Run environment recognizing apparatus

Communications: electrical – External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm – Transmitter in another vehicle

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C180S169000, C340S435000, C348S148000, C348S170000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06191704

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus mounted on a vehicle (hereinafter called “host vehicle”) such as an automobile or the like, for recognizing environments of a road along which the vehicle runs, and particularly to an apparatus for recognizing a run environment by image processing.
With an increase in vehicle performance, the provision of a preventive safety function for recognizing ambient environments such as traveling lanes, other vehicles, etc. under which a host vehicle runs, detecting conditions that an accident is likely to occur, and giving a warning to a driver to encourage a danger avoidance operation or positively automatically-controlling the vehicle, thereby preventing the accident beforehand has been of importance.
Further, there has been a growing great interest in a system such as autocruising for positively controlling the vehicle, e.g., controlling the distance between vehicles constant to thereby drive the vehicle as well as the issuance of the warning to the driver at this time, automatic operation or the like. However, the achievement of such preventive safety, autocruising driving and automatic operation needs to recognize the run environment of the host vehicle at high speed.
Therefore, a technique has heretofore been used which electrically processes image information with the front of a vehicle as the center by using an imager or imaging device such as a TV camera or the like so as to extract traveling lanes and other vehicles or the like, thereby recognizing the run environment of the vehicle.
The prior art has a problem in that no consideration is given to a point of view that image signal processing required to extract the traveling lanes and other vehicles or the like from the image information becomes massive and a great buildup in signal processing capability with respect to the required response is required.
Namely, it is necessary to search and quarry out an object to be recognized from the image information upon recognizing the vehicle run environment based on the image information. However, since the process for quarrying out the object to be recognized from the complex image information obtained from the imaging device is executed as it is in the prior art, massive amounts of calculations are necessary for its signal processing. As a result, the maintenance of a required response involves a great buildup in signal processing capability.
A demand for the recognition intended even for a general road as well as for a motor road (express highway) in which run environments do not change so much, has been increased recently in particular. However, the fulfillment of this demand needs to recognize even a traffic signal, and right- and left-turned vehicles and pedestrians or the like placed in an intersection. A further complex image is intended for its recognition.
In doing so, the prior art needs more massive amounts of calculations to quarry out the objects such as the traffic signal or the like as well as the traveling lanes, the leading vehicles from such more complex image. Thus, the above problem will result in more intensification.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the foregoing in view, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a run environment recognizing apparatus capable of maintaining a sufficient response while controlling an increase in the amount of calculation .
According to one aspect of the invention, for achieving the above object, there is provided a run environment recognizing apparatus comprising:
an imaging device for sensing the direction of traveling of a host vehicle as imaging vision;
a radar for detecting the direction of traveling of the host vehicle as a detection range;
an image processing device for recognizing traveling lanes, leading vehicles and stationary objects located ahead of the host vehicle, based on the image information sensed by the imaging device and the result of detection by the radar; and
a display for displaying the results of recognition by the image processing device;
the image processing device including means for setting vehicle regions indicative of the presence of the leading vehicles within the image information, based on the result of detection by the radar;
whereby the influence of the leading vehicles in the process for recognizing the traveling lanes within the image information is eliminated by the vehicle regions.
According to the above invention, the imaging device senses or records an image about the traveling direction of the vehicle by photography.
The image processing device estimates the positions of traveling lanes, leading vehicles, stationary objects, a traffic signal, a pedestrian crossing, etc. within the image obtained from the imaging device and thereby recognizes a run environment around the vehicle.
The radar emits radio waves or a laser beam therefrom and electrically processes a reflected signal to thereby measure distances and bearings to the leading vehicles or stationary objects ahead of the vehicle.
There is provided a run environment recognizing apparatus further including a road map device for associating a vehicle position obtained from a GPS (Global Positioning System) with a road map and outputting information about the presence or absence of an intersection ahead of the vehicle and the distance to the intersection to the image processing device.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5386285 (1995-01-01), Asayama
patent: 5475494 (1995-12-01), Nishida et al.
patent: 5612686 (1997-03-01), Takano et al.
patent: 5617085 (1997-04-01), Tsutsumi et al.
patent: 5621645 (1997-04-01), Brady
Driving Environment Recognition System on Highway, H. Yasugi et al., pp. 1116-1121.

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