Method and system of automatically detecting objects in front of a motor vehicle

• US 8,582,818 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arriver Software AB (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hedberg, Ognjan, Hammarstrm, Per Jonas
• Primary Examiner(s): MARIAM, DANIEL G
• Application Number:
  US13/148,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20110311103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 382103-104, 382/209, 382/218, 701/301
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/255 Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/647 by matching two-dimensional images to three-dimensional objects

Abstract

A method of automatically detecting objects in front of a motor vehicle comprises the steps of pre-storing template objects representing possible objects in front of the motor vehicle, detecting images from a region in front of the vehicle by a vehicle mounted imaging means, generating a processed image containing disparity or vehicle-to-scene distance information from the detected images, comparing the pre-stored template objects with corresponding regions-of-interest of the processed image, and generating a match result relating to the match between the processed image and the template objects. Each of the pre-stored template objects is a flat two-dimensional multi-pixel area of predetermined shape.

Claims

1. A method of automatically detecting objects in front of a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of:

pre-storing template objects representing possible objects in front of the motor vehicle;

detecting images from a region in front of the vehicle by a vehicle mounted imaging means;

generating from the detected images a processed image containing disparity or vehicle-to-scene distance information and regions-of-interest;

comparing the pre-stored template objects with corresponding regions-of-interest of the processed image;

generating a match result relating to the match between the processed image and the template objects, and

wherein each of the pre-stored template objects is a flat two-dimensional multi-pixel area of predetermined shape.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the template objects are arranged orthogonally to a sensing plane.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the template objects are arranged to stand on a ground plane.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the two-dimensional area has a rectangular shape.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein one constant value relating to an expected disparity of the template object is assigned to each of the template object.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of generating an integrated processed image from the processed image.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of calculating an average value of the processed image in the region-of-interest defined by the template object.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the template object is comprised of a plurality of multi-pixel sub-regions of predetermined shape.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of calculating an average value of the processed image for each of the sub-regions.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the sub-regions have a rectangular shape.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of calculating a match score for each of the template objects.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of generating a score map from the match scores.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of identifying local extrema in the score map.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of performing a non-extremum suppression in the score map.