Vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus

• US 6,812,831 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US10/162,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20020186298A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 340/903, 340/435, 340/937, 340/461, 348/118, 348/148
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/23 with a predetermined field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/784 using a mosaic of detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads

Abstract

A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus 2 has cameras having optical axes respectively, provided with imaging lens systems 5, 6 each having a fish-eye lens 5a, 6a, image processing units 7, 8 and an calculating unit 9. The image processing units 7, 8 detects moving objects, such as vehicles traveling alongside a host vehicle provided with the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus, and oncoming vehicles, on the basis of optical flow between two images taken by the cameras at different times, respectively, and sets a representative point representing the detected moving object on the surface of a road. The calculating unit calculates the position of the moving object relative to the host vehicle on the basis of displacement angles α and β of the representative point A with respect to the optical axis on an assumption that the representative point A is on a plane including a surface with which the host vehicle is in contact.

Claims

1. A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus comprising:

image obtaining means with an optical axis for obtaining an image of outside scenery;

image processing means capable of detecting a moving object on the basis of an optical flow between two images obtained by the image obtaining means at different times, using one of the images as a reference image, and of setting a representative point representing the moving object on a surface of a road; and

a calculating unit for calculating a relative position of the moving object to the vehicle defined by a first distance from the vehicle to the representative point along the optical axis and a second distance from the representative point to the optical axis along a perpendicular to the optical axis on the basis of displacement angles of the representative point from the optical axis.

2. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image obtaining means are disposed on right and left side parts of a body included in a host vehicle, respectively.

3. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said image obtaining means includes left and right imaging lens systems with each imaging lens system having an optical axis inclined slightly rearward to a direction parallel to width of the host vehicle.

4. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising

a display means for displaying relative positions of moving objects relative to that of the host vehicle, capable of indicating velocities of the moving objects relative to the host vehicle by vector notation.

5. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising

a display means for displaying relative positions of moving objects relative to that of the host vehicle, capable of indicating velocities of the moving objects relative to the host vehicle by vector notation.

6. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 3 further comprising

a display means for displaying relative positions of moving objects relative to that of the host vehicle, capable of indicating velocities of the moving objects relative to the host vehicle by vector notation.

7. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image obtaining means has an imaging lens system including a fish-eye lens.

8. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the displacement angles comprise a vertical displacement angle and a horizontal displacement angle.

9. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving object is an adjacent vehicle, and wherein the calculating unit calculates the relative position on the basis of a distance between the optical axis and the adjacent vehicle'"'"'s contact surface.

10. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculating unit calculates the relative position in set as the relative position is located on the same surface as a vehicle'"'"'s contact surface.

11. The vehicle surrounding monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image obtaining means includes left and right vehicle side imaging lens systems each with an angular range of 180°

.

12. The vehicle surrounding monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle speed sensor and a vehicle steering angle sensor and wherein said imaging processing means receives vehicle speed sensor and vehicle steering angle sensor input.

13. The vehicle surrounding monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image processing means includes image processing units which set the representative point on the road surface on the basis of similar velocity vector group recognition which similar velocity vector group represents the moving object velocity.

14. The vehicle surrounding monitoring apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said image processing means determines the representative point by determining a velocity vector of a lowest point on the moving object that is in contact with the fixed objects velocity vector as a moving object contact point on the road surfaces and determines an intersection of lines L1 and L2 with line L1 representing a line segment passing the contact point and parallel to the velocity vector group of the moving object on the image, and L2 representing a line segment extending between a velocity vector of the velocity vector group of the moving object which is nearest to the vehicle and a center of field point represented by the optical axis.

15. The vehicle surrounding monitoring apparatus of claim 14, wherein said calculating unit determines said first distance (D1) in accordance with the formula D1=H·

tan (90−

α

) with H equal to the vertical height of the image processing means from the vehicle contact surface and a being a vertical displacement angle of the representative point to the optical axis, and said second distance (D2) is determined by said calculating unit in accordance with the formula D2=D1·

+an β

with β

being a horizontal displacement angle of the representation point to the optical axis.

16. The vehicle surrounding monitoring system of claim 1, wherein in determining said displacement angles there is involved a correction angle determination to compensate for a body part of the host vehicle being in a field of view of the imaging means.

17. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said vector notation flashes as a warning indicator when said calculating means determines a moving object is at a position too close to the host vehicle.