Method for adjusting the orientation of a camera installed in a vehicle and system for carrying out this method

• US 7,864,981 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Leleve, Joël, Rebut, Julien
• Primary Examiner(s): Strege; John B
• Application Number:
  US11/624,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20070165909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/104, 382/287, 348/118, 348/211.8, 348/333.04, 348/333.06
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0244 using reflecting strips
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/80 Analysis of captured images to determine intrinsic or extrinsic camera parameters, i.e. camera calibration
• 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: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

A method for adjusting an orientation of a camera installed on a vehicle, comprising the following operations: installing the vehicle at a location provided with markings on the ground, detecting these markings, estimating a vanishing point based on these markings, and matching the vanishing point with a positioning point by angular displacement of the camera.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting an orientation of a camera installed onboard a vehicle, comprising the following steps:

installing the vehicle at a location provided with markings on the ground, said vehicle being positioned between said markings;

detecting said markings;

estimating a vanishing point based on said markings;

a user estimating a middle of an image wherein said image comprises a middle line passing through said middle of the image wherein the user estimates the middle of the image by tracing said middle line;

matching the vanishing point with a positioning point by angular displacement of said camera; and

adjusting the orientation of said camera on the vehicle using said middle line that passes through said middle of said image.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said markings are parallel, said vanishing point is a point of convergence of the parallel markings on the image.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the estimating of the vanishing point step comprises the step of determining the location of said point of convergence and tracing a vanishing line passing through said point of convergence.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the line passing through the point of convergence and the middle of the image are not horizontal.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the lines passing through the point of convergence and the positioning point are not vertical.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the camera is displaced as a function of displacement information deduced from the position of the vanishing point relative to the middle in a vertical plane of the image and from the vertical position of the positioning point.

7. A system for adjusting the orientation of a camera using the method according to claim 1, which comprises:

a camera capable of producing at least an image of said markings on the ground;

a processing unit capable of detecting the markings on the image of estimating a vanishing point and of estimating the positioning point; and

a user interface capable of providing the user with information on the displacement of said camera.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the interface comprises a screen displaying the image produced by the camera and also the vanishing and middle lines of the image.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the interface comprises a visual signalling device.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the visual signalling device comprises one or several light-emitting diodes signalling a direction of displacement.

11. The system according to claim 7, wherein the interface comprises a sound signalling device.

12. A motor vehicle, which comprises a system according to claim 7.

13. A method for adjusting an orientation of a camera mounted on a vehicle;

said method comprising the steps of;

determining a position of the camera relative to at least one target outside the vehicle;

adjusting the orientation of the camera in response to said at least one target;

a user estimating a middle of an image wherein said image comprises a middle line passing through said middle of the image wherein the user estimates the middle of the image by tracing said middle line; and

adjusting the orientation of said camera on the vehicle using said middle line that passes through said middle of said image.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said at least one target comprises a plurality of markings on the ground;

said determining step further comprising the step of;

estimating a vanishing point using said plurality of markings;

using said vanishing point during said adjusting step.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

determining a positioning point for said camera;

matching said positioning point with said vanishing point during said adjusting step.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

performing said matching step by adjusting a position of said camera.

17. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

determining a point of convergence;

using said point of convergence to determine said vanishing point;

situating a point of convergence line on said point of convergence;

situating an image line on said image;

aligning said point of convergence line and said image line to perform said adjusting step.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said point of convergence line is at least one of a vertical line or a horizontal line.

19. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said image line is a line situated at substantially a middle or midpoint between edges of an image captured by the camera.

20. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein each of said point of convergence line and said image line are the same.

21. The method as recited in claim 20 wherein each of said point of convergence line and said image line are at least one of a vertical line or a horizontal line.