Surrounding information-obtaining device for working vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9300954-B2
Application number	US-201314429753-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2013
Priority date	Sep 21, 2012
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

At an end portion of a telescopic boom of a crane, a stereo camera which measures a distance from the end portion to an object is provided, and an image-processing controller which obtains three-dimensional position information of the object based on the crane as reference from measurement data to the object by the stereo camera is provided, and three-dimensional position information of an object in a surrounding area centering on the crane by the moving the telescopic boom is obtained.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A surrounding information-obtaining device for a working vehicle, comprising:
a three-dimensional position-measuring device which includes an imaging device which is installed at an end portion of a boom of the working vehicle and images a surrounding area of the working vehicle, and measures a three-dimensional position of a feature point of a surrounding construction in a crane coordinate system in which a predetermined position is taken as an origin by image recognition of an image imaged by the imaging device, and
a three-dimensional position information-obtaining device which obtains three-dimensional position information of the construction from measured data of the three-dimensional position of the feature point of the surrounding construction measured by the three-dimensional position-measuring device,
wherein the three-dimensional position information-obtaining device obtains three-dimensional position information of the construction by obtaining and storing a position of the construction around the working vehicle in a plane coordinate system in which the working vehicle is taken as a center and a height of the construction, while moving the boom.

2. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the three-dimensional position information-obtaining device calculates a position of the imaging device in the crane coordinate system based on a position of a reference point provided beforehand on the working vehicle on an image imaged by the imaging device, and obtains the three-dimensional position information based on the position of the imaging device.

3. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 2 ,
wherein the reference point includes three points provided on the working vehicle.

4. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 1 , comprising:
a map-making processor which obtains the height of the construction in the surrounding area of the working vehicle from three-dimensional position information obtained by the three-dimensional position information-obtaining device, and makes a map as viewed in plan view which shows height information of the construction; and
a display which displays a map made by the map-making processor.

5. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional position-measuring device is a stereo camera, and
the three-dimensional position information-obtaining device has an image processor which processes an image imaged by the stereo camera, and
the image processor has a calculator which calculates, based on an image including a reference object representing a height from the ground, a three-dimensional position of the reference object with respect to the stereo camera, and based on an image including the construction a three-dimensional position of which is to be obtained, a three-dimensional position of the construction with respect to the stereo camera, and calculates the three-dimensional position of the construction with respect to the three-dimensional position of the reference object.

6. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 5 ,
wherein the stereo camera is constituted of two monitoring cameras, and a distance between optical axes of the two monitoring cameras is defined as a baseline length, and the two monitoring cameras are arranged to place the end portion of the boom between them in a width direction.

7. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 6 , comprising:
a monitor which is capable of switching and displaying an image imaged by either one of the two monitoring cameras.

8. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 7 ,
wherein on a screen of the monitor, an image imaged by a monitoring camera which is arranged on a side close to a driver's seat of the working vehicle of the two monitoring cameras is preferentially displayed.

9. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the three-dimensional position-measuring device is a stereo camera, and the three-dimensional position information-obtaining device has an image processor which processes an image imaged by the stereo camera, and
the image processor has a calculator which calculates, based on an image including a reference object representing a height from the ground, a distance in a height direction from the stereo camera to the reference object, and calculates, based on an image including the construction the height of which is to be obtained, a distance in a height direction from the stereo camera to the construction, and calculates a height of the construction with respect to the reference object by subtracting the distance in the height direction to the construction from the distance in the height direction to the reference object.

10. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 9 ,
wherein the calculator calculates the height of the construction from the ground by adding a distance from the ground to the reference object.

11. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the three-dimensional position-measuring device is a monocular camera which is installed at the end portion of the boom on the crane, and
the three-dimensional position information-obtaining device has an image-storing device which stores two images of first and second images imaged by the monocular camera, while the monocular camera moves in accordance with movement of the boom, and an image calculation-processing device which obtains a three-dimensional position of the construction which is being imaged from the two images of the first and second images stored in the image-storing device and a distance between optical axes of the first and second images.

12. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 11 ,
wherein the image calculation-processing device has an extractor which extracts a feature point of the construction from each of the first and second images, and an operation part which obtains a three-dimensional position of the construction based on a position of the feature point of the construction on each of the images extracted by the extractor and the distance between the optical axes.

13. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein during the movement of the boom, the three-dimensional position of the construction is continuously obtained.

14. The surrounding information-obtaining device for the working vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein when the boom is turned, the three-dimensional position of the construction already obtained is updated to a three-dimensional position obtained at the time of the turn.

15. A surrounding information-obtaining device for a working vehicle, comprising:
a three-dimensional position-measuring device which includes an imaging device, which is installed at an end portion of a boom of the working vehicle and images a surrounding area of the working vehicle, and measures a three-dimensional position of a feature point of a surrounding object in a crane coordinate system in which a predetermined position is taken as an origin by image recognition of an image imaged by the imaging device, and
a three-dimensional position information-obtaining device which obta

Assignees

• Tadano Ltd

Inventors

• Tanizumi Kazuya
• Ishikawa Iwao
• Tsuda Kazuaki
• Fujiwara Shuji
• Munekiyo Masayuki

Classifications

• B66C13/46 Primary

  Position indicators for suspended loads or for crane elements · CPC title

• H04N17/002 Primary

  for television cameras · CPC title

• G01B11/245

  using a plurality of fixed, simultaneously operating transducers ({G01B11/2408 - G01B11/2425, } G01B11/255 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01C11/06

  by comparison of two or more pictures of the same area · CPC title

• B66C23/88

  Safety gear (for cranes in general B66C15/00; for rope, cable, or chain winding mechanisms B66D1/54) · CPC title