Device for image detecting objects, people or similar in the area surrounding a vehicle

• US 7,652,686 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2002
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Stiller, Christoph
• Primary Examiner(s): SENFI, BEHROOZ M
• Application Number:
  US10/481,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20050030378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,782 Days
• Field of Search: 348/42, 348/50, 348/148, 348/143, 348/139, 348/622, 348/207, 348/116, 348/333, 348/118, 348/222, 348/36, 348/48, 348/49, 348/239, 348/218, 348/219, 348/43, 348/261, 348/47, 348/44, 348/263, 348/373, 382/104, 382/154, 382/106, 382/107, 382/275, 382/284, 382/299, 382/260, 382/194, 340/937, 340/942, 340/932, 702/127, 702/149, 702/159, 702/158, 396/110, 396/128, 396/324, 396/327, 396/386, 396/377, 396/384, 396/385, 396/322
• US Class Current: 348/148
• 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: G06T 2207/10021 Stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/85 Stereo camera calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/97 Determining parameters from multiple pictures depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A device for detecting objects, persons or the like, including, for example, in the surroundings of a vehicle, has a stereo-sensitive image recording unit which includes at least two image sensors and an evaluation unit to evaluate the signals, supplied by the image sensors, using which, in a simple manner, a three-dimensional geometry of the surroundings of a vehicle is variably recordable at a desired operating range and at a desired viewing angle, and in which the optical axes of the image sensors are changeably alignable relative to each other and/or relative to vehicle.

Claims

1. A device for detecting at least one of an object and a person, comprising:

a stereo-sensitive image recording unit including at least two image sensors;

an evaluation unit to evaluate signals supplied by the at least two image sensors;

a carrier to arrange the at least two image sensors on;

a carrier drive device to drive the carrier, wherein the carrier is rotatable via the carrier drive device; and

a drive device assigned to each of the at least two image sensors, wherein the device is operable to detect the at least one of the object and the person in a surrounding vehicle, wherein the optical axes are aligned in a changed manner with respect to at least one of a vehicle longitudinal axis, a vehicle transverse axis, and a vehicle vertical axis;

wherein optical axes of the at least two image sensors are changed relative to each other during operation of the at least two image sensors, so that an overlapping region of recording regions of the at least two image sensors is one of enlarged and reduced, respectively, corresponding to a change of the optical axes,

wherein for two images taken from different viewing angles, corresponding to a distance from each other of the at least two image sensors, the evaluation unit searches corresponding image regions in the two images taken from the different viewing angles,

wherein the evaluation unit generates where these corresponding image regions lie based on settings of the at least two image sensors, and wherein the evaluation unit, using the corresponding image positions, determines exact locations of the corresponding regions in the two images by using a searching method for estimating a displacement, and

wherein based on the corresponding image regions, the evaluation unit determines a relative orientation of the at least two image sensors by determining an essential matrix E by a suitable solution of the equation system,

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical axes are alignable in a horizontal plane.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical axes are alignable on cone envelope surfaces.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the image recording unit is arranged at a roof region of a vehicle.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the image sensors include CMOS cameras.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the drive device assigned to each of the at least two image sensors includes one of a stepper motor and a motor that is continuously adjustable.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit generates control signals for the drive device as a function of supplied image signals of the at least two image sensors.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein a recorded image is submitted to a stereo image evaluation having a known calibration, including at least one of a geometry of a road, an object, and a person measured in three dimensions, and wherein a previously determined orientation of the at least two image sensors and point correspondences in a triangulation method are combined.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein a recorded image is analyzed and suitable regions are identified for a mono-recording and a stereo recording, and wherein corresponding to the identification of the mono-regions and the stereo regions, the evaluation unit controls the drive devices so as to relatively adjust optical axes as to each other, so that corresponding to the alignment of the optical axes, the image recording regions of the at least two image sensors are essentially overlapped.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein overlapping regions define the stereo recording of the recorded scene, and wherein non-overlapping regions define the mono-recording of the recorded scene.