Patent EP1245443A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP1245443A2
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EP
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Vehicle environment monitoring system
Assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
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Filing: 2002-03-27
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2022-03-27
Abstract
Abstract A vehicle environment monitoring system for an automotive vehicle, is capable of accurately detecting the movement of an object existing in an external environment of the vehicle, and determining the probability of collision between the object and the vehicle, thereby appropriately warning the driver. A running speed of the vehicle is detected, and a distance between the object and the vehicle is calculated, based on the image obtained by the imaging device. A relative speed between the object and the vehicle is calculated according to the calculated distance. It is determined whether or not there is a significant probability that the vehicle may collide with the object, based on the running speed of the vehicle and the distance therebetween on condition that the relative speed is in the vicinity of the running speed of the vehicle.
Inventors
- 👤 Takayuki Tsuji
- 👤 Hiroshi Hattori
- 👤 Nobuharu Nagaoka
- 👤 Masahito Watanabe
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 10:56
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01S; G01S11/00; G01S11/12; G06; G06T; G06T7/00; G06T7/20; G08; G08G; G08G1/00; G08G1/16; G08G1/166; B; B60; B60R; B60R21/00; B60R21/01; B60R21/013; B60W; B60W2554/00; B60W30/00; B60W30/08; B60W30/09
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
159 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system for monitoring an
external environment proximate to a vehicle, and for detect an object existing
in the external environment of said vehicle from an image obtained by
imaging means mounted on said vehicle, the vehicle environment monitoring
system comprising: vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a running speed of said
vehicle; distance calculating means for calculating a distance between said
object and said vehicle based on the image obtained by said imaging means; relative speed calculating means for calculating a relative speed
between said object and said vehicle according to the distance calculated by
said distance calculating means; and probability determining means for determining whether or not there
is a significant probability that said vehicle may collide with said object,
based on the running speed of said vehicle and the distance calculated by
said distance calculating means, on condition that the relative speed is in the
vicinity of the running speed of said vehicle.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
50 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 1,
wherein said probability determining means carries out the determination,
when an absolute value of a difference between the relative speed and the
running speed of said vehicle is less than or equal to half of the running
speed of said vehicle.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
141 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 1,
further comprising relative position-detecting means for detecting a relative position of
said object to said vehicle, based on the image obtained by said imaging
means and the distance calculated by said distance calculating means, to
thereby obtain position data; and movement vector-calculating means for calculating positions of said
object in a real space based on a plurality of time series items of the position
data detected on said object by said relative position-detecting means, and
calculating a movement vector of said object based on the positions in said
real space; wherein said probability determining means determines whether or
not the probability of collision is high based on the movement vector, when it
is determined based on the running speed of said vehicle and the distance
that there is a probability of collision.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
73 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 3,
wherein said movement vector-calculating means includes approximate straight line-calculating means for calculating an
approximate straight line approximating a locus of relative movement of said
object, and position data-correcting means for correcting the time series items of
the position data by using the approximate straight line, said movement vector-calculating means calculating the movement
vector based on the corrected time series items of the position data.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 1,
wherein said probability determining means carries out the determination by
applying collision determination conditions that are dependent on a width of
said vehicle.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 4,
wherein said approximate straight line-calculating means calculates the
approximate straight line as a three-dimensional straight line including data
of a height of said object.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 1,
wherein said imaging means comprises two infrared cameras capable of
detecting infrared rays.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
139 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 1,
wherein said imaging means comprises two TV cameras for detecting
infrared rays or visible rays, and wherein said relative position-detecting
means includes search area-setting means for setting, based on a position of an
object image contained in an image output from one of said two TV cameras,
a search area within an image output from the other of said two TV cameras
for searching for a corresponding object image contained in the image output
from the other of said two TV cameras; and corresponding object image-identifying means for identifying the
corresponding object image by carrying out a correlation operation on data
within said search area, said distance-calculating means calculating the distance between
said vehicle and said object based on a parallax between the object image and
the corresponding object image.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
75 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 1,
further comprising warning means for warning a driver of said vehicle, when
it is determined by said probability determining means that the probability
of collision against said object is high, wherein said warning means is inhibited from warning the driver
when the driver is carrying out a braking operation and at the same time
deceleration caused by the braking operation is larger than a predetermined
threshold.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
137 words
A vehicle environment monitoring method for monitoring an
external environment proximate to a vehicle, in which an object existing in
the external environment of said vehicle is detected from an image obtained
by an imaging device mounted on said vehicle, said method comprising the
steps of: a) detecting a running speed of said vehicle; b) calculating a distance between said object and said vehicle based
on the image obtained by said imaging device; c) calculating a relative speed between said object and said vehicle
according to the calculated distance; and d) determining whether or not there is a significant probability that
said vehicle may collide with said object, based on the running speed of said
vehicle and the calculated distance, on condition that the relative speed is in
the vicinity of the running speed of said vehicle.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
48 words
A vehicle environment monitoring method according to claim 10,
wherein the probability determination is carried out, when an absolute value
of a difference between the relative speed and the running speed of said
vehicle is less than or equal to half of the running speed of said vehicle.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
124 words
A vehicle environment monitoring method according to claim 10,
further comprising the steps of e) detecting a relative position of said object to said vehicle based on
the image obtained by said imaging device and the calculated distance, to
thereby obtain position data; f) calculating positions of said object in a real space based on a
