Traveling environment detection device

• US 9,372,112 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2013
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Morishita, Taiji, Sato, Hironori
• Primary Examiner(s): LANG, MICHAEL DEAN
• Application Number:
  US14/402,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20150131086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/14 having dimming means
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4257 applied to monitoring the characteristics of a beam, e.g. laser beam, headlamp beam monitoring arrangements for lasers in general H01S3/0014
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A driving environment detection device acquires a captured image of the direction the host vehicle is travelling in, and from the captured image, extracts parameters relating to brightness of a road surface for a road driven by the host vehicle. Then, on the basis of the parameters, the driving environment of the vehicle is estimated. By way of such a light control system, it is possible to more accurately detect ambient brightness by estimating the driving environment in accordance with the parameters related to the brightness of the road surface. Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect the driving environment.

Claims

1. A traveling environment detection device, comprising:

an image obtaining unit obtaining captured images of an outside of a vehicle, the images being captured at different times;

a parameter extracting unit extracting a parameter from the captured images, the parameter being a parameter relating to brightness of a road surface of a road where the vehicle is traveling, the parameter extracting unit extracting, as the parameter relating to brightness of a road surface, time rate of change in luminance of road surface portions in the captured images;

a traveling environment estimating unit estimating a traveling environment of the vehicle on the basis of the parameter;

a vehicle light source information obtaining unit obtaining vehicle light source information for detecting a light source of a vehicle, the vehicle light source information depending on the estimated traveling environment;

a vehicle light source detecting unit detecting the light source of a vehicle from the captured images on the basis of the vehicle light source information depending on the traveling environment; and

a lighting area change unit changing a lighting area of a headlight such that the lighting area is out of the light source of a vehicle, when the vehicle light source detecting unit has detected the light source of a vehicle, wherein

the vehicle light source detecting unit includes;

a light source extracting unit extracting a light source from the captured images; and

a light source determining unit determining whether or not the light source is the light source of a vehicle on the basis of probability information, the probability information including probability of being the light source of a vehicle related to positions in the captured images, and

the vehicle light source information obtaining unit includes a probability changing unit changing the relation between the positions in the captured images and the probability of being the light source of a vehicle in the probability information, depending on the estimated traveling environment.

2. The traveling environment detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a lane marker extracting unit extracting a lane marker marked on a road surface from the captured images, wherein the probability changing unit changes the relation in the probability information in accordance with the position of the lane marker.

3. The traveling environment detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a lane marker extracting unit extracting a lane marker marked on a road surface from the captured images, wherein

the parameter extracting unit extracts the parameter relating to the brightness of the road surface at an area except for another area including the lane marker in the captured images.

4. The traveling environment detection device according to claim 1, wherein

the parameter extracting unit extracts, as the parameter, an average luminance of a road surface portion in the captured images.

5. A non transitory computer-readable storage medium containing thereon a program for performing the following steps in a traveling environment detection device:

obtaining captured images of an outside of a vehicle, the images captured at different times;

extracting a parameter from the captured images, the parameter being a parameter relating to brightness of a road surface of a road where the vehicle is traveling, the parameter extracting step extracting, as the parameter relating to brightness of a road surface, time rate of change in luminance of road surface portions in the captured images;

estimating a traveling environment of the vehicle on the basis of the parameter;

obtaining vehicle light source information for detecting a light source of a vehicle, the vehicle light source information depending on the estimated traveling environment;

detecting the light source of a vehicle from the captured images on the basis of the vehicle light source information depending on the traveling environment; and

changing a lighting area of a headlight such that the lighting area is out of the light source of a vehicle, when the vehicle light source detecting step has detected the light source of a vehicle, wherein

the step for detecting the light source of the vehicle includes;

extracting a light source from the captured images; and

determining whether or not the light source is the light source of a vehicle on the basis of probability information, the probability information including probability of being the light source of a vehicle related to positions in the captured images, and

the step for obtaining vehicle light source information includes a probability changing unit changing the relation between the positions in the captured images and the probability of being the light source of a vehicle in the probability information, depending on the estimated traveling environment.

6. A traveling environment detection device, comprising:

a camera capturing images of an outside of a vehicle at different times;

a detecting unit detecting brightness of road surfaces from the captured images to obtain time-series data of the brightness of the road surface;

a parameter extracting unit extracting a parameter relating to the brightness of the road surface by performing time-series analysis on the basis of the obtained time-series data of the brightness of the road surface;

a traveling environment estimating unit estimating a traveling environment of the vehicle on the basis of the extracted parameter and characteristics of the parameter corresponding to each traveling environment; and

a controlling unit controlling on the basis of the estimated traveling environment.

7. The traveling environment detection device according to claim 6, wherein the traveling environment estimating unit estimates the traveling environment on the basis of change period or change amount of the brightness of the road surface in each traveling environment as the characteristics of the parameter corresponding to each traveling environment.