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Image processing apparatus for vehicle

  • US 6,546,118 B1
  • Filed: 01/12/1999
  • Issued: 04/08/2003
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1998
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An image processing apparatus for use with a vehicle, which is to be carried on the vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

  • an image pick-up device operable to photograph a foreground in a vehicle-moving direction to generate an original image data which corresponds to the foreground;

    an outline extracting device operable to extract an outline image data from the original image data generated by said image pick-up device, the outline image data corresponding to outlines of two lane-indicating lines formed respectively at both end portions of a width of a traffic lane on a road, on which the vehicle is moving;

    a coordinate transforming device operable to perform a coordinate-transforming processing to the outline image data generated by said outline extracting device to generate coordinate-transforming image data which represents a plan view of the outlines of the lane-indicating lines in a predetermined plane coordinate system; and

    an attitude change detecting device operable to detect a change of a pitch angle of the vehicle based on the two lane-indicating lines being parallel to each other, by using the coordinate-transforming image data generated by said coordinate transforming device, wherein;

    said attitude change detecting device is operable to plot a plurality of points onto the plane coordinate system based on the coordinate-transforming image data, a position of each of the points in the first coordinate axis corresponding to a size in width of the traffic lane, and a position of the point in the second coordinate axis corresponding to a position in a longitudinal direction of the traffic lane; and

    said attitude change detecting device is further operable to decide one straight line which matches the points.

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