Vehicle system for detecting object and operation method thereof

• US 9,950,667 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd., Sogang University Research Foundation
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd., Sogang University Research Foundation
• Inventors: Lee, Sung Joo, Kim, Gyeong Hwan, Lee, Hyug Jae
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahi, Shan E
• Application Number:
  US14/962,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20160176345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 348148
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30261 Obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30264 Parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/44 Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle system for detecting an object, including: an image input unit installed at the front or the rear of a vehicle to capture images in the vicinity of the vehicle; an image processing unit converting the image input from the image input unit; an object detecting unit analyzing the images converted by the image processing unit and extracting key points for a background of the images to detect a moving object approaching the vehicle; an interface unit including an input means for the vehicle and an output means outputting information; and a control unit controlling a warning for the moving object to be detected from the object detecting unit and output through the interface.

Claims

1. A vehicle system for detecting an object comprising:

at least one camera installed at a front or a rear of a vehicle to capture images, in a vicinity of the vehicle, including a previous image and a current image which are consecutively captured;

an input and output device including a display screen and a speaker; and

circuitry including a microprocessor and configured to;

convert the images input from the at least one camera;

extract points from at least one of a corner, an edge, and a contour line from a background of the images to detect a moving object from an area where the points are extracted;

generate a warping image using the previous image by warping areas in the previous image to correspond to the same areas in the current image;

generate a difference image which shows a difference between the warping image and the current image;

detect the moving object from an area where the points are not extracted based on the difference image;

determine if the moving object, detected from the area where the points are extracted or the area where the points are not extracted, approaches the vehicle; and

output a warning signal through at least one of the display screen and the speaker if the moving object approaches the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera includes a wide angle lens.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one camera includes a fish lens.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to extract the points from the background among a plurality of points of the images as a background feature and track a motion of the background feature in consecutively input images to detect the moving object.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the circuitry is configured to estimate rotation and movement of the vehicle based on a motion of the extracted points and extract only the points corresponding to the background among all the extracted points as the background feature based on the motion of the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the circuitry is configured to divide the current image into lattice units having a predetermined size and calculate, with respect to lattice points which are four apexes constituting each lattice, a position of the previous image corresponding to the lattice points to warp an area of the lattice points in the previous image to an area corresponding to the current image.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the circuitry is configured to calculate the position of the lattice points by using the motion of the background feature.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to track a motion of the moving object to generate the warning signal when the moving object approaches a driving route of the vehicle or moves on the driving route.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the warning signal includes at least one of warning sound, a warning message, a warning lamp, and a warning image.

10. An operation method of a vehicle system for detecting an object, the method comprising:

capturing, by at least one camera of a vehicle, images in a vicinity of the vehicle, wherein the images includes a previous image and a current image which are consecutively captured;

extracting, by circuitry including a microprocessor, points from at least one of a corner, an edge, and a contour line from a background of the images to detect a moving object from an area where the points are extracted;

extracting, by the circuitry, a background feature for an area which becomes a background among the extracted points and detecting a motion of the background feature;

analyzing, by the circuitry, a motion of the vehicle to correspond to the motion of the background feature and detecting the moving object from an area which moves differently from the motion of the vehicle;

generating, by the circuitry, a warping image using the previous image by warping areas in the previous image to correspond to the same areas in the current image;

generating, by the circuitry, a difference image which shows a difference between the warping image and the current image;

detecting, by the circuitry, the moving object from an area where the points are not extracted based on the difference image;

determining, by the circuitry, whether the moving object, detected from the area where the points are extracted or the area where the points are not extracted, approaches the vehicle; and

outputting, by the circuitry, a warning signal through at least one of a display screen and a speaker when the moving object approaches the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein rotation and movement of the vehicle are extracted based on a motion of the extracted points and only the points corresponding to the background among all the extracted points is extracted as the background feature based on the motion of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the current image is divided into lattice units having a predetermined size and with respect to lattice points which are apexes constituting each lattice, a position of the previous image corresponding to the lattice points is calculated to warp an area of the lattice point in the previous image to an area corresponding to the current image.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the position of the lattice points is calculated by using the motion of the background feature.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

tracking, by the circuitry, a motion of the moving object when detecting the moving object from the difference image; and

determining, by the circuitry, that the moving object approaches the vehicle when the moving object approaches a driving route of the vehicle or moves on the driving route.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the warning signal includes at least one of an image in which the moving object is displayed, a warning sound, a warning voice, a warning message, and a warning lamp.