IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING IMAGE

• US 20140139673A1
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: NAKAYAMA, Osafumi, KATO, Tetsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,600,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• 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: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An image processing device includes: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to: obtain image data regarding an image captured by an image capture device that moves along with a moving body and of which image capture direction is a certain traveling direction of the moving body, and detect a feature caused by a reflection from features based on information regarding positions of the features in the image data at a time when the moving body has moved in a direction different from the image capture direction.

Claims

1. An image processing device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

obtain image data regarding an image captured by an image capture device that moves along with a moving body and of which image capture direction is a certain traveling direction of the moving body, and

detect a feature caused by a reflection from features based on information regarding positions of the features in the image data at a time when the moving body has moved in a direction different from the image capture direction.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the processor is further configured to update appearance strengths of the information regarding the positions of the features in a plurality of pieces of image data at a time when the moving body has moved in a direction different from the image capture direction, and detect the feature caused by the reflection at a position at which the appearance strength is equal to or larger than a threshold, and

wherein the appearance strengths depend on frequencies of appearances of the features.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the certain traveling direction is a forward direction of the moving body, and

wherein the different direction is a lateral direction.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the processor is further configured to remove the feature caused by the reflection from the image data, and execute a process for recognizing a target in the image data from which the reflection has been removed.

5. The image processing device according to claim 4,

wherein the target is a line configuring a traffic lane, and

wherein the moving body is a vehicle.

6. A method for processing an image executed by a computer, the method comprising:

obtaining image data regarding an image captured by an image capture device that moves along with a moving body and of which image capture direction is a certain traveling direction of the moving body; and

detecting a feature caused by a reflection from features based on information regarding positions of the features in the image data at a time when the moving body has moved in a direction different from the image capture direction.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

updating appearance strengths of the information regarding the positions of the features in a plurality of pieces of image data at a time when the moving body has moved in a direction different from the image capture direction; and

detecting the feature caused by the reflection at a position at which the appearance strength is equal to or larger than a threshold, and

wherein the appearance strengths depend on frequencies of appearances of the features.

8. The method according to claim 6,

wherein the certain traveling direction is a forward direction of the moving body, and

wherein the different direction is a lateral direction.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

removing the feature caused by the reflection from the image data; and

executing a process for recognizing a target in the image data from which the reflection has been removed.

10. The method according to claim 9,

wherein the target is a line configuring a traffic lane, and

wherein the moving body is a vehicle.

11. A device, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

obtain image data regarding an image captured by an image capture device that moves along with a moving body and of which image capture direction is a certain traveling direction of the moving body,

identify a feature from the image data based on information regarding positions of features in the image data at a time when the moving body has moved in a direction different from the image capture direction, when a value assigned to the feature over a time period of movement of the moving body is below a threshold, and

issue a warning based on the feature, the warning warns a deviation of the moving body from a lane.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the value indicates appearance strength of the feature based on frequency of appearances of the feature at a position during the movement in the direction different from the image capture direction.