Method and device for detecting variable message traffic signs

• US 9,721,171 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2013
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Moesle, Frank, Weiss, Daniela, Ruhnau, Paul, Bariamis, Dimitrios
• Primary Examiner(s): HEIDEMANN, JASON E
• Application Number:
  US14/646,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20150302262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10144 Varying exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map

Abstract

A method for detecting variable message traffic signs for a vehicle, includes: reading in a vehicle position, comparing the vehicle position to position information of at least one variable message traffic sign in order to determine a presence of a variable message traffic sign in a predefined area around the vehicle and in response to provide a proximity information, and varying a detection instruction of information of a variable message traffic sign in response to the proximity information to detect a variable message traffic sign.

Claims

1. A method for detecting variable message traffic signs of a vehicle, the method comprising:

reading in a vehicle position;

comparing the vehicle position to position information of at least one variable message traffic sign to determine a presence of a variable message traffic sign in a predefined area around the vehicle and in response to provide proximity information; and

varying an instruction for detecting information of a variable message traffic sign in response to the proximity information to detect the variable message traffic sign;

wherein pulsed LED light sources of the at least one variable message traffic sign are operated at a frequency which is not perceptible to the human eye, so that an off phase of a pulsing may fall into a recording time window so that the at least one variable message traffic sign is only partially detectable or not detectable in the image,

wherein the varying includes modifying a control parameter for a camera so that the pulsed LED light sources of the at least one variable message traffic sign are scanned during a recording time window of the camera at a point in time at which the pulsed LED light sources are switched on,

wherein in the comparing, the position information of variable message traffic signs is provided by a navigation device and/or by a data base, and

wherein the proximity information includes at least one additional property of the variable message traffic sign, in particular the precise position and/or elevation above the road surface and/or a pulsing frequency of the variable message traffic sign.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the varying the detection instruction in response to the proximity information, at least one setting of an image recording device is modified.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the varying the detection instruction in response to the proximity information, a process for detecting variable message traffic signs is activated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in the varying the detection instruction in response to the proximity information, a process for image evaluation is parameterized.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to the proximity information, another detection instruction for information of a variable message traffic sign is implemented to detect a variable message traffic sign.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in the varying the detection instruction in response to the proximity information, at least one setting of an image recording device is modified, in particular global settings of the image recording device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein in the varying the detection instruction in response to the proximity information, at least one setting of an image recording device is modified, in particular global settings of the image recording device, in particular an exposure time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein in the varying the detection instruction in response to the proximity information, a process for detecting variable message traffic signs is activated, in particular a registration and/or evaluation of a plurality of successive images of an image recording device being initiated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein in the varying the detection instruction in response to the proximity information, a process for image evaluation is parameterized, in particular a modification of at least one image area to be processed and/or a parameterization of at least one threshold value relative to the pulsing frequency of the variable message traffic sign.

10. A device for detecting variable message traffic signs of a vehicle, comprising:

a reading device to read in a vehicle position;

a comparing device to compare the vehicle position to position information of at least one variable message traffic sign to determine a presence of a variable message traffic sign in a predefined area around the vehicle and in response to provide proximity information; and

a varying device to vary an instruction to detect information of a variable message traffic sign in response to the proximity information to detect the variable message traffic sign;

wherein pulsed LED light sources of the at least one variable message traffic sign are operated at a frequency which is not perceptible to the human eye, so that an off phase of a pulsing may fall into a recording time window so that the at least one variable message traffic sign is only partially detectable or not detectable in the image,

wherein the varying includes modifying a control parameter for a camera so that the pulsed LED light sources of the at least one variable message traffic sign are scanned during a recording time window of the camera at a point in time at which the pulsed LED light sources are switched on,

wherein in the comparing, the position information of variable message traffic signs is provided by a navigation device and/or by a data base, and

wherein the proximity information includes at least one additional property of the variable message traffic sign, in particular the precise position and/or elevation above the road surface and/or a pulsing frequency of the variable message traffic sign.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:

a program code arrangement having program code for detecting variable message traffic signs of a vehicle, by performing the following;

reading in, via a reading device, a vehicle position;

comparing, via a comparing device, the vehicle position to position information of at least one variable message traffic sign to determine a presence of a variable message traffic sign in a predefined area around the vehicle and in response to provide proximity information; and

varying, via a varying device, an instruction for detecting information of a variable message traffic sign in response to the proximity information to detect the variable message traffic sign;

wherein pulsed LED light sources of the at least one variable message traffic sign are operated at a frequency which is not perceptible to the human eye, so that an off phase of a pulsing may fall into a recording time window so that the at least one variable message traffic sign is only partially detectable or not detectable in the image, and

wherein the varying includes modifying a control parameter for a camera so that the pulsed LED light sources of the at least one variable message traffic sign are scanned during a recording time window of the camera at a point in time at which the pulsed LED light sources are switched on,

wherein in the comparing, the position information of variable message traffic signs is provided by a navigation device and/or by a data base, and

wherein the proximity information includes at least one additional property of the variable message traffic sign, in particular the precise position and/or elevation above the road surface and/or a pulsing frequency of the variable message traffic sign.