Operation control map, display unit, and white line detection apparatus
First Claim
1. An operation control map which, in a white line detection apparatus including a road surface imaging portion, includes a solid-state imaging sensor, a white line detection portion that detects white line on a road based on a captured image of the road surface, and a determining portion that determines whether to allow operation of the white line detection portion, is referenced as a determination reference for determining whether to allow operation of the white line detection portion, comprising:
- an allowed region, in which operation of the white line detection portion is allowed, that is set based on values of a gain of a road surface image signal generated by the road surface imaging portion and a detected temperature of the road surface imaging portion, which are variables in the operation control map;
a first disallowed region, in which operation of the white line detection portion is not allowed, that is also set based on the values of the variables; and
a second disallowed region, in which operation of the white line detection portion is not allowed, that is set for the temperature of the imaging portion exceeding a temperature at which operation of the imaging portion is guaranteed,wherein the allowed region is a region that is set when reduced accuracy of white line detection, due to the thermal noise generated in the solid-state imaging sensor, falls within an acceptable range, and the first disallowed region is a region that is set when the reduced accuracy of white line detection falls outside of the acceptable range.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An operation control map of a white line detection apparatus, including a white line detection portion that detects a white line on a road based on a captured image of the road surface, that references the operation control map to determine whether to allow operation of the white line detection portion. The operation control map includes a region in which operation of the white line detection is allowed, and a region in which operation is not allowed, based on the gain of a road surface image signal and the temperature of a road surface imaging portion. The allowed region is set if the reduced accuracy of white line detection, due to the thermal noise generated in the solid-state imaging sensor, falls within an acceptable range, and the disallowed region is set if the reduced accuracy of white line detection falls outside of the acceptable range.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. An operation control map which, in a white line detection apparatus including a road surface imaging portion, includes a solid-state imaging sensor, a white line detection portion that detects white line on a road based on a captured image of the road surface, and a determining portion that determines whether to allow operation of the white line detection portion, is referenced as a determination reference for determining whether to allow operation of the white line detection portion, comprising:
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an allowed region, in which operation of the white line detection portion is allowed, that is set based on values of a gain of a road surface image signal generated by the road surface imaging portion and a detected temperature of the road surface imaging portion, which are variables in the operation control map; a first disallowed region, in which operation of the white line detection portion is not allowed, that is also set based on the values of the variables; and a second disallowed region, in which operation of the white line detection portion is not allowed, that is set for the temperature of the imaging portion exceeding a temperature at which operation of the imaging portion is guaranteed, wherein the allowed region is a region that is set when reduced accuracy of white line detection, due to the thermal noise generated in the solid-state imaging sensor, falls within an acceptable range, and the first disallowed region is a region that is set when the reduced accuracy of white line detection falls outside of the acceptable range. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A white line detection apparatus that detects a white line on a road, comprising:
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a road surface imaging portion that includes a solid-state image sensor which captures an image of the road surface; a gain controlling portion that controls the gain when amplifying a road surface image signal generated by the road surface imaging portion, based on the brightness around a vehicle; a white line detection portion that compares the difference between brightness values of the road and a white line in the amplified road surface image signal with a threshold value, and detects the white line based on the comparison results; a temperature measuring portion that measures the temperature of the road surface imaging portion; a determining portion that determines whether to allow operation of the white line detection portion based on the gain controlled by the gain controlling portion and the temperature measured by the temperature measuring portion; and an operation controlling portion that controls the operation of the white line detection portion based on the determination results of the determining portion, wherein the determining portion includes an operation control map in which the gain and the temperature are variables and which has an allowed region, in which operation of the white line detection portion is allowed, and a first disallowed region, in which operation of the white line detection portion is not allowed, that are set based on the values of the variables, and a second disallowed region, in which operation of the white line detection portion is not allowed, that is set for the temperature of the imaging portion exceeding a temperature at which operation of the imaging portion is guaranteed, and the determining portion determines whether to allow the operation based on the operation control map, and wherein the allowed region is a region that is set when reduced accuracy of white line detection, due to the thermal noise generated in the solid-state imaging sensor, falls within an acceptable range, and the first disallowed region is a region that is set when the reduced accuracy of white line detection falls outside of the acceptable range. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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7. A display unit configured to be cooperative with a white line detection apparatus, and which informs a user of the operating state of the white line detection portion,
said white line detection apparatus including a road surface imaging portion, a white line detection portion that detects white line on a road based on a captured image of the road surface, a determining portion that determines whether to allow operation of the white line detection portion based on an operation control map in which the temperature of the road surface imaging portion and the gain when amplifying a road surface image signal generated by the road surface imaging portion are variables, and an operation controlling portion that controls the operation of the white line detection portion based on the determination results of the determining portion, and said operation control map comprising an allowed region, in which operation of the white line detection portion is allowed, and a first disallowed region, in which operation of the white line detection portion is not allowed, that are set based on the values of variables, and a second disallowed region, in which operation of the white line detection portion is not allowed, that is set for the temperature of the imaging portion exceeding a temperature at which operation of the imaging portion is guaranteed, wherein the allowed region is a region that is set when reduced accuracy of white line detection, due to the thermal noise generated in the solid-state imaging sensor, falls within an acceptable range, and the first disallowed region is a region that is set when the reduced accuracy of white line detection falls outside of the acceptable range, the display unit indicating that the white line detection portion is i) operating when coordinates of the variables fall within the allowed region of the operation control map, ii) being controlled not to operate due to thermal noise generated in the road surface imaging portion when coordinates of the variables fall within the first disallowed region of the operation control map, or iii) being controlled not to operate due to an operation guaranteed temperature of the white line detection apparatus being exceeded when coordinates of the variables fall within the second disallowed region of the operation control map.
Specification