Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Aisin Seiki K.k.

Other

Toshiaki Kakinami

Mitsuyoshi Saiki

Toshiyasu Katsuno

Jun Sato

Kazushi Konno

Ryo Inoue

Yoshikatsu Kimura

Yoshifumi Iwata

Shoji Kawata

Shigemitsu Hamajima

Makoto Takagi

Kunihiko Soshi

Hisashi Satonaka

Yuichi Kubota

Yuu Tanaka

Tomio Yasuda

Takashi Hiramaki

Yu Tanaka

Tokihiko Akita

Takashi Hida

Hiroyuki Watanabe

Zhong-shan Zhu

Osamu Okazaki

Shuji Yamamoto

Sylvain Bougnoux

Jun c/o National University Corporation Sato

Makoto c/o Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Takagi

Toshiyasu c/o Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Katsuno

Toshiyasu c/o Toyota Jidosha Kab Kaisha Katsuno

Katia Fintzel

Christophe Vestri

A captured image including a preferential calibration index arranged in an exclusive region in a first plane and a non-preferential calibration index arranged in a common region is obtained. First, the coordinate position of the preferential calibration index is detected, and then the coordinate position of the non-preferential calibration index is calculated based on the positional relationship with the detected preferential calibration index. A homography between a captured-image surface of the image surface and the first plane is calculated based on the actual coordinate positions and the calculated coordinate positions representing the coordinates of at least four points, and camera calibration is performed using the homography.

Camera calibration apparatus

Planar calibration indices (c) including coordinate information of at least four points are placed on a first plane (S), and an image plane of the camera image including the calibration indices is input as a second plane (S). Points (c) existing on the second plane and corresponding to predetermined portions of the calibration indices are specified, and homography between the first plane and the second plane is computed, on the basis of the corresponding relationship of the at least four points included commonly in the first plane and the second plane, so that the camera image is calibrated. For example, a device is mounted on a vehicle, and four points, whose arrangement on a plane in 3D space is known, are used as calibration indices, and corresponding four points on the camera image, which correspond to them respectively, is achieved automatically.

Camera calibration method and camera calibration device

An object recognition apparatus that processes images, as acquired by an imaging means () mounted on a moving object, in a first image plane and a second image plane of different points of view, and recognizes an object in the vicinity of the moving object. The object recognition apparatus comprises: a feature point detection means () that detects feature points in first and second image planes of an object image; a fundamental matrix determination means () that determines, based on calculation of an epipole through the auto-epipolar property, a fundamental matrix that expresses a geometrically corresponding relationship based on translational camera movement, with not less than two pairs of feature points corresponding between the first and second image planes; and a three-dimensional position calculation means () that calculates a three-dimensional position of an object based on the coordinates of the object in the first and second image planes and the determined fundamental matrix.

Object recognition apparatus and object recognition method using epipolar geometry

There is provided an object recognizing apparatus capable of recognizing a shape of an object in a stable manner with a small amount of calculation, even when data of non-target object is mixedly contained. The object recognizing apparatus includes an object detecting section, a shape model setting section, a conformance degree calculating sectionand a profile shape determining section. The shape model setting sectionextract arbitrarily samples of a group of samples detected by the object detecting sectionand constituting surface shape information and then sets shape models. The conformance degree calculating sectioncalculates the conformance degree of each shape model. The setting of the shape model and calculation of conformance degree are effected up to a predetermined maximum number of times. The profile shape determining sectionis configured such that if a conformance degree exceeding a first reference value exists, then, the shape model having this conformance degree exceeding the first reference value is determined at once as the profile shape.

Object recognizing apparatus including profile shape determining section

There is provided an obstacle detection apparatus for detecting an obstacle based on an image of periphery of a vehicle and a distance to an obstacle present in the vehicle's periphery. The apparatus includes distance determining meansfor determining, in association with traveling of the vehicle along a direction, a distance to the obstacle present in a direction perpendicular to the vehicle traveling direction, image inputting meansfor obtaining a peripheral image having a view angle including the obstacle, subject-vehicle position specifying meansfor sequentially specifying a present position of the vehicle which changes in association the traveling of the vehicle, first-plane setting meansfor setting, as a first plane, a face of the obstacle which extends perpendicular to the horizontal plane and extends, at the same time, along the traveling direction of the vehicle, plane-edge estimating meansfor estimating an edge of the first plane relative to the vehicle moving direction, based on the distance and the position of the vehicle, image recognition area setting meansfor setting, as an image recognition area, an area included in the peripheral image and including the plane edge, image recognizing meansfor image-recognizing a shape characteristics of the obstacle in the image recognition area from the peripheral image, and three-dimensional shape recognizing meansfor recognizing the obstacle three-dimensionally, based on the first plane and result of the image recognition made by the image recognizing means

Obstacle detection apparatus

A calibration device for calibrating a range image sensor, detecting a distance of each direction within a detection range and generating a range image data, in a state where the range image sensor is attached at a mobile body, the calibration device includes a data receiving portion for receiving a calibration-subject data including a calibration target, which is set within the detection range and includes a first plane surface and a second plane surface, from the range image sensor, a plane surface specifying portion for specifying each of the first and second plane surfaces in a three-dimensional reference coordinate system, a normal vector calculating portion for three-dimensionally calculating a normal vector of each of the first and second plane surfaces, and a rotation calculating portion for three-dimensionally calculating a rotation of the range image sensor on the basis of an already-recognized posture information and the normal vector.

