# US 12,217,437 B2 · Obstacle detection device

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,217,437 B2
- Document ID: US12217437B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/792,578
- Filed: 2020-08-17
- Published: 2023-03-16
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2020-01-20
- Assignees: Faurecia Clarion Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Faurecia Clarion Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Akira Ohashi; Daisuke Fukuda
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12217437B2

## CPC

- G06T 7/246: using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
- B60W 30/0956: {the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters}
- B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
- G06T 3/12: Panospheric to cylindrical image transformations
- G06T 7/269: using gradient-based methods
- G06T 7/73: using feature-based methods
- G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes}
- G06T 2207/30261: Obstacle
- G08G 1/0175: {by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules}
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- 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
- 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})

## Abstract

An obstacle detecting device includes: an image converting portion for converting, into a circular cylindrical image, an image captured by a camera installed on a vehicle; a detection subject candidate image detecting portion for detecting a detection subject candidate image through pattern matching; an optical flow calculating portion for calculating an optical flow; an outlier removing portion for removing an optical flow that is not a detection subject; a TTC calculating portion for calculating a TTC (TTCX, TTCY); a tracking portion for generating a region of the detection subject on the circular cylindrical image by tracking the detection subject candidate; and a collision evaluating portion for evaluating whether or not there is the risk of a collision, wherein the optical flow calculating portion calculates the optical flow based on the detection subject candidate image and the region.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An obstacle detecting device, comprising: an image converting portion for converting, into a circular cylindrical image, an image captured by a camera installed on a vehicle;
a detection subject candidate image detecting portion for detecting, through pattern matching, a detection subject candidate image based on the circular cylindrical image;
an optical flow calculating portion for calculating an optical flow based on the detection subject candidate image;
an outlier removing portion for removing an optical flow that is inferred, based on the optical flow, not to be a detection subject;
a TTC calculating portion for calculating a time-to-collision (TTC) based on an optical flow that remains after removal by the outlier removing portion;
a tracking portion for calculating a region of the detection subject on the circular cylindrical image by tracking the detection subject candidate image in relation to a subsequent circular cylindrical image based on the optical flow; and
a collision evaluating portion for determining whether or not there is the risk of collision between the vehicle and the detection subject, based on the TTC, wherein:
the optical flow calculating portion calculates the optical flow based on the detection subject candidate image and the region.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The obstacle detecting device set forth in claim 1, wherein:
the TTC calculating portion calculates a component in the direction of travel of the vehicle and a component in the perpendicular direction that is perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The obstacle detecting device set forth in claim 1, wherein:
the outlier removing portion removes the optical flow that, based on the TTC, is inferred to not be a detection subject.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The obstacle detecting device set forth in claim 3, wherein:
the outlier removing portion removes the optical flow that, based on the optical flow, is inferred to not be a detection subject.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The obstacle detecting device set forth in claim 1, wherein:
the tracking portion calculates a region of the detection subject on the circular cylindrical image based on a scale and a translational vector calculated based on the optical flow.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The obstacle detecting device set forth in claim 1, wherein:
the collision evaluating portion evaluates whether or not there is a risk of a collision between the vehicle and the detection subject based on the perpendicular direction component of the TTC to the bumper that is near to the detection subject and the perpendicular direction component of the TTC to the bumper that is far from the detection subject.