Object recognition apparatus and vehicle travel controller using same

• US 9,934,690 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2015
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kuroda, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US15/307,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20170053533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/021 Determination of steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 on the side of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• 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 20/588 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

The present invention provides an object recognition apparatus which, in a vehicle that detects an object present behind (including obliquely behind) the vehicle using a radio wave radar, is able to precisely recognize the position of the object present behind (including obliquely behind) the vehicle during traveling on a curve and a lane change, and a vehicle travel controller using the same. An object recognition apparatus is provided with: an image capturing unit which captures an image of an environment in front of a vehicle; a lane detection unit which detects a lane in front of the vehicle on the basis of the image captured by the image capturing unit; a lane position estimation unit which estimates the position of a lane behind the vehicle on the basis of the lane detected by the lane detection unit and the travel history of the vehicle; a rear object detection unit which detects an object present behind the vehicle; and a relative position calculation unit which calculates the relative position of the object detected by the rear object detection unit with respect to the position of the lane estimated by the lane position estimation unit.

Claims

1. An object recognition apparatus that recognizes a position of an object existing behind an own vehicle, comprising:

an image sensing device that captures an image of an environment at the front or rear side of the own vehicle;

a vehicle lane detection unit that detects a vehicle lane at the front or rear side of the own vehicle on the basis of the image captured by the image sensing device;

a vehicle lane position estimation unit that estimates a position of a vehicle lane behind the own vehicle on the basis of the vehicle lane detected by the vehicle lane detection unit and a travel history of the own vehicle;

a rear object detection unit that detects an object existing behind the own vehicle;

a relative position calculation unit that calculates a relative position of the object detected by the rear object detection unit with respect to the position of the vehicle lane estimated by the vehicle lane position estimation unit;

a determination unit that determines whether the object exists on a predetermined vehicle lane on the basis of the relative position of the object calculated by the relative position calculation unit, including determining whether the object exists at an inside or an outside of a right road dividing line; and

a travel history calculation unit that calculates the travel history of the own vehicle based on information obtained from a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a steering angle sensor, and a navigation system.

2. The object recognition apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the vehicle lane detection unit detects a vehicle lane at the front or rear side of the own vehicle by extracting a road dividing line at the front or rear side of the own vehicle from the image captured by the image sensing device.

3. The object recognition apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image sensing device is configured as a monocular camera.

4. The object recognition apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the rear object detection unit is configured as a radio wave radar.

5. A vehicle travel controller that controls a travel state of an own vehicle based on a position of an object, comprising:

a control unit that generates control signals for controlling the travel state of the own vehicle; and

an object recognition apparatus that recognizes the position of the object existing behind the own vehicle, the object recognition apparatus including

an image sensing device that captures an image of an environment at the front or rear side of the own vehicle;

a vehicle lane detection unit that detects a vehicle lane at the front or rear side of the own vehicle on the basis of the image captured by the image sensing device;

a vehicle lane position estimation unit that estimates a position of a vehicle lane behind the own vehicle on the basis of the vehicle lane detected by the vehicle lane detection unit and a travel history of the own vehicle;

a rear object detection unit that detects an object existing behind the own vehicle;

a relative position calculation unit that calculates a relative position of the object detected by the rear object detection unit with respect to the position of the vehicle lane estimated by the vehicle lane position estimation unit;

a determination unit that determines whether the object exists on a predetermined vehicle lane on the basis of the relative position of the object calculated by the relative position calculation unit, including determining whether the object exists at an inside or an outside of a right road dividing line; and

a travel history calculation unit that calculates the travel history of the own vehicle based on information obtained from a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a steering angle sensor, and a navigation system.

6. The vehicle travel controller according to claim 5,

wherein a warning is generated when the determination unit determines that the object exists on a predetermined vehicle lane.

7. An object recognition apparatus that recognizes a position of an object existing behind an own vehicle, comprising:

an image sensing device that captures an image of an environment at the front or rear side of the own vehicle;

a solid object detection unit that detects a stationary object at the front or rear side of the own vehicle on the basis of the image captured by the image sensing device;

a solid object position estimation unit that estimates a position of the stationary object behind the own vehicle based on the stationary object detected by the solid object detection unit and a travel history of the own vehicle;

a rear object detection unit that detects an object existing behind the own vehicle;

a relative position calculation unit that calculates a relative position of the object detected by the rear object detection unit with respect to the position of the stationary object estimated by the solid object position estimation unit;

a determination unit that determines whether the object exists in a predetermined area based on the relative position of the object calculated by the relative position calculation unit, including determining whether the object exists at an inside or an outside of a right road dividing line; and

a travel history calculation unit that calculates the travel history of the own vehicle based on information obtained from a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a steering angle sensor, and a navigation system.

8. The object recognition apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the image sensing device includes a plurality of cameras.

9. The object recognition apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the rear object detection unit is configured as a radio wave radar.

10. A vehicle travel controller that controls a travel state of an own vehicle based on a position of an object, comprising:

a control unit that generates control signals for controlling the travel state of the own vehicle; and

an object recognition apparatus that recognizes the position of the object existing behind the own vehicle, the object recognition apparatus including

an image sensing device that captures an image of an environment at the front or rear side of the own vehicle;

a solid object detection unit that detects a stationary object at the front or rear side of the own vehicle on the basis of the image captured by the image sensing device;

a solid object position estimation unit that estimates a position of the stationary object behind the own vehicle based on the stationary object detected by the solid object detection unit and a travel history of the own vehicle;

a rear object detection unit that detects an object existing behind the own vehicle;

a relative position calculation unit that calculates a relative position of the object detected by the rear object detection unit with respect to the position of the stationary object estimated by the solid object position estimation unit;

a determination unit that determines whether the object exists in a predetermined area based on the relative position of the object calculated by the relative position calculation unit, including determining whether the object exists at an inside or an outside of a right road dividing line; and

a travel history calculation unit that calculates the travel history of the own vehicle based on information obtained from a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a steering angle sensor, and a navigation system.

11. The vehicle travel controller according to claim 10,

wherein a warning is generated when the determination unit determines that the object exists in a predetermined area.