Method for detecting stationary object located above road

• US 6,670,912 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2002
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Honda, Kanako
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDREA, BRIAN K
• Application Number:
  US10/203,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20030011509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: 342/70, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169, 348/700, 348/701
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/412 based on a comparison between measured values and known or stored values
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/256 of results relating to different input data, e.g. multimodal recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/255 Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/811 the classifiers operating on different input data, e.g. multi-modal recognition

Abstract

A method for detecting a target located above a road by using a camera and a radar system, wherein when it is determined that the target captured by the camera is the same target that has been captured by the radar, and when it is determined from an image captured by the camera that the target is at a height higher than road level, the method determines that the target is a stationary object located above the road. Further, when it is determined that the distance to the target captured by the camera or the radar is decreasing, and that the reception level from the target captured by the radar is also decreasing, the method determines that the target is a stationary object located above the road.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a stationary object located above a road by using a camera system and a radar system wherein, when it is determined that a target captured by a camera and a target captured by a radar are the same target, detecting a height of the target from an image captured by the camera and comparing the height with the horizon level, and when it is determined from an image captured by the camera that the target is at a height higher than the horizon level, the method determines that the target is a stationary object located above the road.

8. A method for detecting a stationary object located above a road as claimed in claim 1, 2, 4, or 5, wherein the camera system comprises a multiocular camera or a monocular camera.

9. A method for detecting a stationary object located above a road as claimed in claim 1, 3, 4 or 5, wherein it is determined that the two targets are the same target when the difference between the distance Rg to the target captured by the camera and the distance Rr to the target captured by the radar and the difference between an angle θ

g of the target captured by the camera and an angle θ

r of the target captured by the radar are within a predetermined range.

10. A method for detecting a stationary object located above a road as claimed in claim 1, 2, 4, or 5 wherein, when it is determined that the target is a stationary object located above the road, data obtained from the target is deleted from data concerning a vehicle traveling in front.

11. A method for detecting a stationary object located above a road as claimed in claim 1, 2, 4, or 5, wherein the stationary object located above the road is a stationary object located above the road or on a roadside.

2. A method for detecting a stationary object located above a road by using a camera system and a radar system wherein, when it is determined that a distance to a target captured by a camera or a radar is decreasing, and, that a decreasing, the method determines that the target is a stationary object located above the road.

3. A method for detecting a stationary object located above a road as claimed in claim 2 wherein, when it is determined that the target captured by the camera is the same target that has been captured by the radar, and when it is determined from an image captured by the camera that the target is at a height equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the method determines that the target is a stationary object located above the road.

4. A method for detecting a stationary object located above a road by using a camera system wherein, when it is determined that a vertical edge of a target captured by a camera is increasing in length with time, the method determines that the target is a stationary object located above the road.

6. A method for detecting a stationary object located above a road as claimed in claim 4 or 5 wherein, when it is determined that a reception level from a target captured by a radar is decreasing, the method determines that the target is a stationary object located above the road.

7. A method for detecting a stationary object located above a road as claimed in claim 6 wherein, when it is determined that the target captured by the camera is the same target that has been captured by the radar, and when it is determined from an image captured by the camera that the target is at a height higher than road level, the method determines that the target is a stationary object located above the road.

5. A method for detecting a stationary object located above a road by using a camera system, wherein when it is determined that a horizontal edge of a target captured by a camera is increasing in length with time, the method determines that the target is a stationary object located above the road.