Object detection system for vehicle

• US 7,463,138 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pawlicki, John A, McMahon, Martha A, Gibson, Joel S, Chinn, Steven G
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US11/408,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20060206243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 340/436, 340/435, 340/441, 340/933, 340/936, 340/937, 340/438, 701/301, 701/1, 701/41, 701/93, 701/209, 382/104, 382/181, 348/118, 180/169
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/004 outside the vehicle
• 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: B60T 2210/34 Blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 : Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 : of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 : Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 : Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 : Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 : Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 : Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 : Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18 : Propelling the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 : Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/12 : using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 : Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 : of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 : Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 : Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30261 : Obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 : Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/174 : involving the use of two or more images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 : Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 : using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 : exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 : Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 : of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 : of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/10 : Recognition assisted with metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 : Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 : Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

An imaging system for a vehicle includes an imaging sensor and a control. The imaging sensor is operable to capture an image of a scene occurring exteriorly of the vehicle. The control receives the captured image, which comprises an image data set representative of the exterior scene. The control may apply an edge detection algorithm to a reduced image data set of the image data set. The reduced image data set is representative of a target zone of the captured image. The control may be operable to process the reduced image data set more than other image data, which are representative of areas of the captured image outside of the target zone, to detect objects present within the target zone. The imaging system may be associated with a side object detection system, a lane change assist system, a lane departure warning system and/or the like.

Claims

1. An adaptive speed control system of a vehicle comprising:

a cruise control system operable to generally maintain a selected speed of the subject vehicle;

a control responsive to an image capture device capable of detecting lane markers or objects or other vehicles along the road surface, said control being operable to adjust said cruise control system to a lower speed than said selected speed in response to an output of said image capture device indicative of at least one of (a) the subject vehicle approaching an object or other vehicle and (b) change in road conditions in front of the subject vehicle; and

wherein said control processes images captured by said image capture device, said captured images comprising image data representative of the exterior scene, said control processing a subset of said image data, said subset being representative of a target zone of interest, said control processing said subset to detect at least one of (a) lane markers within said target zone and (b) objects or other vehicles present exteriorly of the subject vehicle and within said target zone.

2. The adaptive speed control system of claim 1, wherein said control is operable to adjust said cruise control system in response to said output being indicative of a curved section of road in front of the subject vehicle.

3. The adaptive speed control system of claim 2, wherein said control is operable to adjust said cruise control system to resume the selected speed in response to the subject vehicle being past the curved section of road.

4. The adaptive speed control system of claim 1, wherein said image capture device is part of or in communication with a lane departure warning system of the subject vehicle.

5. The adaptive speed control system of claim 1, wherein said control applies an edge detection algorithm to said subset of said image data, said control processing said subset more than other image data to detect edges of at least one of (a) lane markers within said target zone and (b) objects or other vehicles present exteriorly of the subject vehicle and within said target zone.

6. The adaptive speed control system of claim 1, wherein said control processes said subset more than other sets of said image data to detect at least one of (a) lane markers within said target zone and (b) objects or other vehicles present exteriorly of the subject vehicle and within said target zone, said other sets of said image data being representative of areas of said captured image outside of said target zone.