plurality of time series items of the position data detected on said object; g) calculating a movement vector of said object based on the positions
in said real space; and h) determining whether or not the probability of collision is high
based on the movement vector, when it is determined based on the running
speed of said vehicle and the distance that there is a probability of collision.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
69 words
A vehicle environment monitoring method according to claim 12,
wherein said step of calculating the movement vector includes the steps of: j) calculating an approximate straight line approximating a locus of
relative movement of said object; and k) correcting the time series items of the position data by using the
approximate straight line, said movement vector being calculated based on the corrected time
series items of the position data.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
A vehicle environment monitoring method according to claim 10,
wherein the probability determination is carried out by applying collision
determination conditions that are dependent on a width of said vehicle.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
A vehicle environment monitoring method according to claim 13,
wherein the approximate straight line is calculated as a three-dimensional
straight line including data of a height of said object.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
A vehicle environment monitoring method according to claim 10,
wherein said imaging device comprises two infrared cameras capable of
detecting infrared rays.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
141 words
A vehicle environment monitoring method according to claim 10,
wherein said imaging device comprises two TV cameras for detecting
infrared rays or visible rays, and said step of detecting a relative position of
said object to said vehicle includes the steps of: l) setting, based on a position of an object image contained in an
image output from one of said two TV cameras, a search area within an
image output from the other of said two TV cameras for searching for a
corresponding object image contained in the image output from the other of
said two TV cameras; and m) identifying the corresponding object image by carrying out a
correlation operation on data within said search area, the distance between said vehicle and said object being calculated
based on a parallax between the object image and the corresponding object
image.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
67 words
A vehicle environment monitoring method according to claim 10,
further comprising the step of warning a driver of said vehicle, when it is
determined that the probability of collision against said object is high, wherein the step of warning is omitted when the driver is carrying
out a braking operation and at the same time deceleration caused by the
braking operation is larger than a predetermined threshold.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
162 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system for monitoring an
external environment proximate to a vehicle, and for detecting an object
existing in an environment of said vehicle from an image obtained by an
imaging device mounted on said vehicle, the vehicle environment monitoring
system comprising: a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a running speed of said vehicle; a distance calculating module for calculating a distance between said
object and said vehicle based on the image obtained by said imaging device; a relative speed calculating module for calculating a relative speed
between said object and said vehicle according to the distance calculated by
said distance calculating module; and a probability determining module for determining whether or not
there is a significant probability that said vehicle may collide with said object,
based on the running speed of said vehicle and the distance calculated by
said distance calculating module, on condition that the relative speed is in
the vicinity of the running speed of said vehicle.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
50 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 19,
wherein said probability determining module carries out the determination,
when an absolute value of a difference between the relative speed and the
running speed of said vehicle is less than or equal to half of the running
speed of said vehicle.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
143 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 19,
further comprising a relative position-detecting module for detecting a relative position
of said object to said vehicle based on the image obtained by said imaging
device and the distance calculated by said distance calculating module, to
thereby obtain position data; and a movement vector-calculating module for calculating positions of
said object in a real space based on a plurality of time series items of the
position data detected on said object by said relative position-detecting
module, and calculating a movement vector of said object based on the
positions in said real space; wherein said probability determining module determines whether or
not the probability of collision is high based on the movement vector, when it
is determined based on the running speed of said vehicle and the distance
that there is a probability of collision.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
73 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 21,
wherein said movement vector-calculating module includes approximate straight line-calculating module for calculating an
approximate straight line approximating a locus of relative movement of said
object, and position data-correcting module for correcting the time series items of
the position data by using the approximate straight line, said movement vector-calculating module calculating the movement
vector based on the corrected time series items of the position data.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
32 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 19,
wherein said probability determining module carries out the determination
by applying collision determination conditions that are dependent on a width
of said vehicle.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
33 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 22,
wherein said approximate straight line-calculating module calculates the
approximate straight line as a three-dimensional straight line including data
of a height of said object.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
22 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 19,
wherein said imaging device comprises two infrared cameras capable of
detecting infrared rays.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
141 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 19,
wherein said imaging device comprises two TV cameras for detecting
infrared rays or visible rays, and wherein said relative position-detecting
module includes a search area-setting module for setting, based on a position of an
object image contained in an image output from one of said two TV cameras,
a search area within an image output from the other of said two TV cameras
for searching for a corresponding object image contained in the image output
from the other of said two TV cameras; and a corresponding object image-identifying module for identifying the
corresponding object image by carrying out a correlation operation on data
within said search area, said distance-calculating module calculating the distance between
said vehicle and said object based on a parallax between the object image and
the corresponding object image.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
76 words
A vehicle environment monitoring system according to claim 19,
further comprising a warning module for warning a driver of said vehicle,
when it is determined by said probability determining module that the
probability of collision against said object is high, wherein said warning module is inhibited from warning the driver
when the driver is carrying out a braking operation and at the same time
deceleration caused by the braking operation is larger than a predetermined
threshold.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
JPH09226490A
Cited
JP2001006096A
Cited
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