Adaptive lane marker detection for a vehicular vision system

A method for determining lane markers via a vision system of a vehicle, said method comprising:

• providing a camera at a vehicle so as to have a field of view forward and exterior of the vehicle, wherein the field of view encompasses a road along which the vehicle is traveling, and wherein the camera comprises a pixelated imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements, and wherein the camera comprises a wide angle lens and, when provided at the vehicle, has a wide angle field of view forward and exterior of the vehicle;
• capturing frames of image data via the camera;
• providing a processor for processing frames of image data captured by the camera;
• determining, via processing by the processor of a frame of image data captured by the camera with the camera disposed at the vehicle and with the vehicle traveling along the road, intensity gradient information of the frame of captured image data;
• determining, via processing by the processor of the frame of image data captured by the camera with the camera disposed at the vehicle and with the vehicle traveling along the road, and responsive at least in part to the determined intensity gradient information of the frame of captured image data, a plurality of lane markers of the road along which the vehicle is traveling;
• determining, via processing by the processor of intensity gradient information of the frame of captured image data, contrast values at both sides of a center region of the determined lane markers;
• determining a maximum contrast value over a plurality of orientations of the determined lane markers relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle by using determined contrast values over a plurality of angles of the determined lane markers relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle;
• determining an angle of a determined lane marker of the determined lane markers relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle by comparing, utilizing a database of contrast values for central, left and right regions for typical angles of a lane marker relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle, the determined contrast values with database contrast values;
• and
• adapting processing by the processor of a subsequent frame of captured image data responsive to the determined angle of the determined lane marker relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

A method for determining lane markers via a vision system of a vehicle, said method comprising:

• providing a camera at a vehicle so as to have a field of view forward and exterior of the vehicle, wherein the field of view encompasses a road along which the vehicle is traveling, and wherein the camera comprises a pixelated imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements, and wherein the camera comprises a wide angle lens and, when provided at the vehicle, has a wide angle field of view forward and exterior of the vehicle;
• capturing frames of image data via the camera;
• providing a processor for processing frames of image data captured by the camera;
• determining, via processing by the processor of frames of image data captured by the camera with the camera disposed at the vehicle and with the vehicle traveling along the road, intensity gradient information of the frame of captured image data;
• determining, via processing by the processor of the frame of image data captured by the camera with the camera disposed at the vehicle and with the vehicle traveling along the road, and responsive at least in part to the determined intensity gradient information of the frame of captured image data, line segments on the road along which the vehicle is traveling;
• determining, via processing by the processor of intensity gradient information of the frame of captured image data, contrast values at both sides of a center region of the determined line segments;
• determining lane markers via processing by the processor of the frame of captured image data and responsive to the determined contrast values at both sides of the center region of the determined line segments;
• deriving a direction of the determined lane markers on the road by grouping determined line segments;
• and
• adapting processing by the processor of a subsequent frame of captured image data responsive to the derived direction of the determined lane markers.