Method and device for monitoring a surrounding region of a vehicle, and method for implementing emergency braking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10074181-B2
Application number	US-201414655601-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2014
Priority date	Jan 14, 2013
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A method for monitoring a vehicle's surrounding region, includes reading in a distance image pertaining to the surrounding region, the distance image including distance values representing the result of a multiplicity of distance measurements, which are performed with a sensor for stereo image recording based on a method for calculating a stereo disparity map concerning the surrounding region sensed by the sensor. In a selecting, a cut-away portion from the distance image is selected, and in a detecting, an obstacle located in the surrounding region is detected using the distance values included in the cut-away portion. In an ascertaining, a number of relevant distance values is ascertained, which represent distance values included in the cut-away portion that are allocatable to the obstacle. In an ascertaining, a value of an existence measure for the existence of the obstacle is determined, based on the number and quality of relevant distance values.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for monitoring a surrounding region of a vehicle, the method comprising:
reading in a distance image with the aid of a sensor for stereo image recording and pertaining to the surrounding region of the vehicle sensed by the sensor, the distance image being a disparity map;
assigning a distance value to each pixel of the distance image based on a brightness of the corresponding pixel;
selecting a cut-away portion from the distance image, the cut-away portion being selected based on a correspondence of the cut-away portion to an area of the surrounding region situated at a predefined height above a ground surface;
detecting an obstacle located in the surrounding region using the distance values assigned to the pixels in the cut-away portion;
ascertaining (i) a count of relevant distance values representing the distance values that are assigned to the pixels included in the cut-away portion and are allocate-able to the obstacle, and (ii) a quality of the relevant distance values that are assigned to the pixels included in the cut-away portion and are allocate-able to the object, wherein the distance values are relevant if the distance values lie within a predefined collision-relevant distance, and wherein the quality of the relevant distance values is a measure of a probability that the distance values lie within the predefined collision-relevant distance;
ascertaining a value of an existence measure for an existence of the obstacle within the cut-away portion, based on the count of the relevant distance values and the quality of the relevant distance values; and
implementing an emergency braking operation as a function of the value of the existence measure.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
supplying a warning signal if the value of the existence measure represents an actual presence of the obstacle within the cut-away portion.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
checking an emergency braking operation of the vehicle required to avoid a collision between the vehicle and the obstacle, using the warning signal.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the selecting, a cut-away portion situated in the center of the distance image is selected as the cut-away portion.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the selecting, an edge of the cut-away portion facing the ground surface is selected so that in the presence of an obstacle situated at the predefined collision-relevant distance from the sensor, the cut-away portion detects the obstacle starting from the predefined height above the ground surface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the value of the existence measure is determined in the ascertaining as a function of a relationship between the count of the relevant distance values and the quality of the relevant distance values and a total count of the distance values included in the cut-away portion, or a relationship between the count of the relevant distance values and the quality of the relevant distance values and a number of the other distance values included in the cut-away portion.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the value of the existence measure is determined in the ascertaining so that the value of the existence measure indicates the actual existence of the obstacle within the cut-away portion if the number of the relevant distance values exceeds a threshold value.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
ascertaining a distance from the obstacle using the relevant distance values.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein in the ascertaining, a relative velocity between the obstacle and the vehicle is ascertained using the distance.

10. A method for implementing emergency braking of a vehicle to avoid a collision or to mitigate the severity of the consequences of a collision between the vehicle and an obstacle located in a surrounding region of the vehicle, the method comprising:
monitoring a surrounding region of a vehicle to ascertain a value of an existence measure for an existence of the obstacle, by performing the following:
reading in a distance with the aid of a sensor for stereo image recording and pertaining to the surrounding region of the vehicle sensed by the sensor, the distance image being a disparity map;
assigning a distance value to each pixel of the distance image based on a brightness of the corresponding pixel;
selecting a cut-away portion from the distance image, the cut-away portion being selected based on a correspondence of the cut-away portion to an area of the surrounding region situated at a predefined height above a ground surface;
detecting an obstacle located in the surrounding region using the distance values assigned to the pixels in the cut-away portion;
ascertaining (i) a count of relevant distance values representing the distance values that are assigned to the pixels included in the cut-away portion and are allocate-able to the obstacle, and (ii) a quality of the relevant distance values that are assigned to the pixels included in the cut-away portion and are allocate-able to the object, wherein the distance values are relevant if the distance values lie within a predefined collision-relevant distance, and wherein the quality of the relevant distance values is a measure of a probability that the distance values lie within the predefined collision-relevant distance;
ascertaining a value of an existence measure for an existence of the obstacle within the cut-away portion, based on the count of the relevant distance values and the quality of the relevant distance values; and
implementing the emergency braking operation as a function of the value of the existence measure.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
supplying a warning signal if the value of the existence measure represents an actual presence of the obstacle within the cut-away portion.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
checking an emergency braking operation of the vehicle required to avoid a collision between the vehicle and the obstacle, using the warning signal.

13. A device for monitoring a surrounding region of a vehicle, comprising:
a reading arrangement to read in a distance image with the aid of a sensor for stereo image recording and pertaining to the surrounding region of the vehicle sensed by the sensor, the distance image being a disparity map;
an assigning arrangement to assign a distance value to each pixel of the distance image based on a brightness of the corresponding pixel;
a selecting arrangement to select a cut-away portion from the distance image, the cut-away portion being selected based on a correspondence of the cut-away portion to an area of the surrounding region situated at a predefined height above a ground surface;
a detecting arrangement to detect an obstacle located in the surrounding region using the distance values assigned to the pixels in the cut-away portion;
an first ascertaining arrangement to ascertain (i) a count of relevant distance values, which represent the distance values that are assigned to the pixels included in the cut-away portion and are allocated to the obstacle, and (ii) a quality of the relevant distance values that are assigned to the pixels included in the cut-away portion and are allocate-able to the object, wherein the distance values are relevant if the distance values lie within a predefined collision-relevant distance, and wherein the quality of the relevant distance values is a measure of a probability that the distance values lie within the predefined collision-relevant distance;
a second ascertaining arrangement to ascertain a value of an existence measure for an existence of the obstacle wit

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Branz Wolfgang
• Danz Christian
• Sangorrin Jorge Sans

Classifications

• G06V10/22

  by selection of a specific region containing or referencing a pattern; Locating or processing of specific regions to guide the detection or recognition · CPC title

• B60T7/22

  initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle {, or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle} · CPC title

• H04N13/204

  using stereoscopic image cameras (stereoscopic photography G03B35/00) · CPC title

• G06T2207/10012

  Stereo images · CPC title

• G06T7/73 Primary

  using feature-based methods · CPC title