Vehicle-mounted image processing device

• US 9,715,633 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Muramatsu, Shoji, Ogata, Takehito, Kiyohara, Masahiro, Suzuki, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): TSAI, TSUNG YIN
• Application Number:
  US14/647,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20150310285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• 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 20/586 of parking space
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle-mounted image processing device capable of recognizing the outside of a vehicle based on an image taken by a vehicle-mounted camera more precisely. A vehicle-mounted image processing device of the present invention includes: an image acquisition unit (12) that acquires through-images (21) to (24) taken by cameras (1) to (4) disposed on front, rear and sides of a vehicle (10); a bird'"'"'s eye view image generation unit (13) that converts the acquired through images (21) to (24) to generate a bird'"'"'s eye view image (25); a parking line recognition unit (15) that performs parking line recognition processing to recognize a parking line WL based on at least one of the through-images (21) to (24) and the bird'"'"'s eye view image (25). The parking line recognition unit (15) performs first parking line recognition processing (S111) based on the bird'"'"'s eye view image (25) to recognize a parking line WL in a predetermined range of the bird'"'"'s eye view image (25), and second parking line recognition processing (S112) based on the through-images (21) to (24) to recognize a parking line WL in an area that is far away from the predetermined range of the bird'"'"'s eye view image (25).

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted image processing device, comprising:

an image acquisition unit that acquires through-images taken by cameras disposed on front, rear and sides of a vehicle;

a bird'"'"'s eye view image generation unit that converts the acquired through images to generate a bird'"'"'s eye view image;

a parking line recognition unit that performs parking line recognition processing to recognize a parking line based on one or more of the through-images and the bird'"'"'s eye view image,

wherein the parking line recognition unit performs;

first parking line recognition processing based on the bird'"'"'s eye view image to recognize a parking line in a predetermined range of the bird'"'"'s eye view image, wherein the first parking line recognition processing is performed in an area surrounding the vehicle and the predetermined range is associated with the area surrounding the vehicle, and

second parking line recognition processing to set and process only an image processing area of the through images that is further away from the predetermined range of the bird'"'"'s eye view image, and recognize a parking line based on the image processing area of the through-images, and

when a speed of the vehicle is higher than a first preset threshold, the parking line recognition unit performs both the first parking line recognition processing and the second parking line recognition processing.

2. The vehicle-mounted image processing device according to claim 1, wherein when a speed of the vehicle is the threshold or less, the parking line recognition unit performs only the first parking line recognition processing.

3. The vehicle-mounted image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising an in-vehicle monitor that can selectively display a synthesized image of the bird'"'"'s eye view image and the through-images in accordance with a display switching request from a user, wherein

when the parking line recognition unit performs the first parking line recognition processing and the synthesized image is selected and displayed on the in-vehicle monitor, the parking line recognition unit performs the second parking line recognition processing instead of the first parking line recognition processing.

4. The vehicle-mounted image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pedestrian detection unit that detects a pedestrian based on one or more of the through-images and the bird'"'"'s eye view image; and

a scheduling unit that determines whether to execute parking line recognition processing by the parking line recognition unit or pedestrian detection processing by the pedestrian detection unit in accordance with vehicle speed, wherein

when the vehicle speed is a second preset threshold or less, the scheduling unit makes the parking line recognition unit perform parking line recognition processing and the pedestrian detection unit perform pedestrian detection processing, and

when the vehicle speed is higher than the threshold, the scheduling unit makes the parking line recognition unit only perform parking line recognition processing.

5. The vehicle-mounted image processing device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a first image processing circuit and a second image processing circuit, wherein

when the vehicle speed is the threshold or less, the scheduling unit makes any one of the first image processing circuit and the second image processing circuit perform pedestrian detection processing by the pedestrian detection unit and makes the other of the first image processing circuit and the second image processing circuit perform parking line recognition processing by the parking line recognition unit, and

when the vehicle speed is higher than the threshold, the scheduling unit makes the first image processing circuit perform a part of the parking line recognition processing by the parking line recognition unit and makes the second image processing circuit perform remaining of the parking line recognition processing by the parking line recognition unit.

6. The vehicle-mounted image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a lane recognition unit that recognizes a vehicle traveling lane based on one or more of the through-images and the bird'"'"'s eye view image; and

a scheduling unit that determines whether to execute parking line recognition processing by the parking line recognition unit or lane recognition processing by the lane recognition unit in accordance with the vehicle speed, wherein

when the vehicle speed is a third preset threshold or less, the scheduling unit makes the parking line recognition unit only perform parking line recognition processing,

when the vehicle speed is higher than the third preset threshold and a fourth preset threshold or less, the scheduling unit makes the parking line recognition unit perform parking line recognition processing and the lane recognition unit perform lane recognition processing, and

when the vehicle speed is higher than the fourth preset threshold, the scheduling unit makes the lane recognition unit only perform lane recognition processing.

7. A vehicle-mounted image processing device, comprising:

an image acquisition unit that acquires through-images taken by cameras disposed on front, rear and sides of a vehicle;

a bird'"'"'s eye view image generation unit that converts the acquired through images to generate a bird'"'"'s eye view image;

a parking line recognition unit that performs parking line recognition processing to recognize a parking line based on one or more of the through-images and the bird'"'"'s eye view image;

a lane recognition unit that recognizes a vehicle traveling lane based on one or more of the through-images and the bird'"'"'s eye view image; and

a scheduling unit that determines whether to execute parking line recognition processing by the parking line recognition unit or lane recognition processing by the lane recognition unit in accordance with the vehicle speed,

wherein the parking line recognition unit performs;

first parking line recognition processing based on the bird'"'"'s eye view image to recognize a parking line in a predetermined range of the bird'"'"'s eye view image, wherein the first parking line recognition processing is performed in an area surrounding the vehicle and the predetermined range is associated with the area surrounding the vehicle, and

second parking line recognition processing to set and process only an image processing area of the through images that is further away from the predetermined range of the bird'"'"'s eye view image, and recognize a parking line based on the image processing area of the through-images, and

when the vehicle speed is a first preset threshold or less, the scheduling unit makes the parking line recognition unit only perform parking line recognition processing,

when the vehicle speed is higher than the first preset threshold and a second preset threshold or less, the scheduling unit makes the parking line recognition unit perform parking line recognition processing and the lane recognition unit perform lane recognition processing, and

when the vehicle speed is higher than the second preset threshold, the scheduling unit makes the lane recognition unit only perform lane recognition processing.