Vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus, vehicle rear left and right side warning method, and three-dimensional object detecting device

• US 9,180,814 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mitani, Kosuke, Okino, Takaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahase, Pameshanand
• Application Number:
  US14/278,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20150029012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• 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 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8033 for pedestrian protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A 3D object detecting device includes a driving-lane detecting unit that detects a driving lane of a vehicle; a 3D-object detecting unit that detects, by using pattern recognition technology, a type of 3D object with respect to images captured by side cameras; and a recognition-priority setting unit that varies and sets a recognition priority for the detected type of 3D object, based on the detected driving lane. In accordance with the driving lane of the vehicle, the recognition-priority setting unit sets the priority for pattern recognition lower for a type of 3D object that is less likely to exist in rear left and right sides of the vehicle, to thereby reduce the possibility that a 3D object that should not be regarded as a warning target is erroneously detected from the images as a warning subject.

Claims

1. A vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus, comprising:

a three-dimensional object detecting unit that detects, by using a pattern recognition technology, a three-dimensional object that exists at rear left and right sides of a vehicle, with respect to images captured by cameras that photograph the rear left and right sides of the vehicle;

a warning issuing unit that issues a warning when a relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object detected by the three-dimensional object detecting unit satisfies a predetermined condition;

a driving-lane detecting unit that detects a driving lane of the vehicle; and

a recognition-priority setting unit that varies and sets a recognition priority for a type of three-dimensional object that the three-dimensional object detecting unit detects by using the pattern recognition technology, based on the driving lane detected by the driving-lane detecting unit and whether a three-dimensional object is detected at the rear left side or at the rear right side of the vehicle;

wherein the recognition priority includes a first recognition priority and a second, lower recognition priority, and wherein a condition for recognizing that a detected three-dimensional object matches a type of three-dimensional object is tightened for the second recognition priority relative to the first recognition priority to reduce false recognitions.

2. The vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a traveling-speed detecting unit that detects a traveling speed of the vehicle,

wherein, based on the driving lane detected by the driving-lane detecting unit and the traveling speed detected by the traveling-speed detecting unit, the recognition-priority setting unit varies and sets the recognition priority for the type of three-dimensional object detected using the pattern recognition technology.

3. The vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, based on the driving lane detected by the driving-lane detecting unit and the traveling speed detected by the traveling-speed detecting unit, the recognition-priority setting unit varies and sets the recognition priority for the type of three-dimensional object, with respect to each of a rear left side image and a rear right side image captured by the cameras.

4. The vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, based on the driving lane detected by the driving-lane detecting unit, the recognition-priority setting unit varies and sets the recognition priority for the type of three-dimensional object, with respect to each of a rear left side image and a rear right side image captured by the cameras.

5. The vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the type of three-dimensional object includes a pedestrian, a four-wheeled vehicle, and a two-wheeled vehicle, and when the driving-lane detecting unit detects that the vehicle is traveling in a leftmost lane on a road with multiple lanes on each side of the road in a jurisdiction that drives on the right, the recognition-priority setting unit sets the recognition priority for the pedestrian lower than the recognition priority for the four-wheeled vehicle and the two-wheeled vehicle, with respect to the rear right side image captured by the camera, and sets the recognition priority for the four-wheeled vehicle and the pedestrian lower than the recognition priority for the two-wheeled vehicle, with respect to the left right side image captured by the cameras.

6. The vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the type of three-dimensional object includes a pedestrian, a four-wheeled vehicle, and a two-wheeled vehicle, and when the driving-lane detecting unit detects that the vehicle is traveling in a lane other than leftmost and rightmost lanes on a road with multiple lanes on each side of the road, the recognition-priority setting unit sets the recognition priority for the pedestrian lower than the recognition priority for the four-wheeled vehicle and the two-wheeled vehicle, with respect to both of the rear left side image and the rear right side image captured by the cameras.

