Road image input system for vehicle control

• US 4,926,346 A
• Filed: 12/29/1986
• Issued: 05/15/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin-Warner K.K., Kabushiki Kaisha Shinsangyokaihatsu
• Original Assignee: Aisin-Warner K.K., Kabushiki Kaisha Shinsangyokaihatsu
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Shouji
• Primary Examiner(s): Harkcom, Gary V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K.
• Application Number:
  US06/947,242
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: 364/456, 364/457, 364/424, 364/460, 364/461, 364/462, 364/518, 364/521, 364/424.01, 364/424.02, 358/103
• US Class Current: 701/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/12 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means

Abstract

A road image input system for controlling an automotive vehicle includes a pick-up mounted on the vehicle for picking up the image of a road ahead of the traveling vehicle, a sensor for sensing the traveling condition of the vehicle, and an image processor for obtaining information indicative of the road by setting an image processing window on the image which has been picked up and processing data contained within the image processing window. The image processing window is set at a position based on values of the vehicle velocity and the steering angle of the steering wheel.

Claims

1. A road image input system for controlling an automotive vehicle, comprising:

pick-up means mounted on the vehicle for picking up an image of a road ahead of the vehicle;

sensing means for sensing the traveling condition of the vehicle; and

image processing means for obtaining information indicative of the road by adjusting the position of an image processing window in the x- and y-directions according to the output of said sensing means on a part of the image which has been picked up and processing data contained within said image processing window.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said sensing means comprises:

means for sensing vehicle velocity, and

means for sensing steering angle.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said image processing means comprises:

means for setting a reference image processing window, and

arithmetic means for computing an amount of movement of the image processing window based on values of vehicle velocity and steering angle.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said arithmetic means moves the image processing window farther ahead of the vehicle or closer to the vehicle along the road based on a change in vehicle velocity, and leftward and rightward across the road based on a change in steering angle.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said image processing means comprises:

means for setting a plurality of reference image processing windows, and

arithmetic means for computing an amount of movement of each of the plurality of image processing windows based on values of vehicle velocity and steering angle.