Road marking recognition apparatus and method

• US 20070041614A1
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tanji, Jou
• Granted Patent: US 8,184,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/255 Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes
• 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

Abstract

An object of this invention is to provide a technique to correctly recognize road markings by a simple processing. This road marking recognition method: obtaining image data of a road, and storing the image data into an image data storage; detecting a first road marking in the image data stored in the image data storage, and storing position data of the first road marking into a storage; detecting a second road marking in the image data stored in the image data storage, and storing position data of the second road marking into a storage; judging based on the position data stored in the storage, whether or not a predefined proper mutual positional relationship between the first and second road markings is established; and evaluating a confidence degree for the detection result of the first and second road markings by using a result of the judging. For example, in a case of the road markings such as a crosswalk and a stop line, the stop line and the crosswalk have to be arranged in this order when viewing from the vehicle. Such a positional relationship is confirmed to evaluate the confidence degree.

Claims

1. A road marking recognition apparatus, comprising:

a unit that obtains image data of a road, and stores said image data into an image data storage;

a first detector that detects a first road marking in said image data stored in said image data storage, and stores position data of said first road marking into a storage;

a second detector that detects a second road marking in said image data stored in said image data storage, and stores position data of said second road marking into said storage;

a unit that judges based on said position data stored in said storage, whether or not a predefined proper mutual positional relationship between said first and second road markings is established; and

an evaluator that evaluates a confidence degree for detection results of said first and second road markings by using a result of said judging.

2. The road marking recognition apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first detector comprises:

a unit that calculates a virtual position of said first road marking from vehicle speed data and the past position data stored in said storage; and

a unit that evaluates said confidence degree for said first road marking from the current position data and said virtual position data, which are stored in said storage.

3. The road marking recognition apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said second detector comprises:

a unit that calculates a virtual position of said second road marking from vehicle speed data and the past position data stored in said storage; and

evaluates said confidence degree for said second road marking from the current position data and said virtual position data, which are stored in said storage.

4. The road marking recognition apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a white line recognizer that recognizes a white line delimiting traffic lanes in said image data stored in said image data storage, and stores position data of the recognized white line into said storage; and

a unit that limits a processing region of said image data based on said position data of said white line, which is stored in said storage.

5. The road marking recognition apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said white line recognizer comprises a unit that evaluates a confidence degree for said white line from said position data of the past recognized white line and the current position data of said white line, which are stored in said storage.

6. A road marking recognition method, comprising:

obtaining image data of a road, and storing said image data into an image data storage;

detecting a first road marking in said image data stored in said image data storage, and storing position data of said first road marking into a storage;

detecting a second road marking in said image data stored in said image data storage, and storing position data of said second road marking into said storage;

judging based on said position data stored in said storage, whether or not a predefined proper mutual positional relationship between said first and second road markings is established; and

evaluating a confidence degree for detection results of said first and second road markings by using a result of said judging.

7. The road marking recognition method as set forth in claim 6, wherein said detecting said first road marking comprises:

calculating a virtual position of said first road marking from vehicle speed data and the past position data stored in said storage; and

evaluating said confidence degree for said first road marking from the current position data and said virtual position data, which are stored in said storage.

8. The road marking recognition method as set forth in claim 6, wherein said detecting said second road marking comprises:

calculating a virtual position of said second road marking from vehicle speed data and the past position data stored in said storage; and

evaluating said confidence degree for said second road marking from the current position data and said virtual position data, which are stored in said storage.

9. The road marking recognition method as set forth in claim 6, further comprising:

recognizing a white line delimiting traffic lanes in said image data stored in said image data storage, and storing position data of the recognized white line into said storage; and

limiting a processing region of said image data based on said position data of said white line, which is stored in said storage.

10. The road marking recognition method as set forth in claim 9, wherein said recognizing comprises evaluating a confidence degree for said white line from said position data of the past recognized white line and the current position data of said white line, which are stored in said storage.

11. A road marking recognition program embodied on a medium, comprising:

obtaining image data of a road, and storing said image data into an image data storage;

detecting a first road marking in said image data stored in said image data storage, and storing position data of said first road marking into a storage;

detecting a second road marking in said image data stored in said image data storage, and storing position data of said second road marking into said storage;

judging based on said position data stored in said storage, whether or not a predefined proper mutual positional relationship between said first and second road markings is established; and

evaluating a confidence degree for detection results of said first and second road markings by using a result of said judging.

12. The road marking recognition program as set forth in claim 11, wherein said detecting said first road marking comprises:

calculating a virtual position of said first road marking from vehicle speed data and the past position data stored in said storage; and

evaluating said confidence degree for said first road marking from the current position data and said virtual position data, which are stored in said storage.

13. The road marking recognition program as set forth in claim 11, wherein said detecting said second road marking comprises:

calculating a virtual position of said second road marking from vehicle speed data and the past position data stored in said storage; and

evaluating said confidence degree for said second road marking from the current position data and said virtual position data, which are stored in said storage.

14. The road marking recognition program as set forth in claim 11, further comprising:

recognizing a white line delimiting traffic lanes in said image data stored in said image data storage, and storing position data of the recognized white line into said storage; and

limiting a processing region of said image data based on said position data of said white line, which is stored in said storage.

15. The road marking recognition program as set forth in claim 14, wherein said recognizing comprises evaluating a confidence degree for said white line from said position data of the past recognized white line and the current position data of said white line, which are stored in said storage.