Lane mark recognition system and vehicle traveling control system using the same

• US 6,449,383 B1
• Filed: 01/27/1999
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Inventors: Hibino, Kutsuhiko, Imanishi, Masayuki, Oike, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOOBIN, BARRY
• Application Number:
  US09/237,686
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 382/104, 382/103, 382/199, 701/23, 701/28, 701/42, 701/207, 340/941, 340/901, 340/439, 340/907, 340/933, 731/46, 180/421, 180/168, 348/149, 348/113
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/44 Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/754 involving a deformation of the sample pattern or of the reference pattern; Elastic matching
• 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 lane mark recognition apparatus for a vehicle is provided which recognizes a lane mark printed on a road using an image of a frontal view captured by a CCD camera. The apparatus identifies a location in the image on which a string model construct converges as a location of the lane mark. The string model utilizes a string construct that is made up of a plurality of node-type string components and lines connecting adjacent string components. The string components are movable within the image by an attractive force produced based on a measure of a picture property of the lane mark. Each of the connecting lines is modeled as an elastic member, which produces a reactive force against deformation of the string model so as to maintain geometry of the whole of the string model.

Claims

1. A lane mark recognition apparatus comprising:

an image capturing mechanism configured to capture an image of a road having a lane mark portion, the lane mark portion of the captured image of the road having a picture property associated therewith; and

lane mark recognition means configured to detect the lane mark portion within the image of the road by performing a string model analysis of the image, said string model analysis including automatically moving a string construct within the image to converge on the lane mark portion of the image;

wherein said string construct is modeled as a series of node-type string elements spaced within the image and a plurality of string segments interconnecting respective adjacent pairs of said node-type string elements, each of said node-type string elements being movable within the image and each of said string segments being modeled as an elastic element resiliently biasing relative movement between said respective adjacent pairs of said node-type string elements; and

wherein said lane mark recognition means is configured to assign relative attractive forces between said node-type string elements and the lane mark portion of the image based on a measure of the picture property of the image, said lane mark recognition means being further configured such that the node-type string elements of said string construct are converged toward the lane mark portion of the image as a function of said relative attractive forces.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image comprises an arrangement of pixels and wherein said picture property is brightness per pixel of the image.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image comprises an arrangement of pixels and wherein said picture property is chromaticity per pixel of the image.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein movement of each of said node-type string elements within the image is limited to movement in a horizontal direction with respect to the image, and wherein a resilient biasing force between respective pairs of node-type string elements increases for each consecutive pair of said string elements in a lengthwise direction of said string construct toward a lower portion of the string construct.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said string segments of said string construct are defined to have identical coefficients of elasticity, and wherein string segments located closer to the bottom of the image are stretched more than string segments closer to the top of the image.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said string segments are all defined to stretch by identical amounts, and wherein said string segments are each defined to have a coefficient of elasticity and the coefficients of elasticity of the string segments increase in the lengthwise direction of said string construct toward the lower portion of the string construct.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said node-type string elements is defined to have a relative sensitivity to the attractive forces acting thereon, the relative sensitivity of each of said node-type string elements increasing in a lengthwise direction of the string construct toward the lower portion of the string construct.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said lane mark recognition means is configured to recognize when said string construct converges with the lane mark portion of the image.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said lane mark recognition means is further configured to determine a target picture property measure of the lane mark portion of the image and wherein said string construct is defined to have converged with the lane mark portion of the image when each of the node-type string elements is positioned within a portion of the image having a picture property measure matching said target picture property measure.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said lane mark recognition means is configured to determine 1) an overall attractive force magnitude acting between the node-type string elements and the lane mark portion of the image and 2) an overall biasing force magnitude caused by the elasticity of said string segments, and wherein said string construct is defined to have converged with the lane mark portion of the image when said string construct is positioned within the image so that the overall attractive force magnitude acting thereon is equal to the overall biasing force magnitude.

11. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said lane mark recognition means is further configured to determine a target displacement for each of said node-type string elements that is proportional to a magnitude of attractive forces acting thereon and subsequently to move each of said node-type string elements within the image by the respective target displacement, and wherein said string construct is defined to have converged with the lane mark portion of the image when a predetermined number of movements of said node-type string elements have been performed by said lane mark recognition means.

12. A storage medium storing therein a program which is readable by a computer, said computer comprising a part of a lane mark recognition means in a lane mark recognition apparatus for a vehicle, said lane mark recognition apparatus being configured to capture an image of a road ahead of a controlled vehicle equipped with the lane mark recognition apparatus and to recognize a lane mark printed on the road via execution of the lane mark recognition program, said lane mark recognition means executing the program to identify the location of the lane mark in the image as being a location to which a string construct converges, the string construct being comprised of a plurality of node-type string elements and string segments connecting adjacent pairs of said string elements, said construct being moved in the image by an attractive force produced based on a measure of a picture property of the lane mark portion of the image, each of the string segments being modeled as an elastic member which produces a reactive force against deformation of the string construct so as to maintain geometry of the whole of the string construct.