Method and Device for Determining a Roadway State by Means of a Vehicle Camera System

• US 20160379065A1
• Filed: 10/28/2014
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: HARTMANN, Bernd
• Granted Patent: US 10,289,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for determining a roadway coating by means of a vehicle camera system, and comprises the following steps:

by means of the vehicle camera system, at least one image of the surroundings of the vehicle is recorded. The at least one image is evaluated in order to detect indications of precipitation and/or the presence of a roadway coating as the roadway is traveled over by the vehicle (E) with the vehicle camera system or by another vehicle (F). The detected indications are taken into consideration in the determination of a roadway coating. The result of the determination of the roadway coating, or a friction coefficient estimation derived therefrom, can preferably be output to a driver assistance function, to a vehicle control function or also as information to the driver.

Claims

1. A method for determining a roadway coating on a roadway with a vehicle camera system of a subject vehicle, comprising:

with the vehicle camera system,

recording at least one image of surroundings of the subject vehicle,

evaluating at least a partial region of the at least one image by image processing to detect, in at least the partial region of the at least one image, indications of a presence of the roadway coating as the roadway is traveled over by the subject vehicle or by another vehicle,

determining the presence of the roadway coating on the roadway in consideration of and dependent on the indications detected in the evaluating of the at least one image, and

outputting a result of the determining of the presence of the roadway coating.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising additionally detecting additional effects of precipitation in the at least one image, on the roadway, on the subject vehicle, on the another vehicle, or on vehicle windshields of the subject vehicle or of the another vehicle, and wherein the determining of the presence of the roadway coating is performed further in consideration of and dependent on the additional effects of precipitation.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indications of the presence of the roadway coating comprise effects of the roadway coating as it is traveled over by at least one tire of the subject vehicle or of the another vehicle, which are detected as the indications during the evaluating of the at least one image.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining at least one selected partial region in the at least one image, and limiting the evaluating of the at least one image to only the at least one selected partial region thereof so as to detect the indications of the presence of the roadway coating only from the at least one selected region of the image.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising providing the at least one selected region to a classifier which maps the detected indications onto a plurality of classes which are respectively assigned to representative types of the roadway coating.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle camera system has a rear and/or lateral detection area of the surroundings of the subject vehicle so that the indications of the presence of the roadway coating as the roadway is traveled over by the subject vehicle are detected during the evaluating of the at least one image.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle camera system has a detection area located in front of the subject vehicle so that the indications of the presence of the roadway coating as the roadway is traveled over by the another vehicle evaluating of the at least one image, wherein the another vehicle comprises a leading vehicle traveling in front of the subject vehicle, an oncoming vehicle traveling opposite the subject vehicle, or a crossing vehicle traveling on a roadway path that intersects a roadway path of the roadway on which the subject vehicle is traveling.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indications of the presence of the roadway coating comprise whirled-up components of the roadway coating which are detectable at least in the partial region of the at least one image during the evaluating thereof.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indications of the presence of the roadway coating comprise obstructed views in a field of view of the vehicle camera system because the roadway is being traveled over by the another vehicle, which comprises a leading vehicle traveling in front of the subject vehicle, an oncoming a vehicle traveling opposite the subject vehicle, or a crossing vehicle traveling on a roadway path that intersects a roadway path of the roadway on which the subject vehicle is traveling.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indications of the presence of the roadway coating comprise tire ruts in the roadway coating which are detectable at least in the partial region of the at least one image during the evaluating thereof.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising additionally detecting additional properties of different types of roadway coatings, and wherein the determining of the presence of the roadway coating is performed further in consideration of and dependent on the additional properties of the different types of roadway coatings.

12. The method according to claim 5, wherein the classifier comprises a neural network which has been trained, in order to be able to assign the detected indications to a specific matching one of the representative types of the roadway coating.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing a roadway state detection or classification of the roadway, combining the result of the determining of the presence of the roadway coating with a result of the roadway state detection or classification, and estimating a friction coefficient of the roadway from the combined results.

14. A device for determining a roadway, coating on a roadway, comprising:

a vehicle camera system on a subject vehicle, which vehicle camera system is configured to record at least one image of surroundings of the subject vehicle,

an evaluating unit which is configured to evaluate at least a partial region of the at least one image by image processing, in order to detect, in at least the partial region of the at least one image, indications of precipitation and a presence of the roadway coating as the roadway is traveled over by the subject vehicle or by another vehicle,

a determining unit which is configured to determine the presence of the roadway coating, taking into consideration and dependent on the detected indications, and

an output unit which is configured to output a result of the determining by the determining unit.