Lane marking detection apparatus, lane marking detection method, and lane marking detection program

• US 8,594,380 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Sakurai, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): NAKHJAVAN, SHERVIN K
• Application Number:
  US13/062,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20110164790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 382/104, 340/901, 340/903, 340/933, 340/935, 340937-939, 701/300, 701/302
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/16 using multiple overlapping images; Image stitching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/22 by selection of a specific region containing or referencing a pattern; Locating or processing of specific regions to guide the detection or recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A lane marking detection apparatus, a lane marking detection method, and a lane marking detection program is provided, which can detect a lane marking precisely even when noise is present. The lane marking detection apparatus is provided with an original image acquiring means which acquires an original image obtained by imaging a road from a traveling object traveling along the road, a lane marking position detection means which detects the relative position of a lane marking included in the road, from the traveling object, based on the original image, and a examination means which examine the result of the detection obtained by the lane marking position detection means, based on a partial image of a first image that is an original image at time t0 and the partial image of a past image that is the original image captured before time t0.

Claims

1. A lane marking detection apparatus, comprising:

an original image acquirement part configured to acquire an original image that is obtained by taking an image of a traveling road from a traveling object traveling on said traveling road;

a lane marking position detection part configured to detect a relative position of a lane marking included in said traveling road to said traveling object, based on said original image; and

an examination part configured to transfer a near region of said original image obtained at time t0 to a first transformed image in which said travelling road is viewed in a first direction that is different from an imaging direction of said original image, transfer near regions of past original images obtained before time t0 to past transformed images in which said travelling road is viewed in said first direction, connect said first transformed image and said past transformed images in an order of time to generate a second image, and confirm whether or not a detection result of said lane marking position detection part is correct based on said second image.

2. The lane marking detection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a lane change determination part configured to determine whether or not said traveling object moves over said lane marking, based on said relative position detected by said lane marking position detection part,

wherein said examination part is configured to examine a detection result of said lane marking position detection part to confirm a determination result of said lane change determination part.

3. The lane marking detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first direction is a direction in which said travelling road is viewed from an upside to a down side in a vertical direction.

4. The lane marking detection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said examination part comprises:

an inclination calculation part configured to calculate an inclination of said lane marking indicated in said second image;

an estimate moving quantity calculation part configured to an estimate moving quantity that is a moving quantity of relative position of said lane marking in a predetermined period, based on said inclination; and

a comparison part configured to examine a detection result of said lane marking position detection part based on said estimate moving quantity.

5. A car navigation system, comprising:

a lane marking detection apparatus;

a position grasp part; and

a notification part,

wherein said lane marking detection apparatus comprises;

an original image acquirement part configured to acquire an original image that is obtained by taking an image of a traveling road from a traveling object traveling on said traveling road;

a lane marking position detection part configured to detect a relative position of a lane marking included in said traveling road to said traveling object, based on said original image; and

an examination part configured to transfer a near region of said original image obtained at time t0 to a first transformed image in which said travelling road is viewed in a first direction that is different from an imaging direction of said original image, transfer near regions of past original images obtained before time t0 to past transformed images in which said travelling road is viewed in said first direction, connect said first transformed image and said past transformed images in an order of time to generate a second image, and confirm whether or not a detection result of said lane marking position detection part is correct based on said second image,

wherein said position grasp part is configured to grasp a position of said travelling body based on an examination result of said examination part, and

wherein said notification part is configured to notify a position grasped by said position grasp part to a user.

6. A turn signal system, comprising:

a lane marking detection apparatus; and

a turn signal control part,

wherein said lane marking detection apparatus comprises;

an original image acquirement part configured to acquire an original image that is obtained by taking an image of a traveling road from a traveling object traveling on said traveling road;

a lane marking position detection part configured to detect a relative position of a lane marking included in said traveling road to said traveling object, based on said original image; and

an examination part configured to transfer a near region of said original image obtained at time t0 to a first transformed image in which said travelling road is viewed in a first direction that is different from an imaging direction of said original image, transfer near regions of past original images obtained before time t0 to past transformed images in which said travelling road is viewed in said first direction, connect said first transformed image and said past transformed images in an order of time to generate a second image, and confirm whether or not a detection result of said lane marking position detection part is correct based on said second image,

wherein said turn signal control part is configured to control a turn signal provided on said travelling road, based on an examination result of said examination part.

7. A lane marking detection method, comprising:

acquiring an original image that is obtained by taking an image of a traveling road from a traveling object traveling on said traveling road;

detecting a relative position of a lane marking included in said traveling road to said traveling object, based on said original image; and

transferring a near region of said original image obtained at time t0 to a first transformed image in which said travelling road is viewed in a first direction that is different from an imaging direction of said original image, transferring near regions of past original images obtained before time t0 to past transformed images in which said travelling road is viewed in said first direction, connecting said first transformed image and said past transformed images in an order of time to generate a second image, and confirming whether or not a detection result of said lane marking position detection part is correct based on said second image.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium in which a computer executable program code is stored to attain a lane marking detection method, the method comprising:

acquiring an original image that is obtained by taking an image of a traveling road from a traveling object traveling on said traveling road;

detecting a relative position of a lane marking included in said traveling road to said traveling object, based on said original image; and

transferring a near region of said original image obtained at time t0 to a first transformed image in which said travelling road is viewed in a first direction that is different from an imaging direction of said original image, transferring near regions of past original images obtained before time t0 to past transformed images in which said travelling road is viewed in said first direction, connecting said first transformed image and said past transformed images in an order of time to generate a second image, and confirming whether or not a detection result of said lane marking position detection part is correct based on said second image.