LANE DEPARTURE SENSING METHOD AND APPARATUS USING IMAGES THAT SURROUND A VEHICLE

• US 20120062745A1
• Filed: 12/24/2009
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beyond Corporation
• Original Assignee: Imagenext Co., Ltd. (CHEMTRONICS Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Han, Young In, Song, Young Gi, Back, Won In
• Granted Patent: US 9,056,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for sensing a lane departure using images that surround a vehicle. The lane departure sensing method includes receiving images that are taken during driving by a plurality of cameras installed in a car, through respective channels connected to the cameras; modifying the obtained images into top-view images to generate a plurality of modified images; compositing the plurality of modified images to generate images that surround a vehicle; extracting a lane from the images that surround the vehicle, and yielding the information on a distance between the vehicle and the extracted lane or the information on an angle between the travel direction of the vehicle and the lane, so as to determine a lane departure; and giving a warning if the lane departure is determined.

Claims

1. A lane departure sensing method using a vehicle surrounding image, comprising:

receiving images captured by a plurality of cameras installed to a car running, over respective channels connected to the cameras;

generating a plurality of revised images by revising the captured images into a top-view;

generating the vehicle surrounding image by synthesizing the plurality of the revised images;

extracting a lane from the vehicle surrounding image, and determining lane departure by calculating distance information between the vehicle and the extracted lane or angle information formed by a moving direction of the vehicle and the extracted vehicle; and

when determining the lane departure, issuing a warning.

2. The lane departure sensing method using the vehicle surrounding image as in claim 1, wherein the generating of the vehicle surrounding image generates the vehicle surrounding image by overlaying the plurality of the revised images using a mask image which comprises region information per channel and weight information for pixels forming each region.

3. The lane departure sensing method as in claim 1, wherein the camera is installed in each of a left direction and a right direction of the vehicle, or in each of a front and a rear of the vehicle.

4. The lane departure sensing method as in claim 1, wherein the camera is installed in each of a front, a left direction, and a right direction of the vehicle.

5. The lane departure sensing method as in claim 1, wherein the camera is installed in each of a front, a rear, a left direction, and a right direction of the vehicle.

6. The lane departure sensing method using the vehicle surrounding image as in claim 1, wherein the determining of the lane departure comprises:

displaying a moving direction line indicating a moving direction of the vehicle, around the vehicle;

generating the distance information or the angle information by measuring a distance between the moving direction line and the extracted lane and measuring a crossing angle of the moving direction line and the extracted lane; and

when the distance information or the angle information exceeds a reference range, determining the lane departure.

7. A lane departure sensing apparatus using a vehicle surrounding image, comprising:

an image input part for receiving images captured by a plurality of cameras installed to a car running, over respective channels connected to the cameras;

an image processing part for generating a plurality of revised images by revising the captured images into a top-view;

an image synthesis part for generating the vehicle surrounding image by synthesizing the plurality of the revised images; and

a lane departure sensing part for extracting a lane from the vehicle surrounding image, calculating distance information of the vehicle and the extracted lane or angle information formed by a moving direction of the vehicle and the extracted vehicle, and determining lane departure based on the calculated distance information or the angle information.

8. The lane departure sensing apparatus using the vehicle surrounding image as in claim 7, wherein the image synthesis part generates the vehicle surrounding image by overlaying the plurality of the revised images using a mask image which comprises region information per channel and weight information for pixels forming each region.

9. The lane departure sensing apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the camera is installed in each of a left direction and a right direction of the vehicle, or in each of a front and a rear of the vehicle.

10. The lane departure sensing apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the camera is installed in each of a front, a left direction, and a right direction of the vehicle.

11. The lane departure sensing apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the camera is installed in each of a front, a rear, a left direction, and a right direction of the vehicle.

12. The lane departure sensing apparatus using the vehicle surrounding image as in claim 7, further comprising:

a warning generation part for issuing a warning when determining the lane departure.

13. A lane departure sensing system using a vehicle surrounding image, comprising:

a plurality of cameras installed to a vehicle which is moving and outputting captured images over respective channels;

an image generating apparatus for generating a plurality of revised images by revising the captured input images into a top-view, and generating the vehicle surrounding image by synthesizing the plurality of the revised images;

a lane departure sensing apparatus for extracting a lane from the vehicle surrounding image, calculating distance information between the vehicle and the extracted lane or angle information formed by a moving direction of the vehicle and the extracted vehicle, determining lane departure from the distance information or the angle information, and issuing a warning when determining the lane departure; and

a display apparatus for displaying the surrounding image or a warning screen.

14. The lane departure sensing system using the vehicle surrounding image as in claim 13, wherein the image generating apparatus generates the vehicle surrounding image by overlaying the plurality of the revised images using a mask image which comprises region information per channel and weight information for pixels forming each region.