Method and device for operating a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9682655-B2
Application number	US-201514629188-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2015
Priority date	Aug 23, 2012
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

In a method or corresponding device for operating a vehicle equipped with a first and a second camera configured to capture a surrounding region around the vehicle, the cameras respectively capture an individual image of a first field of view and a second field of view. The fields of view overlap in an overlapping region. An object correction is performed as a function of image data of the individual images, in which object correction a distance of objects imaged in the second individual image is respectively determined from a predetermined reference point. An angle of the respective object is respectively determined in relation to a predetermined reference axis. Whether the respective object is situated in the overlapping region is determined on the basis of the determined angle and distance of the respective object. Should this be the case, the respective object is removed from the second individual image. Subsequently, an overall image is determined after performing the object correction, which overall image is composed as a function of the first individual image and the second individual image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a vehicle equipped with first and second cameras configured to capture an area surrounding the vehicle, the first camera having a first field of view, capturing a first individual image of the first field of view, and providing first image data of the first individual image, and the second camera having a second field of view overlapping the first field of view in an overlap region, capturing a second individual image of the second field of view, and providing second image data of the second individual image, the method comprising the acts of:
performing an object correction as a function of the first and second image data, the performing of the object correction comprising the acts of:
(i) determining, respectively, a distance of objects imaged in the second individual image from a predetermined reference point;
(ii) determining, respectively, an angle of a respective object in relation to a predetermined reference axis;
(iii) determining, based on the determined distance and the determined angle of the respective object, whether the respective object is located in the overlap region; and
(v) if the determined respective object is located in the overlap region, removing the respective object from the second individual image; and

determining an overall image, after performing the object correction, wherein the overall image is composed as a function of the first individual image and the second individual image.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle:
includes a first-side camera, which is arranged in a region of a first vehicle side;
includes a second-side camera, which is arranged in a region of a second vehicle side; and
includes a rear camera, which is arranged in a tail-end region of the vehicle, the method further comprising the acts of:
performing the object correction in terms of the first-side camera as the second camera and the rear camera as the first camera; and
further performing the object correction in terms of the second-side camera as the second camera and the rear camera as the first camera, and wherein the overall image is determined after performing the object correction, which overall image is composed as a function of the respective individual images of the first-side camera, the rear camera and the second-side camera.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle:
includes a first-side camera, which is arranged in a region of a first vehicle side;
includes a second-side camera, which is arranged in a region of a second vehicle side; and
includes a rear camera, which is arranged in a tail-end region of the vehicle, the method further comprising the acts of:
performing the object correction in terms of the first-side camera as the first camera and the rear camera as the second camera;
further performing the object correction in terms of the second-side camera as the first camera and the rear camera as the second camera, and wherein the overall image is determined after performing the object correction, which overall image is composed as a function of the respective individual images of the first-side camera, the rear camera and the second-side camera.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle:
includes a first-side camera, which is arranged in a region of a first vehicle side;
includes a second-side camera, which is arranged in a region of a second vehicle side; and
includes a rear camera, which is arranged in a tail-end region of the vehicle, the method further comprising the acts of:
performing the object correction in terms of the first-side camera as the first camera and the rear camera as the second camera; and
further performing the object correction in terms of the second-side camera as the second camera and the rear camera as the first camera, and wherein the overall image is determined after performing the object correction, which overall image is composed as a function of the respective individual images of the first-side camera, the rear camera and the second-side camera.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle:
includes a first-side camera, which is arranged in a region of a first vehicle side;
includes a second-side camera, which is arranged in a region of a second vehicle side; and
includes a rear camera, which is arranged in a tail-end region of the vehicle, the method further comprising the acts of:
performing the object correction in terms of the first-side camera as the second camera and the rear camera as the first camera; and
further performing the object correction in terms of the second-side camera as the first camera and the rear camera as the second camera, and wherein the overall image is determined after performing the object correction, which overall image is composed as a function of the respective individual images of the first-side camera, the rear camera and the second-side camera.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the overall image covers a field of view of at least approximately 180°.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the vehicle includes distance sensors, which are configured to detect a distance of the vehicle from object points in the area surrounding the vehicle, and
the distance from the respective object is established as a function of measurement values from the distance sensors.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the act of determining the distance from the respective object as a function of image data from the first and/or the second camera by way of triangulation.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein at least the first and/or the second camera is a stereo camera.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least the first and/or the second camera is a stereo camera.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the acts of:
determining if at least one object lies both within the overlap region and outside of the overlap region;
if the object lies both within and outside of the overlap region, adapting a transition region of the overall image, which transition region is characteristic for a region of the overall image in which image contents of the first individual image are adjacent to image contents of the second individual image, by way of an image transform so that respective edges, which correspond to one another, of the object lying both within and outside of the overlap region, merge into one another in the transition region.

12. A vehicle, comprising:
a first camera configured to capture images of an area surrounding the vehicle, the first camera having a first field of view, capturing a first individual image of the first field of view, and providing first image data of the first individual image;
a second camera configured to capture an area surrounding the vehicle, the second camera having a second field of view, capturing the second individual image of the second field of view, which second field of view overlaps the first field of view in an overlap region, and providing second image data of the second individual image; and
a control unit coupled to receive the provided first and second image data, the control unit executing an object correction program that:
determines, respectively, a distance from objects imaged in the second individual image from a predetermined reference point;
determines, respectively, an angle of a respective object in relation to a predetermined reference axis;
determines, based on the determined distance and angle of the respective object, whether the respective object is located in the overlap region;
removes the respective object from the second individual i

Assignees

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Graef Michael

Classifications

• B60R2300/105

  using multiple cameras · CPC title

• G06T2207/30252

  Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle · CPC title

• G06T7/74

  involving reference images or patches · CPC title

• B60R2300/50

  characterised by the display information being shared, e.g. external display, data transfer to other traffic participants or centralised traffic controller · CPC title

• B60R2300/107

  using stereoscopic cameras · CPC title