Object detecting device

• US 8,466,827 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2009
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nanami, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Barker, Matthew M
• Application Number:
  US12/988,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20110050482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 342 70- 72
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/426 Scanning radar, e.g. 3D radar G01S13/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An object detecting device which can reduce the influence of an error caused by temporal displacement between a detection result by a radar and a detection result by image processing and thus, the precision of object detection can be improved. In one particular embodiment, the device may receive image data captured by a camera and radar data from a radar unit. The device searches the image data for the target object, and also extracts detection points from the radar data that correspond to the target object. The position of the target object in the image is corrected in accordance with the radar detection data.

Claims

1. An object detecting device comprising:

an image capture unit configured to capture images within a predetermined range and acquires image data;

a radar detecting unit configured to irradiate an object with electromagnetic waves in a plurality of different directions within the predetermined range and acquires, for each of the irradiation directions of the electromagnetic waves, detection point data including data of the distance to an object existing in the direction; and

an object detecting unit configured to detect a predetermined target object to be detected, based on the image data captured by the image capture unit and the detection point data detected by the radar detecting unit, wherein

the object detecting unit comprises;

an image portion search device configured to search the image data captured by the image capture unit, referring to the detection point data detected by the radar detecting unit, and detect an image portion corresponding to the target object to be detected;

a detection point extracting device configured to extract, from the detection point data detected by the radar detecting unit, detection point data corresponding to the target object to be detected after the image portion search device has detected an image corresponding to the target object to be detected; and

an image portion correcting device configured to correct, in accordance with the detection point data extracted by the detection point extracting device, the position of the image portion detected by the image portion search device.

2. The object detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the image portion correcting device corrects the position of the image portion so that an edge of the image portion corresponding to the target object fits an edge of the region comprising the detection point data extracted by the detection point extracting device.

3. The object detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the image portion correcting device corrects the position of the image portion when the detection point data extracted by the detection point extracting device exists outside the image portion.

4. The object detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the object detecting unit further comprises an object information calculating device which calculates information relating to the target object to be detected, from the detection point data extracted by the detection point extracting device and the image portion whose position has been corrected by the image portion correcting device.

5. The object detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the target object to be detected is a vehicle.