Calibration device and calibration method for range image sensor

A parking assist device detecting a parking stall line from an image, which is captured by a capturing portion; setting a parking target position on the basis of the parking stall line; and assisting the vehicle to travel to the parking target position; the parking assist device includes a vehicle detecting portion for detecting a movement of the vehicle, a memorizing portion for memorizing the movement detected by the vehicle detecting portion, as a vehicle moving trajectory, a temporary parking target position estimating portion for assuming a temporary parking target position on the basis of variations of the vehicle moving trajectory, which has been memorized by the memorizing portion, and a parking stall line searching area setting portion for setting a parking stall line searching area, within which a parking stall line is searched on the basis of the temporary parking target position.

Parking assist device

A device for detecting a road traveling lane, which is capable of stably defining a position of a boundary of a traveling lane. The device has edge point detection means (ED) for detecting a plurality of edge points in a contour on an image, edge histogram producing means (HD) for producing a vertical edge histogram for horizontal elements of the plurality of edge points, block marking line determination means (BD) for determining presence and absence of a block-like marking line on the basis of periodicity of distribution and a combination of distributions of plus edges and minus edges in the vertical edge histogram, and lane boundary edge detection means (MD) for detecting vertical edge points present outside (relative to the center of the traveling lane) of a region where the block-like marking line is present. And, according to lane boundary position defining means (LD), it is so constituted to define a position of a curve fitted to the vertical edge points, as the position of the boundary of the traveling lane.

Device for detecting a road traveling lane using an edge histogram

A movable body circumstance monitoring apparatus includes element for capturing an image of a surrounding of a movable body depending upon movement of the movable body, deriving at least four feature points in a specified flat at the image, tracking the feature points in response to movement of the movable body from a first state to a second state, and specifying relative position and posture of the element for capturing the image at the first and second states in response to first flat coordinates of the feature points at the first state and second flat coordinates of the feature points at the second state based upon a tracking result.

Movable body circumstance monitoring apparatus

A front camera for filming an area stretching forwards is disposed in a front portion of a vehicle. A side camera for filming an area stretching laterally and diagonally forwards is disposed in a lateral-left portion of the vehicle. An indicator display that can be visually recognized by a driver is disposed in a compartment of the vehicle. An amount of change in the direction of the vehicle, that is, a deflection angle of the vehicle is detected on the basis of a vehicle speed and a steering angle of a steering wheel, which have been detected by means of various sensors. After the indicator display has started displaying a lateral photo image filmed by the side camera, the photo image displayed by the indicator display is shifted from the lateral photo image filmed by the side camera to a front photo image filmed by the front camera if the deflection angle has reached a predetermined angle.

Vehicle periphery monitor

A back camera image from a back camera mounted on a rear portion of a vehicle body is displayed on a display mounted on the console inside the vehicle cabin when the vehicle is parallel parking. After the vehicle passes a steering direction reversal point in this state, a corner camera image from a corner camera mounted on a corner portion of a front portion of the vehicle body is displayed on the display when the vehicle nears a vehicle parked in front, or, more specifically, when an angle of the vehicle after it has reached the steering direction reversal point has reached a predetermined value. Guidance images may be overlaid upon the camera images during some or all of the parallel parking maneuver.

Device for monitoring area around vehicle

An on-vehicle camera calibration device is provided and a method of calibrating an on-vehicle camera easily is carried out by using a calibration indicator other than a three dimensional one. The calibration indicator makes it possible to set camera parameters to form an image on an arbitrary portion of a screen. The calibration indicator is in the form of a planar calibration indicator TB. A camera picked-up image including the calibration indicator TB is displayed on a screen on which a window is also displayed in superposed fashion. The position of the window is changed in a 2D image coordinate system. The position of the window is adjusted by manipulating an adjust button 7 so that the calibration indicator TB falls within the window. When the calibration indicator TB is placed in the window in coincident fashion, the resultant camera parameters (unknown roll &thgr; r, tilt angle &thgr; t, and pan angle &thgr; p) are set as camera parameters of the camera 17.

On-vehicle camera calibration device

A parking assisting apparatus is provided in which even a beginner can relaxedly park a vehicle and parking operation is pertinently assisted. The apparatus provides a cameras for taking an image rearwardly of a vehicle during parking the vehicle. The image from the camera is displayed on a display provided inside the vehicle as a rear image and a running prediction locus is displayed which varies in accordance with the state of a steering wheel angle to overlap the rear image. A longitudinal line parking switch instructs the vehicle to park along a longitudinal line and when the longitudinal line parking is instructed there is displayed a running prediction locus having a point of inflection in accordance with the steering wheel angle.

Parking assisting apparatus

A parking assisting apparatus displays an image of a rear view from a vehicle, which is acquired by a camera, on a display located in a passenger compartment, thus assisting in a parking procedure. The parking procedure assisted by the parking assisting apparatus is, for example, a parallel parking procedure in which the rotating direction of the steering wheel must be switched. An assumed path along which the vehicle is moved during the parking procedure is determined in accordance with the steering angle of the steering wheel when the parking procedure is started. In the parking procedure, the display indicates a steering information that informs the driver of a timing at which the rotating direction of the steering wheel must be switched, in accordance with the assumed path.

A parking assist apparatus which enables even an inexperienced driver to park with no difficulty or anxiety assists the parking operation by taking an image rearwardly of a vehicle during the parking operation by a camera, indicating an estimated locus of the vehicle overlapping with the rearward images on a display, indicating a first estimated locus in accordance with a steering angle of the vehicle at an initial stage of the parking operation on the display, fixing the first estimated locus at a predetermined condition to have the locus as an target locus, indicating the second estimated locus varied in accordance with the change of the steering angle during the parking operation on the display, and guiding the second estimated locus to be in accord with a fixed target locus.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Toshiaki Kakinami