Apparatus and method for measuring location and distance of object by using camera

• US 8,373,751 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2009
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Han, Kyu Bum, Choi, Won Tae, Cho, Young Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN, FRANTZ B
• Application Number:
  US12/588,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20110025845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 348/141, 348/142, 348/140, 342/52, 342/118, 342/147, 382/201
• US Class Current: 348/140
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus for measuring a location and a distance of an object by using a camera including: a camera module for photographing an external image; a parameter setup unit for setting internal and external parameters of the camera module; an image processor unit for receiving a captured image of an image photographed from the camera module, extracting a target object within the captured image, and extracting specific point coordinates of the extracted target object; and a location and distance calculating unit for calculating three-dimensional object location information in a two-dimensional camera coordinate system through the internal and external parameters of the camera module and coordinates of the target object, and calculating distance information from the location information of the object.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring a location and a distance of an object by using a camera comprising:

a camera module for photographing an external image;

a parameter setup unit for setting internal and external parameters of the camera module;

an image processor unit for receiving a captured image of an image photographed from the camera module, extracting a target object within the captured image, and extracting specific point coordinates of the extracted target object; and

a location and distance calculating unit for calculating three-dimensional object location information from a two-dimensional camera coordinate system through the internal and external parameters of the camera module and the specific point coordinates of the target object extracted by the image processor unit, and calculating distance information from the three-dimensional object location information of the object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor unit includes an image capturing unit for instantly capturing the image photographed from the camera module, and an image processing unit configured in software or hardware so as to extract coordinates of the target object within the captured image.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an internal parameter set through the parameter setup unit is set by adjusting a length conversion variable for a pixel of the camera module and a focus distance of the camera module.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the external parameter of the parameter setup unit is set by adjusting a distance vertical to the camera module based on a known plane at which an object to be measured is located outside the camera, and a tilt angle between the known plane and the camera module.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the specific point coordinates of the target object extracted by the image processor unit are indicated by an output of vertical (y) pixel information and horizontal (x) pixel information on the two-dimensional camera coordinate system.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the target object extracted through the image processor unit is one or more in number.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location and distance calculating unit collects the internal and external parameter setting values of the camera and real-time pixel information for coordinates of the target object of the captured image, thereby calculating three-dimensional location information by equations,

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the location and distance calculating unit extracts distance information from the three-dimensional location information, through an equation,

P=√

{square root over (x²+y²+z²)}.

9. A method for measuring a distance and a location of an object by using a camera comprising:

setting internal and external parameters of a camera module;

extracting target object from an image inputted from the camera module, and extracting pixel information of specific point coordinates by a two-dimensional camera coordinate system from the extracted target object;

calculating three-dimensional location information of the target object through the parameter information and the specific point coordinates of the target object; and

calculating distance information of the target object by using the calculated three-dimensional location information of the target object.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising capturing an instant image of the object to be measured among images through the image capturing unit, and setting the target object, before extracting pixel information of the specific point coordinates.