Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Automatic route guidance vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-14
2002-06-18
Nguyen, Tan (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Automatic route guidance vehicle
C382S104000, C348S118000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06408231
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image signal processing circuit and a vehicle running guiding apparatus in which a three-dimensional object placed in the forward direction of travel of a vehicle is detected, for example, with a charge coupled device (CCD) mounted on the vehicle to give the alarm when there is a possibility of danger or when the vehicle goes off a white line denoting a boundary of a road area.
2. Description of Related Art
A vehicle running guiding apparatus using an image signal processing circuit is described in brief with reference to FIG.
6
and FIG.
7
.
FIG. 6
is a block diagram briefly showing a conventional image signal processing circuit arranged in a vehicle running guiding apparatus, and
FIG. 7
is a block diagram of the conventional image signal processing circuit shown in FIG.
6
. As shown in
FIG. 6
, a conventional image signal processing circuit is composed of a stereo optical system
1
for photographing a plurality of three-dimensional objects placed in the forward direction of travel of a user's vehicle to produce a stereo image of the three-dimensional objects at regular time-intervals, a stereo image processing unit
2
, having a stereo image processing function, for calculating a three-dimensional distribution of distance between the user's vehicle and the group of three-dimensional objects according to data of the stereo image produced in the stereo optical system
1
for each frame of stereo image, a distance-and-image processing computer
3
for receiving the three-dimensional distance distribution calculated in the stereo image processing unit
2
as distance distribution information and calculating both a right-side clearance distance and a left-side clearance distance according to the distance distribution information, and an informing unit
4
for sending information of the right-side clearance distance and the left-side clearance distance calculated in the distance-and-image processing computer
3
to a driver (or the user). The distance-and-image processing computer
3
is composed of a three-dimensional object detecting unit
3
A for quickly detecting a three-dimensional position of a side wall, which denotes a long-continued three-dimensional object arranged on a side of a road (for example, a fence or a guard rail indicating a boundary of a road), and a plurality of three-dimensional positions of a group of three-dimensional objects placed on a road (for example, other vehicles, pedestrians and buildings) according to the distance distribution information, and a clearance distance calculating unit
3
B for calculating a right-side nearest distance between an extending line of a right-side end of the user's vehicle in the forward direction and the group of three-dimensional objects, of which the three-dimensional positions are detected in the three-dimensional object detecting unit
3
A, as the right-side clearance distance, calculating a left-side nearest distance between an extending line of a left-side end of the user's vehicle in the forward direction and the group of three-dimensional objects as the left-side clearance distance.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, the stereo optical system
1
is composed of a camera
1
a
, which is placed on the right side of the user's vehicle, for photographing the three-dimensional objects at regular time-intervals to produce a right-side image of the stereo image, and a camera
1
b
, which is placed on the left side of the vehicle, for photographing the three-dimensional objects at regular time-intervals to produce a left-side image of the stereo image. The stereo image processing unit
2
is composed of a distance detecting circuit
2
a
for calculating an image difference between the right-side image and the left-side image composing the stereo image and detecting a three-dimensional distribution of the distance between the user's car and the group of three-dimensional objects according to the image difference, and a distance-and-image memory
2
b
for storing the image data and distance distribution information denoting the three-dimensional distribution of the distance detected in the distance detecting circuit
2
a
. The distance-and-image processing computer
3
has a microprocessor
3
a
, which corresponds to the three-dimensional object detecting unit
3
A, for detecting the three-dimensional position of the group of three-dimensional objects placed on the road according to the object detecting processing, a microprocessor
3
b
, which corresponds to the three-dimensional object detecting unit
3
A, for detecting the three-dimensional position of the side wall according to the side wall detecting processing, and a microprocessor
3
c
, which corresponds to the clearance distance calculating unit
3
B for calculating the clearance distance between the user's vehicle and the group of three-dimensional objects including the side wall.
Also, the distance-and-image processing computer
3
has an interface circuit
3
e
connected with the distance-and-image memory
2
b
, a read only memory (ROM)
3
f
for storing a control program, a random access memory (RAM)
3
g
for storing a plurality of types of parameters which are used in the calculation performed in the microprocessors
3
a
,
3
b
and
3
c
, an output memory
3
h
for storing a plurality of parameters obtained as a result of the calculation, a display controller
3
i
for controlling the informing unit
4
, and an interface circuit
3
j
for receiving a signal sent from a vehicle speed sensor
5
, a rudder angle sensor
6
or a mode setting switch
7
. A rudder angle of a steering wheel is detected in the rudder angle sensor
6
. The mode setting switch
7
is used to select a supporting mode. The microprocessors
3
a
,
3
b
and
3
c
, the interface circuit
3
e
, the ROM
3
f
, the RAM
3
g
, the output memory
3
h
, the display controller
3
i
and the interface circuit
3
j
are connected in parallel with each other through a system bus
3
d
. Also, memory areas of both the ROM
3
f
and RAM
3
g
used for the microprocessor
3
a
, memory areas of both the ROM
3
f
and RAM
3
g
used for the microprocessor
3
b
and memory areas of both the ROM
3
f
and RAM
3
g
used for the microprocessor
3
c
differ from each other. Therefore, in the distance-and-image processing computer
3
, the object detecting processing and the side wall detecting processing are performed in parallel to each other according to the image data and the distance distribution information of the stereo image processing unit
2
. When the mode setting switch
7
is operated by the driver to output a prescribed signal, the processing for calculating a clearance distance between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object is performed in response to the prescribed signal according to the image data of the three-dimensional objects and the distance distribution information, and information of the clearance distance is displayed in the informing unit
4
.
However, in the conventional image signal processing circuit, data or information is sent through the single system bus (or bus line)
3
d
in the distance-and-image processing computer
3
. Therefore, even though it is desired to send the image data and the distance distribution information from the stereo image processing unit
2
to the RAM
3
g
through the system bus
3
d
when communication is performed between the RAM
3
g
and the microprocessor
3
a
(or
3
b
or
3
c
), it is impossible to immediately send the image data and the distance distribution information, and the sending of the image data and the distance distribution information is delayed until the system bus
3
d
is set to a non-use state by the completion of the communication performed through the system bus
3
d
. Therefore, there is a problem that the distance-and-image processing computer
3
is not efficiently performed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide, with due consideration to the drawbacks of the c
Calsonic Kansei Corporation
Nguyen Tan
Pyle & Piontek
LandOfFree
Image signal processing circuit and vehicle running guiding... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Image signal processing circuit and vehicle running guiding..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Image signal processing circuit and vehicle running guiding... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2953908