7. The vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the type of three-dimensional object includes a pedestrian, a four-wheeled vehicle, and a two-wheeled vehicle, and when the driving-lane detecting unit detects that the vehicle is traveling in a rightmost lane on a road with multiple lanes on each side of the road in a jurisdiction that drives on the right, the recognition-priority setting unit sets the recognition priority for the four-wheeled vehicle and the pedestrian lower than the recognition priority for the two-wheeled vehicle, with respect to the rear right side image captured by the cameras, and sets the recognition priority for the four-wheeled vehicle and the two-wheeled vehicle higher than the recognition priority for the pedestrian, with respect to the rear left side image captured by the cameras.

8. The vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the type of three-dimensional object includes a pedestrian, a four-wheeled vehicle, and a two-wheeled vehicle, and when the driving-lane detecting unit detects that the vehicle is traveling on a road with one lane on each side of the road, the recognition-priority setting unit sets the recognition priority for the four-wheeled vehicle and the pedestrian lower than the recognition priority for the two-wheeled vehicle, with respect to both of the rear left side image and the rear right side image captured by the cameras.

9. The vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the recognition priority is set low, the recognition-priority setting unit sets a threshold for recognizing that a subject in question is a three-dimensional object to be regarded as a warning target to a larger value than an ordinary value, with respect to a degree of match between a shape of a subject found in images captured by the cameras and a pattern shape for a three-dimensional object to be regarded as a warning target.

10. The vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving-lane detecting unit comprises:

a white-line-type recognizing unit that recognizes types of white lines that delimit a driving lane of the vehicle, based on an image including a road surface photographed by the cameras; and

a driving-lane determining unit that determines the driving lane of the vehicle, based on the types of white lines that exist to the left and right of the vehicle, the types being recognized by the white-line-type recognizing unit.

11. A vehicle rear left and right side warning method, comprising:

a first step of detecting, by a driving-lane detecting unit in a vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus, a driving lane of a vehicle;

a second step of varying and setting, by a recognition-priority setting unit in the vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus, a recognition priority for a type of three-dimensional object detected using a pattern recognition technology for a captured image, based on the driving lane detected by the driving-lane detecting unit and whether a three-dimensional object is detected at the rear left side or at the rear right side of the vehicle;

a third step of detecting, by a three-dimensional object detecting unit in the vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus, a three-dimensional object that exists at the rear left or right sides of a vehicle, with respect to images captured by cameras that photograph the rear left and right sides of the vehicle, by using the pattern recognition technology using the recognition priority varied and set by the recognition-priority setting unit; and

a fourth step of issuing, by a warning issuing unit in the vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus, a warning when a relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object detected by the three-dimensional object detecting unit satisfies a predetermined condition;

wherein the recognition priority includes a first recognition priority and a second, lower recognition priority, and wherein a condition for recognizing that a detected three-dimensional object matches a type of three-dimensional object is tightened for the second recognition priority relative to the first recognition priority to reduce false recognitions.

12. The vehicle rear left and right side warning method according to claim 11, further comprising:

a fifth step of detecting, by a traveling-speed detecting unit in the vehicle rear left and right side warning apparatus, a traveling speed of the vehicle,

wherein in the second step, based on the driving lane detected by the driving-lane detecting unit and the traveling speed detected by the traveling-speed detecting unit, the recognition-priority setting unit varies and sets the recognition priority for the type of three-dimensional object detected using the pattern recognition technology.

13. A three-dimensional object detecting device, comprising:

a three-dimensional object detecting unit that detects, by using a pattern recognition technology, a three-dimensional object that exists in a predetermined area relative to a vehicle, with respect to an image captured by at least one camera that photographs the predetermined area;

a driving-lane detecting unit that detects a driving lane of the vehicle; and

a recognition-priority setting unit that varies and sets a recognition priority for a type of three-dimensional object detected using the pattern recognition technology, based on the driving lane detected by the driving-lane detecting unit and whether a three-dimensional object is detected at the rear left side or at the rear right side of the vehicle;

wherein the recognition priority includes a first recognition priority and a second, lower recognition priority, and wherein a condition for recognizing that a detected three-dimensional object matches a type of three-dimensional object is tightened for the second recognition priority relative to the first recognition priority to reduce false recognitions.

