Obstacle-detecting apparatus
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorKatsuhiro Kudoh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This device can detect an obstacle in a railroad crossing or similar setting by way of image processing independently of a height and a width of an obstacle. The image data read from a video, camera 11 into a multi-valued image memory 13 is compared with background data stored in a background-data creating unit 15 in a data comparator 16. Based on the compared result, a still-object detector 17 detects if an obstacle exists. If it is detected that an obstacle exists and a rod of a crossing gate is down in a gate state detector 18, an alarm output unit 19 serves to output an alarm signal.
Claims6
An obstacle-detecting apparatus comprising:
- a video camera for producing images of a crossing zone;
- image storing means having memory sufficient to store first image data based upon multiple images of said crossing zone produced by said video camera;
- first means for setting dimensions of the crossing zone in which an object is to be detected;
- second means for setting dimensions of a detection area within said crossing zone;
- third means for setting background image data of said crossing zone based upon said first image data stored in said image storing means;
- means for comparing said first image data with said background image data;
- means, responsive to said first means for setting, for determining whether an object is located within said crossing zone based upon an output of said means for comparing;
- fourth means for setting background data about the state of said crossing zone;
- means for detecting whether a rod of a crossing gate associated with said crossing zone is up or down by comparing a portion of the first image data relating to said detection area and said background data set by said fourth means;
- and
- means for outputting an alarm responsive to (a) a detection by said means for detecting that said rod is down and (b) a determination by said means for determining that an object is within said crossing zone.
An obstacle-detecting apparatus comprising:
- a video camera for producing images of a crossing zone;
- images storing means having memory sufficient to store first image data based upon multiple images of said crossing zone produced by said video camera;
- first means for setting dimensions of the crossing zone in which an object is to be detected;
- second means for setting background image data of said crossing zone based upon said first image data stored in said image storing means;
- means for comparing said first image data with said background image data;
- means, responsive to said first means for setting, for determining whether an object is located within said crossing zone based upon an output of said means for comparing;
- means for detecting if a rod of a crossing gate associated with said crossing zone is up or down;
- means for outputting an alarm responsive to (a) a detection by said means for detecting that said rod is down and (b) a determination by said means for determining that an object is within said crossing zone;
- and
- means for recording the first image data accumulated in said image storing means when a still object is detected by said means for determining simultaneously with said alarm means outputting an alarm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.