Observed-object detection apparatus and observed-object detection method

• US 7,966,128 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2007
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Denso IT Laboratory, Inc. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Denso IT Laboratory, Inc. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshizawa, Akira, Yamauchi, Yasutaka, Widodo, Ari, Matsui, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith; Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khatib; Rami
• Application Number:
  US11/902,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20080077321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/207, 701/208, 701/213, 701/220, 701/223, 701/300, 701/301, 340/990, 3409951-99528, 342/46, 342/47, 342/66, 356/29, 348/77
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects

Abstract

An information provision apparatus (1) comprises an observed-object detection apparatus (11) and an information output unit (41), and outputs from the information output unit (41) information on an observed object detected by the observed-object detection apparatus (11). The observed-object detection apparatus (11) comprises: a line-of-sight detector (21) for detecting a line of sight of a driver; an object detector (22) for detecting an object which is on a line of sight of a driver, based on the direction of the line of sight detected by the line-of-sight detector (21), on a current position of a vehicle, and on map information; and an observed-object calculator (23) for determining from objects detected by the object detector (22) an observed object observed by a driver, based on time for which the object is on a line of sight. This allows an object observed by a driver to be detected even if there is no trigger from the driver.

Claims

1. An observed-object detection apparatus comprising:

a map information storage storing map information;

a vehicle position detector configured for detecting a current position and orientation of a vehicle;

a line-of-sight detector configured for detecting a line of sight of a driver;

an object detector configured for detecting a plurality of candidates of observed objects, which are on a straight line of sight detected by the line-of-sight detector, based on a current position and orientation of a vehicle detected by the vehicle position detector and on map information stored in the map information storage; and

an observed-object calculator configured for determining from the plurality of candidates of observed objects detected by the object detector an observed object observed by a driver, based on time for which the each of the plurality of candidates of observed objects is on a line of sight.

2. The observed-object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the observed-object calculator assigns a weight to time for which the object is on a line of sight to determine an evaluation value, and determines as an observed object an object whose evaluation value is equal to or greater than a prescribed threshold.

3. The observed-object detection apparatus according to claim 2, comprising:

a driver information storage storing an attribute of an object observed in a past by a driver,

wherein the observed-object calculator, based on an attribute of an object stored in the driver information storage and on an attribute of a detected object, assigns a weight to time for which the object is on a line of sight to determine the evaluation value.

4. The observed-object detection apparatus according to claim 2, comprising:

a vehicle state detector configured for detecting a state of a vehicle,

wherein the observed-object calculator varies the weight based on a state of a vehicle detected by the vehicle state detector.

5. The observed-object detection apparatus according to claim 2, comprising:

a route information storage configured for storing set route information,

wherein the observed-object calculator lowers the weight to determine the evaluation value in a case where a distance to a destination, based on route information stored in the route information storage and on a current position of a vehicle, is detected to be equal to or less than a prescribed threshold, as compared to a case where a distance to a destination is greater than a prescribed threshold.

6. The observed-object detection apparatus according to claim 2, comprising:

a travel history storage storing information indicating a past travel route of a vehicle,

wherein the observed-object calculator judges whether a current position of a vehicle accords with a past travel route stored in the travel history storage or not, and varies the weight based on a result of the judgment.

7. The observed-object detection apparatus according to claim 2, comprising:

a microphone configured for collecting a sound of a conversation in a vehicle, and

a conversation analyzer configured for analyzing a conversation whose sound is collected by the microphone,

wherein the observed-object calculator determines a degree of interest in an object based on an analysis result by the conversation analyzer, and varies the weight based on the degree of interest.

8. An information provision apparatus comprising:

the observed-object detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7; and

an output unit configured for outputting information on an observed object detected by the observed-object detection apparatus.

9. A driving scene shooting apparatus comprising:

the observed-object detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7; and

an outside-vehicle camera configured for shooting an object outside a vehicle,

wherein the outside-vehicle camera shoots an observed object detected by the observed-object detection apparatus.