Imaging system for detecting vehicle and human movement

• US 7,696,903 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2006
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Steel, Robert, Bauer, Frederick T., Stam, Joseph S.
• Primary Examiner(s): La; Anh V
• Application Number:
  US11/609,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20070290886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 340/907, 340/905, 340/933, 340/936, 340/910, 340/917, 340/908.1
• US Class Current: 340/907
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/08 Arrangements of scales, pointers, lamps or acoustic indicators, e.g. in automobile speedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A traffic system for alerting a driver of a vehicle to a traffic sign includes a sensor and a control unit. The sensor may be an image sensor and the control unit may comprise a graphic processing unit (GPU) to detect the optical flow of objects in the captured images so as to distinguish moving vehicles from non-moving objects. The speed of vehicles may be detected such that the system may (1) activate lights to warn a driver if he is traveling too fast or (2) display the speed to either the driver or a police officer. The system may also be implemented and used as a geographic border monitoring system.

Claims

1. A traffic system for alerting a driver of a motor vehicle to a traffic sign, the system comprising:

an image sensor for capturing images;

at least one light source attached to the traffic sign; and

a control unit coupled to the image sensor and the at least one light source, the control unit comprises a graphic processing unit coupled to the image sensor for processing images captured by the image sensor to detect optical flow of objects within the images so as to discriminate between vehicles and other objects, the control unit illuminating the at least one light source responsive to the detection of a vehicle, wherein the detected optical flow comprises determining a motion vector of one or more pixels between two images.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit illuminates the at least one light source when the detected motor vehicle is approaching the traffic sign.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source includes a plurality of light emitting diodes.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a power source for providing electrical power to the sensor, the at least one light source and the control unit, wherein the power source includes a rechargeable battery coupled to a solar panel.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source is energized by the control unit only when a detected approaching vehicle is operating outside prescribed safety parameters that are programmed into the control unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is mounted on the traffic sign.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit activates the at least one light source when a detected vehicle is unlikely to act in conformance with the traffic sign.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control unit does not activate the at least one light source when a detected vehicle is likely to act in conformance with the traffic sign.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source is focused at a driver of an oncoming vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the traffic sign is a stop sign and the control unit causes the at least one light source to periodically flash when the control unit determines that a detected vehicle is operating in a manner that indicates the detected vehicle is unlikely to stop for the stop sign.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of a flash rate and light intensity of the at least one light source increases with increasing risk that the detected vehicle will fail to stop in an appropriate manner.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein a power source for electrically powering the system is provided by one of a self-contained solar panel with an associated rechargeable battery and an electrical distribution system exterior to the traffic sign.

13. A vehicle speed monitoring system comprising:

at least one image sensor for capturing sequential images of approaching traffic; and

a control unit coupled to the at least one image sensor, the control unit comprises a graphic processing unit coupled to the at least one image sensor for processing images captured by the at least one image sensor to detect optical flow of objects within the images so as to discriminate between vehicles and other objects, the control unit detecting a speed of travel of each vehicle from sequential images, wherein the detected optical flow comprises determining a motion vector of one or more pixels between two images.

14. The vehicle speed monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the at least one image sensor is mounted on a traffic sign.

15. The vehicle speed monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the traffic sign includes warning lights, and wherein the control unit is coupled to the warning lights for activating the warning lights when a detected vehicle is unlikely to act in conformance with the traffic sign.

16. The vehicle speed monitoring system of claim 15, wherein the control unit does not activate the warning lights when a detected vehicle is likely to act in conformance with the traffic sign.

17. The vehicle speed monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the traffic sign includes a display for displaying the detected speed of an approaching vehicle.

18. The vehicle speed monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the at least one image sensor includes a first image sensor and a second image sensor laterally spaced from the first image sensor.

19. The vehicle speed monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the at least one image sensor is mounted in a vehicle.

20. The vehicle speed monitoring system of claim 19 and further comprising a display coupled to the control unit for displaying images captured by the at least one image sensor.

21. A border monitoring system for monitoring activity along a geographical border, the system comprising:

at least one monitoring device each comprising;

an image sensor aimed along the geographical border for capturing images along and in the vicinity of the geographical border; and

a control unit coupled to the image sensor for processing the captured images and detecting moving objects in the captured images and, when a moving object is detected, causing a signal to be transmitted to a monitoring post indicating that motion has been detected, along the geographical border, wherein the control unit comprises a graphic processing unit coupled to the image sensor for processing images captured by the image sensor to detect optical flow of objects within the images so as to discriminate between moving objects and non-moving objects, wherein the detected optical flow comprises determining a motion vector of one or more pixels between two images.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the signal transmitted by the control unit includes at least one image captured by the image sensor.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the signal transmitted by the control unit includes a stream of images captured by the image sensor.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein each border monitoring device further comprises an infrared radiation source coupled to the control unit for illuminating a field of view of the image sensor with infrared radiation.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein each border monitoring device further comprises a wireless transmitter for transmitting the signal from the control unit to the monitoring post.