VEHICLE ASSISTANCE DEVICE AND METHOD

• US 20140321711A1
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, HOU-HSIEN, LEE, CHANG-JUNG, LO, CHIH-PING
• Application Number:
  US14/108,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20140321711A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• 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 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An example vehicle assistance method includes obtaining a surroundings image captured by a camera. The method then creates a 3D surroundings model according to the surroundings image and the distances between each object recorded in the obtained surroundings image and the camera. Next, the method determines whether or not one or more second vehicles or passers-by appear in the created 3D surroundings model. If yes, the method then determines the shortest distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by, and determines whether or not the shortest distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in the created 3D surroundings model is less than a safe distance. If yes, the method drives a driving device to turn on a pair of lights.

Claims

1. A vehicle assistance device applied on a first vehicle comprising:

a storage system;

a processor;

one or more programs stored in the storage system, executable by the processor, the one or more programs comprising;

an image obtaining module operable to obtain a surroundings image captured by at least one camera, each of the at least one image comprising a distance information indicating distances between the corresponding camera and each object captured by the corresponding camera;

a model creating module operable to create a 3D surroundings model corresponding to each camera according to the surroundings image captured by each camera and the distances between each object recorded in the obtained surroundings image and the corresponding camera;

a detecting module operable to determine whether or not one or more second vehicles or passers-by appear in at least one created 3D surroundings model;

a determining module operable to determine the distance between the camera and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in each of the at least one created 3D surroundings model as the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in each created 3D surroundings model, determine the shortest distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in each of the at least one created 3D surroundings model, and determine whether or not the shortest distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in the at least one created 3D surroundings model is less than a safe distance; and

an executing module operable to determine the at least one created 3D surroundings model when the shortest distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in the at least one created 3D surroundings model is less than the safe distance, determine at least one camera corresponding to the at least one created 3D surroundings model, and control a driving device to turn on at least one pair of lights corresponding to the determined at least one camera.

2. The vehicle assistance device as described in claim 1, wherein the vehicle assistance system further comprises a setting module, the setting module is operable by the processor to obtain a movement speed of the first vehicle detected by a detecting device, determine a movement speed range of the first vehicle that the movement speed of the first vehicle is in, and determine the safe distance corresponding to a movement speed range of the first vehicle according to a stored relationship between movement speed ranges of the first vehicle and the safe distances.

3. The vehicle assistance device as described in claim 1, wherein the vehicle assistance system further comprises a setting module, the setting module is operable to obtain a movement speed of the first vehicle detected by a detecting device, determine a movement speed range of the first vehicle that the movement speed of the first vehicle is in, obtain a preset driving level of a driver, and determine the safe distance corresponding to the determined movement speed range of the first vehicle and the obtained preset driving level of the driver according to a stored relationship between movement speed ranges of the first vehicle, the driving level of the driver, and the safe distances.

4. The vehicle assistance device as described in claim 3, wherein the detecting module is further operable to extract object data corresponding to the shape of the one or more objects appearing in each created 3D surroundings model from each created 3D surroundings model, and compare the extracted object data with characteristic feature of each of the 3D specific vehicle models and each of the 3D specific person models, to determine whether or not one or more second vehicles or passers-by appear in at least one created 3D surroundings model;

if the extracted object data does not match the characteristic data of any of the 3D specific vehicle models and the 3D specific person models, the detecting module determines that no second vehicle or passer-by appears in the created 3D surroundings models;

if the extracted object data matches the characteristic data of one or more of the 3D specific vehicle models or the 3D specific person models, the detecting module determines that one or more second vehicles or passers-by appear in the at least one created 3D surroundings model.

5. A vehicle assistance method comprising:

obtaining a surroundings image captured by at least one camera, each of the at least one image comprising a distance information indicating distances between the corresponding camera and each object captured by the corresponding camera;

creating a 3D surroundings model corresponding to each camera according to the surroundings image captured by each camera and the distances between each object recorded in the obtained surroundings image and the corresponding camera;

determining whether or not one or more second vehicles or passers-by appear in at least one created 3D surroundings model;

determining the distance between the camera and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in each of the at least one created 3D surroundings model as the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in each created 3D surroundings model, determining the shortest distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in each of the at least one created 3D surroundings model, and determining whether or not the shortest distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in the at least one created 3D surroundings model is less than a safe distance; and

determining at least one created 3D surroundings model when the shortest distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in the at least one created 3D surroundings model is less than the safe distance, determining at least one camera corresponding to the at least one created 3D surroundings model, and controlling a driving device to turn on at least one pair of lights corresponding to the determined at least one camera.

