DETECTING AND RECOGNIZING TRAFFIC SIGNS

• US 20120002053A1
• Filed: 09/19/2011
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MobilEye Vision Technologies Ltd. (Intel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: MobilEye Vision Technologies Ltd. (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Stein, Gideon P., Shachar, Ori, Taieb, Yoav, Wolfovitz, Uri
• Granted Patent: US 8,995,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A computerized system mountable on a moving vehicle. The computerized system includes a camera. The camera captures in real time image frames of the environment in the field of view of the camera and transfers the image frames to an image processor. The image processor is programmed for performing traffic sign recognition and for performing another driver assistance function. Information is exchanged between the traffic sign recognition and the other driver assistance function.

Claims

1. A method for performing driver assistance by means of a computerized system mountable on a moving vehicle, the computerized system including a camera, wherein the camera captures in real time a plurality of image frames of the environment in the field of view of the camera and transfers the image frames to an image processor, the method comprising:

programming the image processor for performing traffic sign recognition and for performing another driver assistance function; and

exchanging information between the traffic sign recognition and the other driver assistance function.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said other driver assistance function verifies the presence of a lead vehicle, the method further comprising:

upon detecting an image suspected to be of a traffic sign,

associating said image to be an object attached to the lead vehicle when said image scales with said lead vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said other driver assistance function determines a lane in which the moving vehicle is traveling, the method further comprising:

upon detecting an image suspected to be of a traffic sign associating said image as an image of a traffic sign for said other lane of traffic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said other driver assistance function estimates from the image frames an ego-motion including a translation in the forward direction and a rotation of the moving vehicle, the method further comprising:

upon detecting an image suspected to be of a traffic sign;

calibrating at least in part the effect of said ego-motion; and

associating the motion of said image frames as inconsistent with a static traffic sign.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an image suspected to be of a traffic sign based on at least one of the image frames captured at a slower frame capture rate in frames per second; and

classifying said image suspected to be of said traffic sign based on a plurality of classification image frames of the image frames wherein the classification image frames are captured at a higher frame capture rate in frames per second.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an image suspected to be of a traffic sign based on the at least one of the image frames captured using a gain control; and

adjusting said gain control to capture aid classification frames used for said classifying.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an image suspected to be of a traffic sign; and

programming the image processor for performing said detecting and to measure a distance to a lead vehicle based on said image frames.

8. A computerized system mountable on a moving vehicle, system including a camera mountable on the moving vehicle, wherein the camera is operable to capture in real time a plurality of image frames of the environment in the field of view of the camera and to transfer the image frames to an image processor, the image processor being operable:

to perform traffic sign recognition and to perform another driver assistance function; and

to exchange information between the traffic sign recognition and the other driver assistance function.

9. The computerized system of claim 8, is operable to:

verify the presence of a lead vehicle;

detect an image suspected to be of a traffic sign; and

to associate said image to be an object attached to the lead vehicle when said image scales with said lead vehicle.

10. The computerized system of claim 8, is operable to:

determine a lane in which the moving vehicle is traveling;

detect an image suspected to be of a traffic sign; and

;

to associate said image as an image of traffic sign for said other lane of traffic.

11. The computerized system of claim 8, is operable:

to estimate from the image frames an ego-motion including a translation in the forward direction and a rotation of the moving vehicle;

to detect an image suspected to be of a traffic sign and to calibrate at least in part the effect of said ego-motion; and

to associate the motion of said image frames as inconsistent with a static traffic sign based on the ego-motion.

12. The computerized system of claim 8, wherein an image suspected to be of a traffic sign is detected is based on a single image frame.

13. A method for performing driver assistance by means of a computerized system mounted on a moving vehicle, the computerized system including a camera, wherein the camera, the method comprising:

programming the image processor for performing a first and a second driver assistance function; and

capturing in real time a plurality of image frames of the environment in the field of view of the camera and transferring the image frames to said image processor; and

during said capturing, setting a camera parameter to a first value by said first driver assistance function and setting said camera parameter to a second value by said second driver assistance function.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said first driver assistance function is provided by a collision warning system and wherein said second driver assistance function is provided by a headlight control system and wherein the camera parameter includes image brightness.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the camera parameter is an automatic gain control (AGC) and wherein the AGC alternately changes between at least two previously defined settings used respectively by the first and second driver assistance functions.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said first driver assistance function includes detecting a candidate traffic sign and wherein said second driver assistance function includes classifying said candidate traffic sign, wherein the camera parameter is capture rate, wherein said detecting is performed at a slower capture rate in frames per second and the classification is performed at a higher capture rate.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first value or the second value of the camera parameter is set based on the speed of the moving vehicle.

18. A computerized system mountable on a moving vehicle, system including a camera mountable on the moving vehicle, wherein the camera is operable to capture in real time a plurality of image frames of the environment in the field of view of the camera and to transfer the image frames to an image processor, the image processor being operable:

to perform a first driver assistance function and a second driver assistance function; and

to capture in real time a plurality of image frames of the environment in the field of view of the camera and to transfer the image frames to the image processor; and

to set a camera parameter to a first value for said first driver assistance function and to set said camera parameter to a second value for said second driver assistance function.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said first driver assistance function is provided by a collision warning system and wherein said second driver assistance function is provided by a headlight control system and wherein the camera parameter includes image brightness.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the camera parameter is an automatic gain control (AGC) and wherein the AGC alternately changes between at least two previously defined settings used respectively by the first and second driver assistance functions.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said first driver assistance function includes detecting a candidate traffic sign and wherein said second driver assistance function includes classifying said candidate traffic sign, wherein the camera parameter is capture rate, wherein said detecting is performed at a slower capture rate in frames per second and the classification is performed at a higher capture rate.