Vehicle periphery monitoring system

• US 7,298,247 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Shimizu, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US11/096,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20050231341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/005 using a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/006 using a distance sensor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/207 using multi-purpose displays, e.g. camera image and navigation or video on same display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/301 combining image information with other obstacle sensor information, e.g. using RADAR/LIDAR/SONAR sensors for estimating risk of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

If the detected distance from a vehicle to a detected obstacle is equal to or greater than a preset distance, then a vehicle periphery monitoring system performs an image processing process on a captured image of the periphery of the vehicle to acquire the height of the vehicle. If the acquired height of the obstacle is less than a preset height, then the obstacle is displayed as a safe obstacle. If the acquired height of the obstacle is equal to or greater than the preset height, then the obstacle is displayed as a dangerous obstacle. The vehicle periphery monitoring system is able to indicate to the vehicle driver whether the detected obstacle is dangerous or safe. The vehicle periphery monitoring system is not required to perform the image processing process on the entire area of the captured image, and does not require a CPU having a high processing capability.

Claims

1. A vehicle periphery monitoring system comprising:

an obstacle detecting unit for detecting the presence of an obstacle, wherein the detecting unit includes means for measuring a distance from the vehicle to the obstacle;

an indicating unit for indicating the presence of the obstacle;

a control unit for controlling said indicating unit to indicate the presence of the obstacle when the presence of the obstacle is detected by said obstacle detecting unit; and

an imaging unit for capturing an image of a periphery of the vehicle;

wherein if the detected distance from the vehicle to the obstacle detected in said obstacle detecting unit is equal to or greater than a preset distance,

said control unit is configured to generate a first viewpoint-changed image by changing a first viewpoint of a first image that is captured by said imaging unit at a moment just after said image unit captured said obstacle, and to generate a second viewpoint-changed image by changing second viewpoint of a second image that is captured by said imaging unit at a predetermined time after said image unit has captured said obstacle,

said control unit is configured to perform an image processing process only on a part of said second viewpoint-changed image when a second feature point of said obstacle contained in said second viewpoint-changed image that corresponds to a first feature point in said first viewpoint-changed image is searched, thereby acquiring the height of the detected obstacle,

said control unit is configured to control said indicating unit to either indicate the detected obstacle as a safe obstacle or inhibit the detected obstacle from being indicated if the acquired height of the detected obstacle is less than a preset height, and

said control unit is configured to control said indicating unit to indicate the detected obstacle as a dangerous obstacle if the acquired height of the detected obstacle is equal to or greater than said preset height.

2. A vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said indicating unit comprises a display unit for displaying the image captured by said imaging unit, and said control unit controls said display unit to display the detected obstacle as a safe obstacle overlappingly in the captured image displayed by said display unit if the acquired height of the detected obstacle is less than said present height.

3. A vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said indicating unit comprises a display unit for displaying a bird'"'"'s-eye image converted from the image captured by said imaging unit, and said control unit controls said display unit to display the detected obstacle as a safe obstacle overlappingly in the bird'"'"'s-eye image displayed by said display unit if the acquired height of the detected obstacle is less than said present height.

4. A vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein said control unit controls said display unit to display the detected obstacle in combination with distance indicator lines indicative of respective distances from the vehicle and distance indicator markings associated with said distance indicator lines, overlapping in the bird'"'"'s-eye image if the acquired height of the detected obstacle is less than said preset height.

5. A vehicle periphery monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 through 4, wherein said control unit performs the image process on a portion of the viewpoint-changed image which is produced by changing the viewpoint of the image captured by said image unit, thereby acquiring the height of the detected obstacle.

6. A vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 5, wherein said obstacle detecting unit comprises either a sonic sonar or an ultrasonic sonar for radiating sonic waves or ultrasonic waves to detect the presence of an obstacle in the periphery of the vehicle.

7. A vehicle periphery monitoring system comprising:

an obstacle detecting unit for detecting the presence of an obstacle in a periphery of vehicle, wherein the obstacle detecting unit includes means for measuring a distance from the vehicle to the obstacle;

an indicating unit for indicating the presence of the obstacle;

a control unit for controlling said indicating unit to indicate the presence of the obstacle is detected by said obstacle detecting unit; and

an imaging unit for capturing an image of a periphery of the vehicle;

wherein said control unit is configured to generate a first viewpoint-changed image by changing a first viewpoint of a first image that is captured by said imaging unit at a moment just after said image unit captured said obstacle, and to generate a second viewpoint-changed image by changing a second viewpoint of a second image that is captured by said imaging unit at a predetermined time after said image unit has captured said obstacle,

wherein said control unit is configured to perform an image processing process only on a part of said second viewpoint-changed image when a second feature point of said obstacle contained in said second viewpoint-changed image that corresponds to a first feature point in said first viewpoint-changed image is searched, thereby acquiring the height of the detected obstacle,

wherein said control unit is configured to control said indicating unit to either indicate the detected obstacle as a safe obstacle or inhibit the detected obstacle from being indicated if the acquired height of the detected obstacle is less than a preset height, and

wherein said control unit is configured to control said indicating unit to indicate the detected obstacle as a dangerous obstacle if the acquired height of the detected obstacle is equal to or greater than said preset height.

8. A system for selectively indicating objects in the periphery of a vehicle, comprising:

an object detector mounted on the vehicle for detecting the presence of an object in the periphery of the vehicle;

an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle for capturing an image of an area in the periphery of the vehicle;

an object indicator mounted on the vehicle for indicating the presence of an object detected in the periphery of the vehicle by said object detector; and

a controller mounted on the vehicle for controlling said object indicator to indicate the presence of an object detected by said obstacle detecting unit if the height of the object, which is acquired from processed image data of first and second viewpoint-changed images generated by changing viewpoints of first and second images that are captured by said image unit at a moment just after said imaging unit captured said obstacle and at a predetermined time after said image unit has captured said obstacle, respectively, is equal to or greater than a preset height,

wherein when a second feature point of said obstacle contained in said second viewpoint-changed image that corresponds to a first feature point in said first viewpoint-changed image is searched, said controller performs an image processing process only on a part of said second viewpoint-changed image.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein said controller controls said object indicator unit to indicate the presence of an object detected by said object detector as a dangerous object if the height of the obstacle is equal to or greater than said preset height, and controls said object indicator to indicate the presence of an object detected by said obstacle detector as a safe object if the height of the object is less than said preset height.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein said controller controls said object indicator unit to indicate the presence of an object detected by said obstacle detector as a dangerous object if the height if the obstacle is equal to or greater than said preset height, and controls said object indicator to inhibit the presence of an object detected by said obstacle detector from being indicated if the height of the obstacle detector from being indicated if the height of the object is less than said preset height.

11. A system according to claim 8, wherein said object indicator comprises a display unit for displaying the image captured by said imaging unit, and said control unit controls said display unit to display the detected object overlappingly in the captured image displayed by said display unit.

12. A system according to claim 8, wherein said object indicator comprises a display unit for displaying a bird'"'"'s-eye image converted from the image captured by said imaging unit, and said control unit controls said display unit to display the detected object overlappingly in the bird'"'"'s-eye image displayed by said display unit.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein said control unit controls said display unit to display the detected object in combination with distance indicator lines indicative of respective distances from the vehicle and distance indicator marking associated with said distance indicator lines, overlapping in the bird'"'"'s-eye image.