Vehicle and method of controlling the vehicle

• US 9,969,399 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2016
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Oh, Youngchul, Shin, Kicheol, You, Byungyong, Heo, MyungSeon
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Application Number:
  US15/077,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20170113696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/00 Input parameters relating to data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/026 combined with automatic distance control, i.e. electronic tow bar
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0265 Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/02 Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0253 extracting relative motion information from a plurality of images taken successively, e.g. visual odometry, optical flow determining position or orientation from images G06T7/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/462 Salient features, e.g. scale invariant feature transforms [SIFT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• 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: G06V 2201/08 Detecting or categorising vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A vehicle includes a photographing unit for acquiring a plurality of images of a road, and a vehicle controller for detecting a marker on the road from the plurality of images, for deciding a first estimated position of the vehicle using an amount of change of the marker in the plurality of images, for deciding a second estimated position of the vehicle based on information about driving of the vehicle, and for deciding a final estimated position of the vehicle using the first estimated position and the second estimated position.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a photographing unit for acquiring a plurality of images of a road; and

a vehicle controller detecting a line formed on the road from the plurality of images, deciding a first estimated position of the vehicle using an amount of change of the line in the plurality of images, deciding a second estimated position of the vehicle based on information about driving of the vehicle, and deciding a final estimated position of the vehicle using the first estimated position and the second estimated position.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller detects two lines from two images of the plurality of images, and acquires a difference between the two lines to acquire the amount of change of the line in the plurality of images.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle controller decides the first estimated position of the vehicle using the amount of change of the line, or calculates an average value of amounts of change of a plurality of lines to decide the first estimated position of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle controller decides the first estimated position of the vehicle by adding a weight value to each of the amounts of change of the plurality of lines to calculate a weighted average of the amounts of change of the plurality of lines.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle controller adds a greater weight value to an amount of change of a line calculated for a detected line located relatively closer to the vehicle in the plurality of images to calculate the weighted average of the amounts of change of the plurality of lines.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller decides the final estimated position by correcting the second estimated position using the first estimated position.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller acquires at least one first real line from at least one first image among the plurality of images, and acquires at least one candidate line based on the at least one first real line.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the vehicle controller decides the first estimated position of the vehicle using an amount of change of the at least one candidate line.

9. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein a second real line is acquired from a second image photographed successively after the first image is photographed, among the plurality of images, and the second real line corresponds to a first candidate line of the at least one candidate line.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle controller calculates the amount of change of the line in the plurality of images, using a difference between the first candidate line and the second real line, and decides the first estimated position of the vehicle using the amount of change of the line.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a side and rear sensor sensing another vehicle existing around a side-rear part of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle controller determines whether the vehicle is able to change a lane and decides a lane changeable time period, based on the result of the sensing by the side and rear sensor.

13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein if the vehicle controller determines whether the vehicle is able to change the lane and decides the lane changeable time period, the vehicle controller creates a lane change route.

14. The vehicle according to claim 13, wherein if the vehicle controller creates the lane change route, the vehicle controller determines whether the vehicle has departed from the lane change route, based on the final estimated position of the vehicle decided using the first estimated position and the second estimated position.

15. A method of controlling a vehicle, comprising:

deciding an estimated position of the vehicle based on information about driving of the vehicle;

acquiring a plurality of images of a road;

detecting a line formed on the road from the plurality of images;

deciding another estimated position of the vehicle using an amount of change of the line in the plurality of images; and

deciding a final estimated position of the vehicle using the estimated position and the other estimated position.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the step for deciding the first estimated position of the vehicle using the amount of change of the line in the plurality of images comprises:

detecting two lines from two images of the plurality of images, and acquiring a difference between the two lines to acquire the amount of change of the line in the plurality of images.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the step for deciding the other estimated position of the vehicle using the amount of change of the line in the plurality of images further comprises:

deciding the other estimated position of the vehicle using the amount of change of the line, or calculating an average value of amounts of change of a plurality of lines to decide the other estimated position of the vehicle.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step for deciding the other estimated position of the vehicle using the amount of change of the line in the plurality of images comprises deciding the other estimated position of the vehicle by adding a weight value to each of the amounts of change of the plurality of lines to calculate a weighted average of the amounts of change of the plurality of lines.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the step for deciding the other estimated position of the vehicle by adding the weight value to each of the amounts of change of the plurality of lines to calculate the weighted average of the amounts of change of the plurality of lines comprises deciding the other estimated position of the vehicle by adding a greater weight value to an amount of change of a line calculated for a detected line located relatively closer to the vehicle to calculate the weighted average of the amounts of change of the plurality of lines.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the step for deciding the final estimated position of the vehicle using the estimated position and the other estimated position comprises deciding the final estimated position by correcting the estimated position decided based on the information about driving of the vehicle using the other estimated position.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein the step for deciding the other estimated position of the vehicle using the amount of change of the line in the plurality of images comprises acquiring at least one first real line from at least one first image among the plurality of images, and acquiring at least one candidate line based on the at least one first real line.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the step for deciding the other estimated position of the vehicle using the amount of change of the line in the plurality of images further comprises deciding the other estimated position of the vehicle using an amount of change of the at least one candidate line.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step for deciding the other estimated position of the vehicle using the amount of change of the line in the plurality of images comprises acquiring a second real line from a second image photographed successively after the first image is photographed, among the plurality of images, wherein the second real line corresponds to a first candidate line of the at least one candidate line.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the step for deciding the other estimated position of the vehicle using the amount of change of the line in the plurality of images further comprises calculating the amount of change of the line in the plurality of images, using a difference between the first candidate line and the second real line, and deciding the first estimated position of the vehicle using the amount of change of the line.

25. The method according to claim 15, further comprising sensing another vehicle existing around a side-rear part of the vehicle.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising determining whether the vehicle is able to change a lane and deciding a lane changeable time period, based on the result of the sensing another vehicle existing around a side-rear part of the vehicle.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising creating a lane change route if whether the vehicle is able to change the lane is determined and the lane changeable time period is decided.

28. The method according to claim 27, further comprising determining whether the vehicle has departed from the lane change route, based on the final estimated position of the vehicle decided using the plurality of estimated positions.