Image information processing system, image information processing method, image information processing program, and automobile

• US 7,599,546 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2005
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nagaoka, Nobuharu, Kanai, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Werner; Brian P
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, JAYESH A
• Application Number:
  US11/288,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20060115144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 382/104, 382/154
• US Class Current: 382/154
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0025 Transfer function weighting factor
• 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 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands

Abstract

A system and the like capable of stably displaying image information according to an object shot by infrared cameras by offsetting disadvantages of two-dimensional image processing and three-dimensional image processing. According to an image information processing system 100 of the present invention, a weighting factor calculation unit 140 calculates a first weighting factor C1 (0≦C1≦1) and a second weighting factor C2 (=1−C1), on the basis of a measured value of a variable according to a distance between infrared cameras 210 and an object. Moreover, a composite image recognition unit 150 recognizes a composite image area A composed of a first image area A1 recognized by a first image area recognition unit 110 through the infrared camera 210 by performing the two-dimensional image processing and the second image area A2 recognized by a second image area recognition unit 120 through the infrared cameras 210 by performing the three-dimensional image processing, with being weighted by the first weighting factor C1 and the second weighting factor C2, respectively. Then, the image information control unit 160 causes the HUD 110 to display a frame enclosing the composite image area A.

Claims

1. An image information processing system for processing an image of an object shot by two infrared cameras mounted in a vehicle and an image display device mounted thereon, and thereby displaying image information of the object on said image display device mounted on the vehicle comprising a computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program comprising:

a first image area recognition unit for recognizing an image area according to the object as a first image area by performing two-dimensional image processing of the object shot by a first one of said infrared cameras;

a second image area recognition unit for recognizing an image area according to the object as a second image area by performing three-dimensional image processing of the object stereographically shot by both of said infrared cameras;

a variable measurement unit for measuring a variable whose value changes with a distance between the infrared cameras and the object;

a weighting factor calculation unit for calculating a first weighting factor C1 (0≦

C1≦

1) having a property of increasing along with an increase in the distance according to the variable and calculating a second weighting factor C2 (=1−

C1) having a property of increasing along with a decrease in the distance according to the variable, on the basis of the variable measured by the variable measurement unit;

a composite image area recognition unit for recognizing a composite image area composed of a first two-dimensional image recognized by the first image area recognition unit being weighted by the first weighting factor C1 and a second three-dimensional image recognized by the second image area recognition unit being weighted by the second weighting factor C2; and

an image information control unit for causing the image display device to display image information according to the composite image area recognized by the composite image area recognition unit.

2. The image information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the variable measurement unit measures an elapsed time t at a time point after elapse of a predetermined period of time since the start time of shooting the object by using the two infrared cameras as the variable; and

the weighting factor calculation unit calculates the first weighting factor C1 according to a decreasing function C1(t) of the time t and calculates the second weighting factor C2 according to an increasing function C2(t) of the time t, on the basis of the time t measured by the variable measurement unit.

4. The image information processing system in a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the variable measurement unit measures elapsed time, and wherein the weighting factor calculation unit uses a measurement of elapsed time from the variable measurement unit in calculating the first weighting factor.

3. An image information processing method for processing an image of an object shot by two infrared cameras mounted on a movable body and thereby displaying image information of the object on an image display device mounted on the movable body, the image information processing method comprising:

a processor;

said processor executing the processing steps of

a first image area recognition step of recognizing an image area according to the object as a first image area by performing two-dimensional image processing of the object shot by an infrared camera;

a second image area recognition step of recognizing an image area according to the object as a second image area by performing three-dimensional image processing of the object stereograph ically shot by two infrared cameras;

a variable measurement step of measuring a variable whose value changes with a distance between the infrared cameras and the object;

a weighting factor calculation step of calculating a first weighting factor C1 (0≦

C1≦

1) having a property of increasing along with an increase in the distance according to the variable and calculating a second weighting factor C2(=1−

C1) having a property of increasing along with a decrease in the distance according to the variable, on the basis of the variable measured in the variable measurement step;

a composite image area recognition step of recognizing a composite image area composed of the first image area recognized in the first image area recognition step and the second image area recognized in the second image area recognition step, with being weighted by the first weighting factor C1 and the second weighting factor C2 calculated in the weighting factor calculation step, respectively; and

an image information control step of causing the image display device to display image information according to the composite image area recognized in the composite image area recognition step.

5. An image information processing method according to claim 3, wherein the variable measurement step involves measurement of elapsed time, and wherein the weighting factor calculation step uses a measurement of elapsed time from the variable measurement step in calculating the first weighting factor.

6. An image information processing system for processing an image of an object shot by two infrared cameras mounted in a vehicle and an image display device mounted thereon, and thereby displaying image information of the object on said image display device mounted on the vehicle, comprising a computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program comprising:

a first image area recognition unit for recognizing an image area according to the object as a first image area by performing two-dimensional image processing of the object shot by a first one of said infrared cameras;

a second image area recognition unit for recognizing an image area according to the object as a second image area by performing three-dimensional image processing of the object stereographically shot by both of said infrared cameras;

a variable measurement unit for measuring a time t at a point after an elapse of a predetermined period of time since the start time of shooting the object using said infrared cameras;

a weighting factor calculation unit for calculating a first weighting factor C1 (0≦

C1≦

1) according to the first function C1(t)=1/(Ct+1)(C>

0) and calculating a second weighting factor C2 according to the second function C2(t)=1−

{1/Ct+1 }, on the basis of time measured by the variable measurement unit;

a composite image area recognition unit for recognizing a composite image area composed of a first two-dimensional image recognized by the first image area recognition unit being weighted by the first weighting factor C1 and a second three-dimensional image recognized by the second image area recognition unit being weighted by the second weighting factor C2; and

an image information control unit for causing the image display device to display image information according to the composite image area recognized by the composite image area recognition unit.

7. The image information processing system in a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the variable measurement unit measures elapsed time, and wherein the weighting factor calculation unit uses a measurement of elapsed time from the variable measurement unit in calculating the first weighting factor.