# US 10,246,038 B2 · Object recognition device and vehicle control system

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- Number: US 10,246,038 B2
- Document ID: US10246038B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/501,015
- Filed: 2015-08-07
- Published: 2017-08-03
- Granted: 2019-04-02
- Earliest claimed: 2014-08-26
- Assignees: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
- Applicants: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
- Inventors: Takeshi Shima; Takuma Osato; Masayuki Takemura; Yuuji Otsuka
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10246038B2

## CPC

- B60R 21/0134: responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle {, e.g. using radar systems}
- B60K 31/0008: {including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path}
- B60R 21/00: Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks (safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19)
- B60W 30/09: Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
- G01S 13/931: of land vehicles
- G05D 1/0246: {using a video camera in combination with image processing means}
- G06T 1/00: General purpose image data processing
- 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
- G06V 40/103: {Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition}
- G08G 1/16: Anti-collision systems (road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08)
- B60R 16/0231: {Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle (monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P)}
- B60T 7/22: initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle {, or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle}
- B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
- B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
- G01S 2013/9318: {Controlling the steering}
- G01S 2013/93185: {Controlling the brakes}
- G01S 2013/9319: {Controlling the accelerator}
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES

## Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of attaining an object recognition device that can change control of a vehicle in accordance with the reliability of detection of a target object. The object recognition device according to the present invention recognizes a target object around a vehicle and includes: a distance-information-based target object determination unit 106 that determines whether or not an object 303 is a target object by using distance information from the vehicle 301 to the object 303; an image-information-based target object determination unit 107 that determines whether or not the object 303 is a target object by using image information obtained by capturing an image of the object 303 from the vehicle 301; and a target object detection reliability calculation unit 108 that calculates the reliability of detection of a target object by using the distance information and the image information.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An object recognition device that recognizes a target object around a vehicle, the device comprising:
a distance information-based target object determination unit that determines whether or not an object is a target object, using distance information from the vehicle to the object;
an image information-based target object determination unit that determines whether or not the object is the target object, using image information obtained by capturing an image of the object from the vehicle;
a target object detection reliability calculation unit that calculates detection reliability of the target object, using the distance information and the image information;
a pair of left and right image capturing units that captures an image of the front of the vehicle, and a parallax calculation unit that calculates parallax information of the object based on the image information captured by the image capturing units, wherein
the distance information-based target object determination unit determines whether or not an object in front of the vehicle is a pedestrian that is the target object, using the parallax information as the distance information,
the image information-based target object determination unit detects a parked vehicle in front of the vehicle using the distance information, detects a pedestrian candidate in the vicinity of the parked vehicle using the image information, and determines whether the pedestrian candidate is a pedestrian using the image information and the distance information,
the target object detection reliability calculation unit calculates the detection reliability of the pedestrian, using the determination result of the distance information-based target object determination unit and the determination result of the image information-based target object determination unit,
the target object detection reliability calculation unit determines that the reliability is high, when the object in front of the vehicle is determined as the pedestrian by the distance information-based target object determination unit, and the pedestrian candidate is determined as the pedestrian by the image information-based target object determination unit,
the target object detection reliability calculation unit determines that the reliability is low, when the object in front of the vehicle is not determined as the pedestrian by the distance information-based target object determination unit, and the pedestrian candidate is determined as the pedestrian by the image information-based target object determination unit, and
the target object detection reliability calculation unit determines that the reliability is intermediate, when the object in front of the vehicle is determined as the pedestrian by the distance information-based target object determination unit, and the pedestrian candidate is not determined as the pedestrian by the image information-based target object determination unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The object recognition device according to claim 1, further comprising
a vehicle control type selection unit that selects a type of vehicle control of the vehicle, based on the detection reliability of the pedestrian calculated by the target object detection reliability calculation unit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The object recognition device according to claim 1, further comprising
a warning control type selection unit that selects a type of warning control of the vehicle, based on the detection reliability of the pedestrian calculated by the target object detection reliability calculation unit.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

A vehicle control system comprising the object recognition device according to claim 2, and a vehicle control device that executes a vehicle control selected by the vehicle control type selection unit of the object recognition device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

A vehicle control system comprising the object recognition device according to claim 3, and a warning control device that executes a warning control selected by the warning control type selection unit of the object recognition device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The object recognition device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a radar that detects an object in front of a vehicle;
an image capturing unit that captures an image of the front of the vehicle; and
a distance calculation unit that calculates distance information to an object detected by the radar,
wherein the distance information-based target object determination unit determines whether or not an object in front of the vehicle is a pedestrian that is the target object, using the distance information,
the image information-based target object determination unit detects a parked vehicle in front of the vehicle, using the distance information, detects a pedestrian candidate in the vicinity of the parked vehicle, using the image information, and determines whether the pedestrian candidate is a pedestrian using the image information and the distance information, and
the target object detection reliability calculation unit calculates the detection reliability of the pedestrian, using the determination result of the distance information-based target object determination unit and the determination result of the image information-based target object determination unit.