INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND OUTPUT CONTROL METHOD

• US 20170161567A1
• Filed: 12/02/2016
• Published: 06/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Satomura, Shota
• Granted Patent: US 10,740,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968

Abstract

In an information processing system, a regulation recognizer recognizes regulatory information displayed on a first indicator disposed external to a subject vehicle from a captured image. A condition recognizer recognizes conditional information displayed on a second indicator disposed external to the vehicle from the captured image. The conditional information is indicative of a condition under which the regulation indicated by the regulatory information recognized by the regulation recognizer is to be applied, where the condition is an environmental condition about an environment around the vehicle. An output controller controls outputs generated by an output generator. If the environment around the vehicle recognized by the environment recognizer satisfies the environmental condition indicated by the conditional information recognized by the condition recognizer, the output controller controls the output generator based on the regulatory information recognized by the regulation recognizer.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising:

an imaging unit configured to capture an image of the outside of a subject vehicle;

a regulation recognizer configured to recognize regulatory information displayed on a first indicator disposed external to the vehicle from an image captured by the imaging unit, the regulatory information being information indicative of a regulation on travel of the vehicle;

a condition recognizer configured to recognize conditional information displayed on a second indicator disposed external to the vehicle from the image captured by the imaging unit, the conditional information being indicative of a condition under which the regulation indicated by the regulatory information recognized by the regulation recognizer is to be applied, the condition being an environmental condition about an environment around the vehicle;

an environment recognizer configured to recognize the environment around the vehicle from the image captured by the imaging unit;

an output generator configured to generate prescribed outputs; and

an output controller configured to control the outputs generated by the output generator, the output controller being further configured to, if the environment around the vehicle recognized by the environment recognizer satisfies the environmental condition indicated by the conditional information recognized by the condition recognizer, control the output generator based on the regulatory information recognized by the regulation recognizer.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the output controller is configured to control the output generator so that the output generator outputs different outputs depending on whether or not a travel state of the vehicle is in violation of the regulation indicated by the regulatory information.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the output generator comprises a notifier configured to generate notifications to notify a driver of the vehicle of information regarding the regulatory information recognized by the regulation recognizer, and

the output controller is configured to cause the notifier to generate different notifications depending on whether or not the environment around the vehicle recognized by the environment recognizer satisfies the environmental condition indicated by the conditional information recognized by the condition recognizer.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the output controller is configured to, if the environment around the vehicle recognized by the environment recognizer does not satisfy the environmental condition indicated by the conditional information recognized by the condition recognizer, inhibit the notifier from generating the notifications.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the output generator comprises a travel controller configured to generate outputs for controlling travel of the vehicle.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the condition recognizer is configured to recognize the environmental condition indicated by the conditional information displayed on the second indicator disposed in proximity to the first indicator as an environmental condition under which the regulation indicated by the regulatory information displayed on the first indicator is to be applied.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the first indicator and the second indicator are the same indicator,

the regulation recognizer is configured to recognize the regulatory information from the same indicator, and

the condition recognizer is configured to recognize the conditional information from the same indicator.

8. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a regulation recognizer configured to recognize regulatory information displayed on a first indicator disposed external to a subject vehicle from an image of the outside of the vehicle, the regulatory information being information indicative of a regulation on travel of the vehicle;

a condition recognizer configured to recognize conditional information displayed on a second indicator disposed external to the vehicle from the image captured by the imaging unit, the conditional information being information indicative of a condition under which the regulation indicated by the regulatory information recognized by the regulation recognizer is to be applied, the condition being an environmental condition about an environment around the vehicle;

an environment recognizer configured to recognize the environment around the vehicle from the image captured by the imaging unit; and

an output controller configured to control outputs generated by an output generator, the output controller being further configured to, if the environment around the vehicle recognized by the environment recognizer satisfies the environmental condition indicated by the conditional information recognized by the condition recognizer, control the output generator based on the regulatory information recognized by the regulation recognizer.

9. A method of controlling an output generator configured to generate prescribed outputs, the method comprising:

recognizing, from an image captured by an imaging unit configured to capture an image of the outside of a subject vehicle, (i) regulatory information displayed on a first indicator disposed external to the vehicle, the regulatory information being information indicative of a regulation on travel of the vehicle, (ii) conditional information displayed on a second indicator disposed external to the vehicle, the conditional information being indicative of a condition under which the regulation indicated by the regulatory information is to be applied, the condition being an environmental condition about an environment around the vehicle, and (iii) the environment around the vehicle; and

controlling the output generator based on the regulatory information if the environment around the vehicle satisfies the environmental condition indicated by the conditional information.