14. The three-dimensional object detecting device according to claim 13, further comprising a traveling-speed detecting unit that detects a traveling speed of the vehicle,

wherein, based on the driving lane detected by the driving-lane detecting unit and the traveling speed detected by the traveling-speed detecting unit, the recognition-priority setting unit varies and sets the recognition priority for the type of three-dimensional object using the pattern recognition technology.

15. The three-dimensional object detecting device according to claim 13, wherein, based on the driving lane detected by the driving-lane detecting unit, the recognition-priority setting unit varies and sets the recognition priority for the type of three-dimensional object, with respect to an image of the predetermined area captured by the at least one camera.

16. The three-dimensional object detecting device according to claim 15, wherein the type of three-dimensional object includes a pedestrian, a four-wheeled vehicle, and a two-wheeled vehicle, and when the driving-lane detecting unit detects that the vehicle is traveling in a leftmost lane on a road with multiple lanes on each side of the road in a jurisdiction that drives on the right, the recognition-priority setting unit sets the recognition priority for the pedestrian lower than the recognition priority for the four-wheeled vehicle and the two-wheeled vehicle, with respect to a rear right side image captured by the at least one camera, and sets the recognition priority for the four-wheeled vehicle and the pedestrian lower than the recognition priority for the two-wheeled vehicle, with respect to a rear left side image captured by the at least one camera.

17. The three-dimensional object detecting device according to claim 15, wherein the type of three-dimensional object includes a pedestrian, a four-wheeled vehicle, and a two-wheeled vehicle, and when the driving-lane detecting unit detects that the vehicle is traveling in a lane other than leftmost and rightmost lanes on a road with multiple lanes on each side of the road, the recognition-priority setting unit sets the recognition priority for the pedestrian lower than the recognition priority for the four-wheeled vehicle and the two-wheeled vehicle, with respect to both of a rear left side image and a rear right side image captured by the at least one camera.

18. The three-dimensional object detecting device according to claim 15, wherein the type of three-dimensional object includes a pedestrian, a four-wheeled vehicle, and a two-wheeled vehicle, and when the driving-lane detecting unit detects that the vehicle is traveling in a rightmost lane on a road with multiple lanes on each side of the road in a jurisdiction that drives on the right, the recognition-priority setting unit sets the recognition priority for the four-wheeled vehicle and the pedestrian lower than the recognition priority for the two-wheeled vehicle, with respect to a rear right side image captured by the at least one camera, and sets the recognition priority for the four-wheeled vehicle and the two-wheeled vehicle higher than the recognition priority for the pedestrian, with respect to a rear left side image captured by the at least one camera.

19. The three-dimensional object detecting device according to claim 15, wherein the type of three-dimensional object includes a pedestrian, a four-wheeled vehicle, and a two-wheeled vehicle, and when the driving-lane detecting unit detects that the vehicle is traveling on a road with one lane on each side of the road, the recognition-priority setting unit sets the recognition priority for the four-wheeled vehicle and the pedestrian lower than the recognition priority for the two-wheeled vehicle, with respect to both of a rear left side image and a rear right side image captured by the at least one camera.

20. The three-dimensional object detecting device according to claim 13, wherein, when the recognition priority is set low, the recognition-priority setting unit sets a threshold for recognizing that a subject in question is a three-dimensional object to be regarded as a warning target to a larger value than an ordinary value, with respect to a degree of match between a shape of a subject found in images captured by the at least one camera and a pattern shape for a three-dimensional object to be regarded as a warning target.

21. The three-dimensional object detecting device according to claim 13, wherein the driving-lane detecting unit comprises:

a white-line-type recognizing unit that recognizes types of white lines that delimit a driving lane of the vehicle, based on an image including a road surface photographed by the at least one camera; and

a driving-lane determining unit that determines the driving lane of the vehicle, based on the types of white lines that exist to the left and right of the vehicle, the types being recognized by the white-line-type recognizing unit.