US 5,892,855 AGranted

Apparatus for detecting an object located ahead of a vehicle using plural cameras with different fields of view

AssigneeAisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsToshiaki Kakinami, Mitsuyoshi Saiki, Kunihiko Soshi, Hisashi Satonaka

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Abstract

An onboard forward monitoring system is disclosed in which three television cameras, each supported by a steering mechanism, take picture of a road surface located forward of a vehicle at near distance, a medium distance and a far distance zone to detect white lines which partition a lane on the road surface, thus detecting a vehicle running ahead on the lane which is defined by the white lines. To enable a reliable detection and tracking of the vehicle running ahead in any zone of the road surface even when the road is curved, the individual television cameras are steered so that a vehicle running ahead is positioned at the center of the screen whenever such vehicle is present and so that a center across the width of the lane is positioned at the center of screen when a vehicle running ahead is not detected.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An apparatus for detecting an object located ahead of a vehicle comprising:

a first camera means for taking a picture of a first scene of a wide view angle inclusive of a road surface located at a near distance forward of the vehicle;
a second camera means for taking a picture of a second scene of narrow view angle inclusive of a road surface located at a far distance forward of the vehicle;
means for detecting an object located forward of the vehicle on the road surface contained in at least one of the first and second scenes on the basis of image data which forms a picture screen of the first and second scene;
first camera direction control means for altering the direction of the first camera transverse to the fore-and-aft axis of the vehicle in a direction such that a substantially full profile of the object located forward of the vehicle and detected in the first scene is contained in the first scene;
and
second camera direction control means for altering the direction of the second camera transverse to the fore-and-aft axis of the vehicle in a direction such that a substantially full profile of the object located forward of the vehicle and detected in the second scene is contained in the second scene.

3 more elements

An apparatus for detecting an object located ahead of a vehicle comprising:

a first television camera of wide view angle which takes a picture of a road surface located at a near distance forward of the vehicle;
a first rotary drive unit for rotatively driving the camera to alter the direction of the first television camera transverse to the fore-and-aft axis of the vehicle;
a second television camera of a medium view angle which takes a picture of a road surface located at a medium distance forward of the vehicle;
a second rotary drive unit for rotatively driving the camera to alter the direction of the second television camera transverse to the fore-and-aft axis of the vehicle;
a third television camera of a narrow view angle which takes a picture of a road surface located at a far distance forward of the vehicle;
a third rotary drive unit for rotatively driving the camera to alter the direction of the third television camera transverse to the fore-and-aft axis of the vehicle;
means for detecting an object located forward of the vehicle as it appears on a road surface in the picture screen of each camera, based on image data from the first, the second and the third television cameras, each of which produce a picture screen;
and camera direction control means for altering the direction of the first television camera, through the first rotary drive unit, in a direction to bring the object located forward of the vehicle and detected on the picture screen produced by the first television camera to the center of the picture screen, for altering the direction of the second television camera, through the second rotary drive unit, in a direction to bring the object located forward of the vehicle and detected on the picture screen produced by the second television camera to the center of the picture screen, and for altering the direction of the third television camera, through the third rotary drive unit, in a direction to bring the object located forward of the vehicle which is detected on the picture screen produced by the third television camera to the center of the picture screen.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/720,031Filed 27 Sep 1996
Priority: JP 7-25222229 Sep 1995
Granted: 6 Apr 1999
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G01S 11/12
Systems for determining distance or velocity not using reflection or reradiation: using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
G05D 1/0246
Using optical position detecting means: using a video camera in combination with image processing means
G06V 10/48
Extraction of image or video features: by mapping characteristic values of the pattern into a parameter space, e.g. Hough transformation
B60T 2201/08
Particular use of vehicle brake systems; Special systems using also the brakes; Special software modules within the brake system controller: lane…