Recognition object detecting apparatus

• US 8,953,839 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kimura, Takayuki, Murao, Toshikazu, Shiota, Kentarou, Shirai, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harandi, Siamak
• Application Number:
  US13/486,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20120308082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/28 Quantising the image, e.g. histogram thresholding for discrimination between background and foreground patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights

Abstract

A recognition object detecting apparatus is provided which includes an imaging unit which generates image data representing a taken image, and a detection unit which detects a recognition object from the image represented by the image data. The imaging unit has a characteristic in which a relation between luminance and output pixel values varies depending on a luminance range. The detection unit binarizes the output pixel values of the image represented by the image data by using a plurality of threshold values to generate a plurality of binary images, and detects the recognition object based on the plurality of binary images.

Claims

1. A recognition object detecting apparatus, comprising:

means for generating image data representing a taken image; and

means for detecting a recognition object from the image represented by the image data, wherein

the generating means has a characteristic in which a relation between luminance and output pixel values varies depending on a luminance range, and

the detecting means binarizes the output pixel values of the image represented by the image data by using a plurality of threshold values to generate a plurality of binary images, and detects the recognition object based on the plurality of binary images,

the generating means takes an image of a scene ahead of an own vehicle,

the detecting means detects tail lights of a leading vehicle or headlights of an oncoming vehicle as the recognition object, and

the detecting means binarizes the output pixel values of the image represented by the image data by using four threshold values including a first threshold value and a second threshold value which are set to respectively detect tail lights of a leading vehicle positioned at a long distance from the own vehicle and headlights of an oncoming vehicle positioned at a long distance from the own vehicle, and a third threshold value and a fourth threshold value which are set to respectively detect tail lights of a leading vehicle positioned at a short distance from the own vehicle and headlights of an oncoming vehicle positioned at a short distance from the own vehicle, to generate four of the binary images, and detects the recognition object based on the four of the binary images.