Traffic lane marking line recognition system for vehicle

• US 7,421,095 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2005
• Issued: 09/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Tetsuo, Kobayashi, Sachio, Unoura, Kiyozumi
• Primary Examiner(s): LAROSE, COLIN M
• Application Number:
  US11/596,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 382/104, 382/284, 382/294, 348/119, 701/28, 701/116, 701/205
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20061 Hough transform
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A traffic lane marking line recognition system for vehicle including a traffic lane marking line recognizing device configured to recognize at least a traffic lane marking line in broken (e.g., white) line on a road surface in a camera photographed image, and an image compositing device which composites images photographed at different time points to elongate the traffic lane marking line in the photographed image, wherein the images are composited in a processing stage in such a manner that no change will be imparted to at least a shape of the traffic lane marking line in the photographed image in a traffic lane marking line recognition processing, specifically in a processing stage prior to edge detection. With this, a distant traffic lane marking line is prevented from being chipped away when compositing the photographed images, thereby enabling accurate and unerring recognition of the traffic lane marking line.

Claims

1. A system for recognizing a traffic lane marking line for a vehicle comprising:

image photographing means for photographing a range including a road surface in a direction of travel of the vehicle;

traffic lane marking line recognizing means configured to be capable of recognizing at least a traffic lane marking line in broken line on the road surface in a photographed image photographed by the image photographing means; and

image compositing means for compositing a plurality of images photographed at different time points by the image photographing means to elongate the traffic lane marking line in the photographed images;

wherein

the image compositing means selects at least one of the plurality of images and composites the plurality of images in a processing stage in such a manner that no change will be imparted to at least a shape of the traffic lane marking line in the photographed image in a traffic lane marking line recognition processing of the traffic lane marking line recognizing means.

2. A system for recognizing a traffic lane marking line for a vehicle comprising image photographing means for photographing a range including a road surface in a direction of travel of the vehicle;

traffic lane marking line recognizing means configured to be capable of recognizing at least a traffic lane marking line in broken line on the road surface in a photographed image photographed by the image photographing means by detecting edges in the image and by conducting a Hough transformation on the detected edges; and

image compositing means for compositing a plurality of images photographed at different time points by the image photographing means to elongate the traffic lane marking line in the photographed images;

wherein

the image compositing means selects at least one of the plurality of images and composites the plurality of images in a processing stage prior to the edge detection in a traffic lane marking line recognition processing of the traffic lane marking line recognizing means.

3. A vehicle comprising:

image photographing means for photographing a range including a road surface in a direction of travel of the vehicle;

traffic lane marking line recognizing means configured to be capable of recognizing at least a traffic lane marking line in broken line on the road surface in a photographed image photographed by the image photographing means; and

image compositing means for compositing a plurality of images photographed at different time points by the image photographing means to elongate the traffic lane marking line in the photographed images;

wherein the image compositing means selects at least one of the plurality of images and composites the plurality of images in a processing stage in such a manner that no change will be imparted to at least a shape of the traffic lane marking line in the photographed image in a traffic lane marking line recognition processing of the traffic lane marking line recognizing means.

4. A vehicle comprising:

image photographing means for photographing a range including a road surface in a direction of travel of the vehicle;

traffic lane marking line recognizing means configured to be capable of recognizing at least a traffic lane marking line in broken line on the surface of road in a photographed image photographed by the image photographing means by detecting edges in the image and by conducting a Hough transformation on the detected edges; and

image compositing means for compositing a plurality of images photographed at different time points by the image photographing means to elongate the traffic lane marking line in the photographed images;

wherein the image compositing means selects at least one of the plurality of images and composites the plurality of images in a processing stage prior to the edge detection in a traffic lane marking line recognition processing of the traffic lane marking line recognizing means.