6. The vehicle assistance method as described in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining a movement speed of the first vehicle detected by a detecting device, determining a movement speed range of the first vehicle that the movement speed of the first vehicle is in, and determining the safe distance corresponding to a movement speed range of the first vehicle according to a stored relationship between movement speed ranges of the first vehicle and the safe distances.

7. The vehicle assistance method as described in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining a movement speed of the first vehicle detected by a detecting device, determining a movement speed range of the first vehicle that the movement speed of the first vehicle is in, obtaining a preset driving level of a driver, and determining the safe distance corresponding to the determined movement speed range of the first vehicle and the obtained preset driving level of the driver according to a stored relationship between movement speed ranges of the first vehicle, the driving level of the driver, and the safe distances.

8. The vehicle assistance method as described in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

extracting object data corresponding to the shape of the one or more objects appearing in each created 3D surroundings model from each created 3D surroundings model, and comparing the extracted object data with characteristic feature of each of the 3D specific vehicle models and each of the 3D specific person models, to determine whether or not one or more second vehicles or passers-by appear in at least one created 3D surroundings model;

determining that no second vehicle or passer-by appears in the created 3D surroundings models if the extracted object data does not match the characteristic data of any of the 3D specific vehicle models and the 3D specific person models; and

determining that one or more second vehicles or passers-by appear in the at least one created 3D surroundings model if the extracted object data matches the characteristic data of one or more of the 3D specific vehicle models or the 3D specific person models.

9. A storage medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions capable of being executed by a processor of a vehicle assistance device, cause the vehicle assistance device to perform a vehicle assistance method, the method comprising:

obtaining a surroundings image captured by at least one camera, each of the at least one image comprising a distance information indicating distances between the corresponding camera and each object captured by the corresponding camera;

creating a 3D surroundings model corresponding to each camera according to the surroundings image captured by each camera and the distances between each object recorded in the obtained surroundings image and the corresponding camera;

determining whether or not one or more second vehicles or passers-by appear in at least one created 3D surroundings model;

determining the distance between the camera and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in each of the at least one created 3D surroundings model as the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in each created 3D surroundings model, determining the shortest distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in each of the at least one created 3D surroundings model, and determining whether or not the shortest distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in the at least one created 3D surroundings model is less than a safe distance; and

determining at least one created 3D surroundings model when the shortest distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle or passer-by appearing in the at least one created 3D surroundings model is less than the safe distance, determining at least one camera corresponding to the at least one created 3D surroundings model, and controlling a driving device to turn on at least one pair of lights corresponding to the determined at least one camera.

10. The storage medium as described in claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining a movement speed of the first vehicle detected by a detecting device, determining a movement speed range of the first vehicle that the movement speed of the first vehicle is in, and determining the safe distance corresponding to a movement speed range of the first vehicle according to a stored relationship between movement speed ranges of the first vehicle and the safe distances.

11. The storage medium as described in claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining a movement speed of the first vehicle detected by a detecting device, determining a movement speed range of the first vehicle that the movement speed of the first vehicle is in, obtaining a preset driving level of a driver, and determining the safe distance corresponding to the determined movement speed range of the first vehicle and the obtained preset driving level of the driver according to a stored relationship between movement speed ranges of the first vehicle, the driving level of the driver, and the safe distances.

12. The storage medium as described in claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

extracting object data corresponding to the shape of the one or more objects appearing in each created 3D surroundings model from each created 3D surroundings model, and comparing the extracted object data with characteristic feature of each of the 3D specific vehicle models and each of the 3D specific person models, to determine whether or not one or more second vehicles or passers-by appear in at least one created 3D surroundings model;

determining that no second vehicle or passer-by appears in the created 3D surroundings models if the extracted object data does not match the characteristic data of any of the 3D specific vehicle models and the 3D specific person models; and

determining that one or more second vehicles or passers-by appear in the at least one created 3D surroundings model if the extracted object data matches the characteristic data of one or more of the 3D specific vehicle models or the 3D specific person models.