US 12,309,488 B2
Traveling environment recognition apparatus
Ryosuke Namba, Tokyo (JP); Masato Mizoguchi, Tokyo (JP); and Hajime Oyama, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jan. 19, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/578,901.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-019217 (JP), filed on Feb. 9, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0256082 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
Int. Cl. H04N 23/667 (2023.01); G01C 21/30 (2006.01); G06T 7/20 (2017.01); G06T 7/70 (2017.01); G06V 10/98 (2022.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01)
CPC H04N 23/667 (2023.01) [G01C 21/30 (2013.01); G06T 7/20 (2013.01); G06T 7/70 (2017.01); G06V 10/98 (2022.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); G06T 2207/30252 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A traveling environment recognition apparatus to be applied to a vehicle, the traveling environment recognition apparatus comprising:
a camera configured to have a first imaging mode having a first non-zero frame rate and a second imaging mode having a second non-zero frame rate that is higher than the frame rate of the first imaging mode, and capture an image of a traveling environment surrounding the vehicle;
an imaging mode switching unit configured to:
assess positioning accuracy of a position of the vehicle that is estimated based on positioning signals received from positioning satellites;
drive the camera in the first imaging mode in response to assessing that the positioning accuracy is a first accuracy level; and
drive the camera in the second imaging mode in response to assessing that the positioning accuracy is a second accuracy level that is lower accuracy than the first accuracy level; and
a first traveling environment recognition unit configured to:
acquire first traveling environment information on the traveling environment surrounding the vehicle based on the image captured by the camera that is in either the first imaging mode or the second imaging mode; and
calculate a movement amount of the vehicle based on an optical flow in the image;
a second traveling environment recognition unit configured to:
calculate position coordinates of the vehicle in a real space based on positioning signals received from positioning satellites;
in response to determining that the camera is in the first imaging mode, estimate a position of the vehicle on a road map based on the position coordinates;
in response to determining that the camera is in the second imaging mode, estimate the position of the vehicle on the road map based on the movement amount of the vehicle obtained based on the optical flow; and
acquire second traveling environment information on the traveling environment surrounding the vehicle from road map information.