Vehicle environment monitoring system

• US 6,327,536 B1
• Filed: 06/09/2000
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1999
• 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: Tsuji, Takayuki, Nagaoka, Nobuharu, Hattori, Hiroshi, Watanabe, Masahito
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US09/590,980
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/302, 701/22, 701/28, 701/70, 701/223, 348/25, 348/113, 348/118, 348/119, 348/169, 340/901, 340/903, 340/425.5, 340/435, 340/436
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/106 using night vision cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/107 using stereoscopic cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/307 virtually distinguishing relevant parts of a scene from the background of the scene
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8053 for bad weather conditions or night vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/082 using alarm actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/089 using optical detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A vehicle environment monitoring system for an automotive vehicle is capable of accurately detecting the movement of an object existing in an environment of the vehicle, and determining the possibility of collision between the object and the vehicle, thereby appropriately warning the driver. A relative position of the object to the automotive vehicle is detected from the image obtained by a camera mounted on the vehicle to obtain position data. Positions of the object in a real space are calculated based on a plurality of time series items of the position data detected on the object, and a movement vector of the object is calculated based on the positions in the real space. It is determined based on the movement vector whether or not the object has a high possibility of collision against the automotive vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle environment monitoring system for an automotive vehicle, which detects an object existing in an environment of said automotive vehicle from an image obtained by imaging means mounted on said automotive vehicle, the vehicle environment monitoring system comprising:

relative position-detecting means for detecting a relative position of said object to said automotive vehicle from said image obtained by said imaging means to obtain position data;

movement vector-calculating means for calculating positions of said object in a real space based on a plurality of time series items of said position data detected on said object by said relative position-detecting means, and calculating a movement vector of said object based on said positions in said real space; and

determining means for determining whether or not said object has a high possibility of collision against said automotive vehicle based on said movement vector;

said movement vector-calculating means including approximate straight line-calculating means for calculating an approximate straight line approximating a locus of relative movement of said object, and position data-correcting means for correcting said time series items of said position data by using said approximate straight line, said movement vector-calculating means calculating said movement vector based on the corrected time series items of said position data.

3. A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said determining means carries out said determination by applying conditions for determining a potential collision, said conditions being dependent on a width of said vehicle.

4. A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said approximate straight line-calculating means calculates said approximate straight line as a three-dimensional straight line including data of a height of said object.

2. A vehicle environment monitoring system for an automotive vehicle, which detects an object existing in an environment of said automotive vehicle from an image obtained by imaging means mounted on said automotive vehicle, the vehicle environment monitoring system comprising:

relative position-detecting means for detecting a relative position of said object to said automotive vehicle from said image obtained by said imaging means to obtain position data;

movement vector-calculating means for calculating positions of said object in a real space based on a plurality of time series items of said position data detected on said object by said relative position-detecting means, and calculating a movement vector of said object based on said positions in said real space; and

determining means for determining whether or not said object has a high possibility of collision against said automotive vehicle based on said movement vector;

said determining means carries out said determination by applying conditions for determining a potential collision, said conditions being dependent on a width of said vehicle.

5. A vehicle environment monitoring system for an automotive vehicle, which detects an object existing in an environment of said automotive vehicle from an image obtained by imaging means mounted on said automotive vehicle, the vehicle environment monitoring system comprising:

relative position-detecting means for detecting a relative position of said object to said automotive vehicle from said image obtained by said imaging means to obtain position data;

movement vector-calculating means for calculating positions of said object in a real space based on a plurality of time series items of said position data detected on said object by said relative position-detecting means, and calculating a movement vector of said object based on said positions in said real space; and

determining means for determining whether or not said object has a high possibility of collision against said automotive vehicle based on said movement vector;

said imaging means comprising two infrared cameras capable of detecting infrared rays.

6. A vehicle environment monitoring system for an automotive vehicle, which detects an object existing in an environment of said automotive vehicle from an image obtained by imaging means mounted on said automotive vehicle, the vehicle environment monitoring system comprising:

relative position-detecting means for detecting a relative position of said object to said automotive vehicle from said image obtained by said imaging means to obtain position data;

movement vector-calculating means for calculating positions of said object in a real space based on a plurality of time series items of said position data detected on said object by said relative position-detecting means, and calculating a movement vector of said object based on said positions in said real space; and

determining means for determining whether or not said object has a high possibility of collision against said automotive vehicle based on said movement vector;

said imaging means comprising two TV cameras for detecting infrared rays or visible rays, and said relative position-detecting means including

search area-setting means for setting, based on a position of an object image contained in an image output from one of said two TV cameras, a search area within an image output from the other of said two TV cameras for searching for a corresponding object image contained in said image output from the other of said two TV cameras;

corresponding object image-identifying means for identifying said corresponding object image by carrying out a correlation operation on data within said search area; and

distance-calculating means for calculating a distance from said vehicle to said object based on a parallax between said object image and said corresponding object image.

7. A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein said data within said search area is gray scale data containing halftone information.

8. A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 7, wherein said relative position-detecting means includes tracking means for tracking an object moving in said image obtained by said imaging means by using binary data formed by binarizing said gray scale data.

9. A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein said tracking means recognizes said object being tracked by using run length data encoded from said binary data.

10. A vehicle, environment monitoring system according to claim 9, wherein said tracking means determines an identity of said object being tracked, based on position coordinates of a centroid of an image thereof, an area of said image thereof, and an aspect ratio of a rectangle circumscribing said image thereof.

11. A vehicle environment monitoring system for an automotive vehicle, which detects an object existing in an environment of said automotive vehicle from an image obtained by imaging means mounted on said automotive vehicle, the vehicle environment monitoring system comprising:

relative position-detecting means for detecting a relative position of said object to said automotive vehicle from said image obtained by said imaging means to obtain position data;

movement vector-calculating means for calculating positions of said object in a real space based on a plurality of time series items of said position data detected on said object by said relative position-detecting means, and calculating a movement vector of said object based on said positions in said real space;

determining means for determining whether or not said object has a high possibility of collision against said automotive vehicle based on said movement vector; and

warning means for warning a driver, when it is determined by said determining means that there is a high possibility of collision against said object, said warning means being inhibited from warning said driver when said driver is carrying out a braking operation and at the same time deceleration caused by said braking operation is larger than a predetermined threshold.