Camera adjustment system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11102415-B2
Application number	US-202016994333-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2020
Priority date	Jun 27, 2018
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A camera adjustment system includes a camera, an actuator, an inertial-measurement-unit, and one or more controller-circuits. The camera renders an image of lane-markings of a roadway traveled by a host-vehicle. The actuator is operable for controlling an aim-direction of the camera. The inertial-measurement-unit detects relative-movement of the host-vehicle. The one or more controller-circuits are in communication with the camera, the actuator, and the inertial-measurement-unit. The one or more controller-circuits determine whether a range-of-detection of the lane-markings in the image is less than a detection-threshold and adjust the aim-direction based on the relative-movement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a controller circuit configured to:
receive image data representing a captured image of lane markings of a roadway traveled by a vehicle;
determine a region of interest within the image indicative of a future path of the vehicle;
determine whether the lane markings in the region of interest are detectable at a distance greater than a threshold;
adjust, with an actuator operable to control the direction of an optical axis of the camera, an aim direction of a camera when the lane markings are not detectable at the distance greater than the threshold; and
recalibrate, based on the aim direction, extrinsic parameters of the camera that link a camera position and orientation to a calibration plane.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the controller circuit adjusts the aim direction by an incremental amount and thereby determines whether the lane markings in the image are detectable at the distance greater than the threshold.

3. The system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the controller circuit generates and updates a road model for controlling the vehicle in a travel lane based on the images of the lane markings captured by the camera.

4. The system in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the lane markings include one or more of lane markings from the travel lane traveled by the vehicle and lane markings from an adjacent lane to the travel lane.

5. The system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the controller circuit repeatedly adjusts the aim direction by the incremental amount until the lane markings are detectable at the distance greater than the threshold.

6. The system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the incremental amount is less than one degree in any one of three axes of the camera coordinate system.

7. The system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the controller circuit adjusts the incremental amount at a rate of less than one degree per 100 milliseconds.

8. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the region of interest includes a source of light that saturates an imager of the camera.

9. The system in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the source of light is one of sun light, light from another vehicle, and reflected light.

10. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the threshold is less than 50 meters.

11. A method, comprising:
receiving, with a controller circuit, image data representing a captured image of lane markings of a roadway traveled by a vehicle;
determining a region of interest within the image indicative of a future path of the vehicle;
determining whether the lane markings in the image are detectable at a distance greater than a threshold;
adjusting, with an actuator operable to control the direction of an optical axis of the camera, an aim direction of a camera when the lane markings are not detectable at the distance greater than the threshold; and
recalibrating, based on the aim direction, extrinsic parameters of the camera that link a camera position and orientation to a calibration plane.

12. The method in accordance with claim 11 , wherein adjusting the aim direction comprises adjusting the aim direction by an incremental amount and thereby determines whether the lane markings in the image are detectable at the distance greater than the threshold.

13. The method in accordance with claim 12 , further comprising:
generating or updating, based on the images of the lane markings captured by the camera, a road model for controlling the vehicle in a travel lane.

14. The method in accordance with claim 13 , wherein the lane markings include one or more of lane markings from the travel lane traveled by the vehicle and lane markings from an adjacent lane to the travel lane.

15. The method in accordance with claim 12 , wherein adjusting the aim direction comprises adjusting the aim direction by the incremental amount until the lane markings are detectable at the distance greater than the threshold.

16. The method in accordance with claim 12 , wherein the incremental amount is less than one degree in any one of three axes of the camera coordinate system.

17. The method in accordance with claim 12 , wherein adjusting the aim direction comprises adjusting the incremental amount at a rate of less than one degree per 100 milliseconds.

18. The method in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the region of interest includes a source of light that saturates an imager of the camera.

19. The method in accordance with claim 18 , wherein the source of light is one of sun light, light from another vehicle, and reflected light.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions for causing one or more computing devices of a system to:
receive image data representing a captured image of lane markings of a roadway traveled by a vehicle;
determine a region of interest within the image indicative of a future path of the vehicle;
determine whether the lane markings in the region of interest are detectable at a distance greater than a threshold;
adjust an aim direction of a camera, with an actuator operable to control the direction of an optical axis of the camera, when the lane markings are not detectable at the distance greater than the threshold; and
recalibrate, based on the aim direction, extrinsic parameters of the camera that link a camera position and orientation to a calibration plane.

Assignees

• Aptiv Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Moawad Mohamed A
• Samiei Ehsan
• Kosiak Walter K

Classifications

• B60W30/12

  Lane keeping · CPC title

• G06V10/245

  by locating a pattern; Special marks for positioning · CPC title

• H04N23/69

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title

• G06V20/588 Primary

  Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road · CPC title

• B60W2554/00

  Input parameters relating to objects · CPC title