Environment monitoring system for a vehicle with an image pickup device

• US 6,549,124 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2000
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Okamoto, Keiki, Fujinami, Kazutomo, Ishikawa, Naoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huang, Sihong
• Application Number:
  US09/514,354
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 340/903, 340/901, 340/904, 340/937, 340/435, 340/436, 340/425.5, 340/679, 340/540
• US Class Current: 340/435
• 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 2201/082 using alarm actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/089 using optical detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

In an environment monitoring system for a vehicle, when a detecting means decides that an approaching vehicle cannot be detected by an image processing means, a waning means gives warning of this fact. Thus, the environment monitoring system permits one'"'"'s own vehicle to run with safety even when the approaching vehicle cannot be detected.

Claims

1. An environment monitoring system for a vehicle comprising:

image-pickup means loaded on the vehicle for picking up an environment of the vehicle to acquire an image;

image-processing means for processing the image to detect an approaching vehicle;

danger deciding means for deciding danger for said approaching vehicle;

means for deciding whether or not the approaching vehicle can be detected by said image processing means with a help of prescribed information when the approaching vehicle can be detected; and

warning means for giving warning when it is decided that said approaching vehicle cannot be detected by said image processing means;

wherein said prescribed information is a first image of an object at a prescribed position in the image picked up by said pick-up means when the approaching vehicle can be detected by said image processing means.

2. An environment monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said decision means decides “

NO”

if prescribed information is not acquired at any timing from the image picked up by said image pick-up means.

3. An environment monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein said prescribed information is a first image of an object at a prescribed position in the image picked up by said pick-up means when the approaching vehicle can be detected by means of said image processing means;

and

said deciding means has an image storing means for storing said first image, said deciding means decides “

NO”

if similarity between said first image stored in said image storing means and a second image of the object at the prescribed position in the image picked up at any timing by said image pick-up means is lower than a prescribed value.

4. An environment monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein said image processing means further comprises:

a white line detecting means for detecting a white line from the image picked up at any timing by said image pick-up means,

said prescribed information is a normal detection degree of a white line to be acquired from the image picked up by said pick-up means when the approaching vehicle can be detected by means of said image processing means; and

said deciding means comprises includes means for computing an optional detection degree of the white line detected by said white line detecting means, and decides “

NO”

when said optional detecting degree does not satisfy the normal detection degree.

5. An environment monitoring system according to claim 4, further comprising a light-on detecting means for detecting turn-on of a light of the vehicle running in the environment, wherein said prescribed information includes said normal detection degree of the white line and a normal image from the light of the vehicle running in the environment in the image picked up by said pick-up means when the approaching vehicle can be detected by means of said image processing means;

said deciding means includes light image detecting means for detecting an optional image from the light of the vehicle running in the environment in the image picked up by said pick-up means at any timing; and

when the light-on detecting means detects “

ON”

of the light, said deciding means decides “

NO”

if the optional image is an image not obtained when the approaching vehicle can be detected by means of said image processing means, and when the light-on detecting means does not detect “

ON”

of the light, it decides the normal detection degree of the white line as said prescribed information.

6. An environment monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said deciding means includes a wiper usage detecting means whether or not a wiper is used, and decides “

NO”

when the wiper usage detecting means detects that the wiper is used.

7. An environment monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein said image processing means includes an optical flow detecting means for detecting, as an optical flow, movement of the corresponding points in two images obtained at two timings by said image pick-up means;

and

said danger deciding means decides danger by detecting the vehicle approaching one'"'"'s own vehicle on the basis of magnitude of the optical flow detected by said optical flow detecting means.

8. An environment monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein said image processing means comprises:

said white line detecting means for detecting a pair of white lines located on both sides of one'"'"'s own lane on which one'"'"'s own vehicle should run;

optical flow detecting means for setting a crossing point of extended lines of said pair of white lines as an FOE (focus of expansion) and detecting, as an optical flow, movement of the corresponding points in two images obtained at two timings by said image pick-up means; and

said danger deciding means decides danger by detecting the vehicle approaching one'"'"'s own vehicle on the basis of magnitude of the optical flow detected by said optical flow detecting means.

9. An environment monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising image processing stopping means for stopping said image processing means from detecting the approaching vehicle when said decide means decides that the approaching vehicle cannot be detected by said image processing means.

10. An environment monitoring system for a vehicle comprising:

image-pickup means loaded on the vehicle for picking up an environment of the vehicle to acquire an image;

image-processing means for processing the image to detect an approaching vehicle;

danger deciding means for deciding danger for said approaching vehicle;

means for deciding whether or not the approaching vehicle can be detected by means of said image processing means with a help of prescribed information when the approaching vehicle can be detected; and

warning means for giving warning when it is decided that said approaching vehicle cannot be detected by means of said image processing means;

wherein said deciding means includes a wiper usage detecting means whether or not a wiper is used, and decides “

NO”

when the wiper usage detecting means detects that the wiper is used.