, on which said movable body is moving, on the basis of the first distance and the second distance calculated by said distance calculating device.
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4. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the image signal comprises frame image data, which has a predetermined frame cycle, as a unit, and said movement vector detecting device detects the movement vector on the basis of two consecutive frame image data. -
5. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image taking device is installed on a front portion of said movable body.
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6. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image taking device takes the image in an oblique forward direction of said movable body.
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7. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image taking device takes the image in an oblique downward direction of said movable body.
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8. An image processing method of performing an image process on the basis of an image signal, which is outputted from an image taking device for taking an image on a side of a movable body and outputting the image signal corresponding to the taken image, said image processing method comprising:
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a movement vector detecting process of detecting a movement vector for each area of the image taken by said image taking device, on the basis of the image signal while said movable body is moving; and
a distance calculating process of judging a spatial changing rate of a magnitude of the detected movement vector and calculating the distance to a road edge on the basis of the spatial changing rate. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
said image taking device comprises a first image taking device for taking the image on a left side of said movable body and a second image taking device for taking the image on a right side of said movable body, and said distance calculating process calculates a first distance to the road edge on the left side and a second distance to the road edge on the right side. -
10. An image processing method according to claim 9, further comprising a road width calculating process of calculating a road width of the road, on which said movable body is moving, on the basis of the first distance and the second distance calculated by said distance calculating process.
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11. An image processing method according to claim 8, wherein
the image signal comprises frame image data, which has a predetermined frame cycle, as a unit, and said movement vector detecting process detects the movement vector on the basis of two consecutive frame image data.
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12. A navigation apparatus for performing a route guidance from a present position of a vehicle to a destination on the basis of map data, comprising:
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a sensor device including a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a moving speed of said vehicle;
an image taking device for taking an image on a side of said vehicle and outputting an image signal corresponding to the taken image;
a movement vector detecting device for detecting a movement vector for each area of the image taken by said image taking device, on the basis of the image signal while said vehicle is moving; and
a distance calculating device for judging a spatial changing rate of a magnitude of the detected movement vector and calculating the distance to a road edge on the basis of the spatial changing rate. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
a traffic lane judging device for judging a traffic lane, on which said vehicle is presently moving, on the basis of calculation results of said distance calculating device and said road width calculating device; and
a warning device for warning an appropriate traffic lane, on which said vehicle is to move, by correlating the judged traffic lane with a route to the destination.
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17. A navigation apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said warning device warns the appropriate traffic lane if the judged traffic lane is not coincident with the appropriate traffic lane.
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18. A navigation apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said warning device warns that the judged traffic lane is coincident with the appropriate traffic lane if the judged traffic lane is coincident with the appropriate traffic lane.
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19. A program storage device readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform an image process on the basis of an image signal, which is outputted from an image taking device for taking an image on a side of a movable body and outputting the image signal corresponding to the taken image, said image process comprising:
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a movement vector detecting process of detecting a movement vector for each area of the image taken by said image taking device, on the basis of the image signal while said movable body is moving; and
a distance calculating process of judging a spatial changing rate of a magnitude of the detected movement vector and calculating the distance to a road edge on the basis of the spatial changing rate.
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20. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a series of instructions which cause a computer to perform an image process on the basis of an image signal, which is outputted from an image taking device for taking an image on a side of a movable body and outputting the image signal corresponding to the taken image, said image process comprising:
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a movement vector detecting process of detecting a movement vector for each area of the image taken by said image taking device, on the basis of the image signal while said movable body is moving; and
a distance calculating process of judging a spatial changing rate of a magnitude of the detected movement vector and calculating the distance to a road edge on the basis of the spatial changing rate.
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Specification