Systems and methods for object detection using stereovision information

A system, comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising programming instructions that are configured to cause the processor to implement a method for operating a vehicle, wherein the programming instructions comprise instructions to:
• obtain a pair of stereo images captured by a stereo camera;
• process the pair of stereo images to generate a disparity map comprising a plurality of pixels defined by intensity values;
• convert each said intensity value to a 3D position in a map, each 3D position defining a location of a data point in a point cloud;
• perform a hierarchical decision tree classification based on at least the intensity value of a given pixel of the plurality of pixels to determine a classification for each said data point in the point cloud, the classification being a foreground classification or a background classification;
• and
• use the classifications to facilitate autonomous control of the vehicle.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions that is configured to, when executed by at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:

• obtaining a pair of stereo images captured by a stereo camera;
• processing the pair of stereo images to generate a disparity map comprising a plurality of pixels defined by intensity values;
• converting each said intensity value to a 3D position in a map, each 3D position defining a location of a data point in a point cloud;
• performing a hierarchical decision tree classification based on at least the intensity value of a given pixel of the plurality of pixels to determine a classification for each said data point in the point cloud, the classification being a foreground classification or a background classification;
• and
• using the classifications to facilitate autonomous control of the vehicle.