Monitor system of vehicle outside and the method thereof

• US 6,823,261 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2002
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Sekiguchi, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US10/285,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20030088361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 701/96, 701/301, 340/436, 340/903, 348/116, 348/118, 348/148
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/12 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes

Abstract

A monitor system of a vehicle includes an image-measured distance detector for detecting a distance data between a vehicle and a three-dimensional object based on information of an image in front of the vehicle, a laser-measured distance detector for detecting the distance data between the vehicle and the object by projecting a laser beam from the vehicle, and a three-dimensional object recognition device for recognizing the object based on the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detector and the distance data detected by the laser-measured distance detector. The three-dimensional object recognition device recognizes the object by coordinating the distance data and by making the distance data of a horizontal direction ineffective, when the two sets of distance data have a width within a present value and the difference between the distance values of the two sets of distance data is within a preset distance value.

Claims

1. A monitor system of a vehicle outside comprising:

image-measured distance detection means for detecting a distance data between the vehicle and a three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle based on information of an image in front of the vehicle;

laser-measured distance detection means for detecting the distance data between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle on the basis of the information of a laser radar by projecting a laser beam from the vehicle; and

three-dimensional object recognition means for recognizing the three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle based on the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detection means and the distance data detected by the laser-measured distance detection means,

wherein the three-dimensional object recognition means coordinates the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detection means and the distance data detected by the laser-measured distance detection means, and makes ineffective the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detection means which exist between two distance data existing in the horizontal direction detected by the laser-measured distance detection means and which are at positions farther than the positions of the two distance data by a first preset distance value when the two distance data are within a preset range and the difference between the distance values of the two distance data is within a second preset distance value.

2. The monitor system according to claim 1, wherein:

the three-dimensional object recognition means makes ineffective the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detection means which exist between the two distance data and which are at the positions farther than the positions of the two distance data by the first preset distance when the two distance data are distance data having a distance equal to or more than a third preset value.

3. The monitor system according to claim 1, wherein:

the three-dimensional object recognition means presets a survey area using the coordinated distance data as a reference, recognizes the three-dimensional object by making the ineffective distance data, which exist at the positions farther than the survey area, when the coordinated distance data is distance data having a distance less than a fourth preset distance value.

4. The monitor system according to claim 1, wherein:

the three-dimensional object recognition means makes ineffective the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detection means which exists between the two distance data and which are at the positions farther than the positions of the two distance data by the first preset distance value when the two distance data are distance data having a distance equal to or more than a third preset distance value, and presets a survey area using the coordinated distance data as a reference and makes ineffective distance data which exists at the positions farther than the survey area when the coordinated distance data is distance data having a distance less than a fourth preset distance value.

5. The monitor system according to claim 1, wherein said three-dimensional object recognition means comprises a distance data coordinating section and a three-dimensional object detection processing section.

6. The monitor system according to claim 1, further comprising a warning control means that extracts additional objects existing on the right and left lanes adjacent to a lane that the vehicle is traveling in based on three-dimensional object information from the three-dimensional object recognition means.

7. A method for monitoring an outside of a vehicle comprising the steps of:

image-measured distance detection step of detecting a distance data between the vehicle and a three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle based on information of an image in front of the vehicle;

laser-measured distance detection step of detecting the distance data between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle on the basis of the information of a laser radar by projecting a laser beam from the vehicle; and

three-dimensional object recognition step of recognizing the three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle based on the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detection step and the distance data detected by the laser-measured distance detection step,

wherein the three-dimensional object recognition step coordinates the distance detected by the image-measured distance detection step and the distance data detected by the laser-measured distance detection step, and makes ineffective the distance data existing in the horizontal direction detected by the laser-measured distance detection step and which are at the positions farther than the positions of the two distance data by a first preset distance value when the two distance data are within a preset range and the difference between the distance values of the two distance data is within a second preset distance value.

8. A vehicle drive assist apparatus comprising:

an image recording device mounted to the vehicle for three-dimensionally recording an object outside of the vehicle;

a laser projection unit for projecting and receiving a laser beam for detecting three-dimensional objects located outside of the vehicle;

a vehicle drive apparatus control device comprising;

an image-measured distance detection means for detecting a distance data between the vehicle and a three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle based on information received from the image recording device;

a laser-measured distance detection means for detecting the distance data between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle on the basis of information received from the laser projection unit; and

a three-dimensional object recognition means for recognizing the three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle based on the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detection means and the distance data detected by the laser-measured distance detections means,

wherein the three-dimensional object recognition means coordinates the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detection means and the distance data detected by the laser-measured distance detection means and makes ineffective the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detection means which exist between two distance data existing in the horizontal direction detected by the laser-measured distance detection means and which are at the positions farther than the positions of the two distance data by a first preset distance value when the two distance data are within a preset range and the difference between the distance values of the two distance data is within a second preset distance value.

9. The vehicle drive assist apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said image recording device comprises a right camera and a left camera.

11. The vehicle drive assist apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle and supplying steering angle to said control device.

12. The vehicle drive assist apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said three-dimensional object recognition means comprises a distance data coordinating section and a three-dimensional object detection processing section.

13. The vehicle drive assist apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a warning control means that extracts additional objects existing on the right and left lanes adjacent to a lane that the vehicle is traveling in based on three-dimensional object information from the three-dimensional object recognition means.

14. The vehicle drive assist apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a lighting collision lamp that notifies an operator of the vehicle when said control device determines that there is a risk of the vehicle colliding with an exterior objection.

10. The vehicle drive assist apparatus according to clam 8, further comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a vehicle speed and supplying the vehicle speed to said control device.

15. A monitor system of a vehicle outside comprising:

an image-measured distance detector for detecting a distance data between the vehicle and a three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle based on information of an image in front of the vehicle;

a laser-measured distance detector for detecting the distance data between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle on the basis of the information of a laser radar by projecting a laser beam from the vehicle; and

a three-dimensional object recognizer for recognizing the three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle based on the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detector and the distance data detected by the laser-measured distance detector,

wherein the three-dimensional object recognizer coordinates the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detector and the distance data detected by the laser-measured distance detector, and makes ineffective the distance data detected by the image-measured distance detector which exist between two distance data existing in the horizontal direction detected by the laser-measured distance detector and which are at positions farther than the positions of the two distance data by a first preset distance value when the two distance data are within a preset range and the difference between the distance values of the two distance data is within a second preset distance value.

16. A method for monitoring an outside of a vehicle comprising:

detecting a distance data between the vehicle and a three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle based on information of an image in front of the vehicle;

detecting the distance data between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle on the basis of the information of a laser radar by projecting a laser beam from the vehicle; and

recognizing the three-dimensional object existing in front of the vehicle based on the distance data based on the information of the image in front of the vehicle the distance data detected on the basis of the information of the laser radar

wherein the distance data based on the information of the image in front of the vehicle and the distance data detected on the basis of the information of the laser radar is coordinated, and makes ineffective the distance data based on the information of the image in front of the vehicle which exist between two distance data existing in the horizontal direction detected on the basis of the information of the laser radar and which are at the positions farther than the positions of the two distance data by a first preset distance value when the two distance data are within a preset range and the difference between the distance values of the two distance data is within a second preset distance value.