TRAVELING ENVIRONMENT DETECTION DEVICE

• US 20150131086A1
• Filed: 05/14/2013
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sato, Hironori, Morishita, Taiji
• Granted Patent: US 9,372,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/218
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/14 having dimming means
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4257 applied to monitoring the characteristics of a beam, e.g. laser beam, headlamp beam monitoring arrangements for lasers in general H01S3/0014
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A driving environment detection device acquires a captured image of the direction the host vehicle is travelling in, and from the captured image, extracts parameters relating to brightness of a road surface for a road driven by the host vehicle. Then, on the basis of the parameters, the driving environment of the vehicle is estimated. By way of such a light control system, it is possible to more accurately detect ambient brightness by estimating the driving environment in accordance with the parameters related to the brightness of the road surface. Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect the driving environment.

Claims

1. A traveling environment detection device, comprising:

an image obtaining means for obtaining a captured image of an outside of a vehicle;

an parameter extracting means for extracting a parameter from the captured image, the parameter being a parameter relating to brightness of a road surface of a road where the vehicle is traveling, the parameter extracting means extracting, as the parameter relating to brightness of a road surface, time rate of change in luminance of a road surface portion in the captured image; and

a traveling environment estimating means for estimating a traveling environment of the vehicle on the basis of the parameter.

2. The traveling environment detection device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle light source information obtaining means for obtaining vehicle light source information for detecting a light source of a vehicle, the vehicle light source information depending on the estimated traveling environment; and

a vehicle light source detecting means for detecting the light source of a vehicle from the captured image on the basis of the vehicle light source information depending on the traveling environment.

3. The traveling environment detection device according to claim 2, wherein:

the vehicle light source detecting means has;

a light source extracting means for extracting a light source from the captured image; and

a light source determining means for determining whether or not the light source is the light source of a vehicle on the basis of probability information, the probability information including probability of being the light source of a vehicle related to positions in the captured image, and

the vehicle light source information obtaining means has a probability changing means for changing the relation between the positions in the captured image and the probability of being the light source of a vehicle in the probability information, depending on the estimated traveling environment.

4. The traveling environment detection device according to claim 3, further comprising a lane marker extracting means for extracting a lane marker marked on a road surface from the captured image, wherein

the probability changing means changes the relation in the probability information in accordance with the position of the lane marker.

5. The traveling environment detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a lane marker extracting means for extracting a lane marker marked on a road surface from the captured image, wherein

the parameter extracting means extracts the parameter relating to the brightness of the road surface at an area except for another area including the lane marker in the captured image.

6. The traveling environment detection device according to claim 1, wherein

the parameter extracting means extracts, as the parameter, an average luminance of a road surface portion in the captured image.

8. The traveling environment detection device according to claim 2, further comprising

a lighting area change means for changing an lighting area of a headlight such that the lighting area is out of the light source of a vehicle, when the vehicle light source detecting means has detected the light source of a vehicle.

7. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. A non transitory computer-readable storage medium containing thereon a program for performing the following steps in a traveling environment detection device:

an image obtaining step for obtaining a captured image of an outside of a vehicle;

a parameter extracting step for extracting a parameter from the captured image, the parameter being a parameter relating to brightness of a road surface of a road where the vehicle is traveling, the parameter extracting means extracting, as the parameter relating to brightness of a road surface, time rate of change in luminance of a road surface portion in the captured image; and

a traveling environment estimating step for estimating a traveling environment of the vehicle on the basis of the parameter.