Stereo camera apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9443313-B2
Application number	US-201514692276-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2015
Priority date	Mar 12, 2010
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A stereo camera apparatus which carries out distance measuring stably and with high accuracy by making measuring distance resolution variable according to a distance to an object is provided. A stereo camera apparatus 1 takes in two images, changes resolution of a partial area of each image that is taken in, and calculates a distance from a vehicle to an object that is imaged in the partial area, based on disparity of the partial area of each image in which resolution is changed. Thus, even when the object exists at a long distance and is small in size, distance measuring processing can be carried out stably.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A stereo camera apparatus which measures a distance to a three-dimensional object, using two images picked up by two cameras, comprising:
an image capture unit which takes in the two images;
an image generating processor which changes resolution of a partial area of each image taken in by the image capture unit; and
a distance calculating processor which calculates a distance from the vehicle to a three-dimensional object that is imaged in the partial area, based on disparity of the partial area of each image in which resolution is changed by the image generating processor;
wherein the image generating processor changes the resolution of the partial area of each image based on the distance from the vehicle to the three-dimensional object, such that a number of pixels in which the three-dimensional object is included becomes a number of pixels that is preset according to a structural type of the three-dimensional object; and
wherein the image generating processor changes the resolution to a higher resolution when the distance from the vehicle to the three-dimensional object is longer than a preset first standard distance, and the image generating processor changes the resolution to the higher resolution by improving the resolution in vertical direction only, the resolution in the vertical direction being even in each partial area.

2. A stereo camera apparatus which measures a distance to a three-dimensional object, using two images picked up by two cameras, comprising:
an image capture unit which takes in the two images;
an image generating processor which changes resolution of a partial area of each image taken in by the image capture unit; and
a distance calculating processor which calculates a distance from the vehicle to a three-dimensional object that is imaged in the partial area, based on disparity of the partial area of each image in which resolution is changed by the image generating processor;
wherein the image generating processor changes the resolution of the partial area of each image based on the distance from the vehicle to the three-dimensional object, such that a number of pixels in which the three-dimensional object is included becomes a number of pixels that is preset according to a structural type of the three-dimensional object;
wherein, when plural three-dimensional objects are imaged in the partial area, the image generating processor selects a three-dimensional object with top priority based on an order of priority, and decides the resolution of the partial area of each image based on the selected three-dimensional object,
wherein the stereo camera apparatus further comprises a plurality of systems that utilize information of the distance, and
wherein the image generating processor selects the three-dimensional object with the top priority based on the order of priority according to the system that is operating.

Assignees

• Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Muramatsu Shoji
• Higuchi Mirai
• Monji Tatsuhiko
• Yokota Soichiro
• Sakano Morihiko
• Shima Takeshi

Classifications

• G06T2207/10012

  Stereo images · CPC title

• G06K9/00805

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T7/0075 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T2207/30261

  Obstacle · CPC title

• G01C3/06

  Use of electric means to obtain final indication · CPC title