Road lane recognizing apparatus

• US 6,005,492 A
• Filed: 07/01/1998
• Issued: 12/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Tamura, Kazuya, Kobayashi, Sachio, Jitsukata, Eishi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US09/108,320
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 340/937, 340/901, 340/903, 340/933, 340/939, 340/188, 340/435, 340/436, 340/439, 348/118, 348/119, 348/169, 701/28, 701/207, 701/213, 701/301, 701/300, 180/169, 180/167, 180/168, 318/580, 382/181, 382/103, 382/104, 382/291
• US Class Current: 340/937
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/089 using optical detection
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A road lane recognizing apparatus can accurately recognize a road lane position from an image shown by an actual road surface image signal obtained by picturing a road surface in front of a vehicle by means of picturing means such as a television camera or the like mounted on the vehicle. Whether the vehicle exists on a straight part of road or not is discriminated in accordance with a vehicle-self position detected by vehicle detecting means. When the vehicle exists on the straight part, an attitude angle showing the direction of the vehicle for the road direction at the vehicle-self position is detected. When the attitude angle is detected, a predetermined ideal road surface image is inclined by only the attitude angle, thereby obtaining the corrected road surface image. The actual road surface image signal from the picturing means is compared with a signal of the corrected road surface image. An image difference is used as an offset amount. The actual road surface image is corrected by only the offset amount. The road lane position is recognized on the basis of the image shown by the corrected actual road surface image signal.

Claims

1. A road lane recognizing apparatus for recognizing a lane in a road surface image in front of a vehicle, comprising:

vehicle-self position detecting means for detecting a current vehicle-self position of said vehicle;

straight road detecting means for discriminating whether said vehicle exists at a straight part of a road or not in accordance with the current vehicle-self position detected by said vehicle-self position detecting means;

attitude angle detecting means for detecting an attitude angle showing a direction of said vehicle relative to a road direction at said vehicle-self position when the existence of said vehicle on the straight part of road is detected by said straight road detecting means;

correction processing means for generating a correction road surface image signal showing an image obtained by inclining a predetermined ideal road surface image by only said attitude angle when said attitude angle is detected;

picturing means, mounted on said vehicle, for picturing a road surface in front of said vehicle and for generating an actual road surface image signal;

offset detecting means for comparing said actual road surface image signal with said correction road surface image signal when said correction road surface image signal is generated and for holding and generating an image difference as an offset amount;

correcting means for correcting said actual road surface image signal by only said offset amount held; and

lane recognizing means for recognizing a road lane position on the basis of an image shown by said actual road surface image signal corrected by said correcting means.