Abstract: A vehicle capable of preventing detection of stud-type lane marks from being impossible and a vehicle having a lane mark recognizer are provided. The vehicle includes installation interval recognizing means (21) which recognizes an interval (L) between Botts Dots, vehicle speed recognizing means (22) which recognizes a traveling speed (v) of the vehicle, image synthesizing means (13) which generates synthesized image data (M3) by combining image data (M1) stored in an image memory (11) through an image input circuit (10) and image data (M2) stored in an image memory (12) through the same, imaging timing determining means (20) which determines the timing of imaging by a camera (2) on the basis of the interval (L) and the traveling speed (v) when acquiring the image data (M1, M2) in such a way that the positions of the Botts Dots in the image data (M1, M2) are different therebetween, and Botts Dots detecting means (14) which detects the Botts Dots from the synthesized image data (M3).

Abstract: A vehicle travel support device capable of properly controlling the operation of a steering device and the like from the viewpoint of supporting the travel of a vehicle stably even in a situation where a travel area is inappropriately demarcated by right and left lane marks at both sides, wherein a virtual travel area can be set as a travel area when a first condition is satisfied, that is, when the separation between the right and the left lane marks in width direction of a road increases to an inappropriate extent from the viewpoint of demarcating the travel area because the separation therebetween gradually increases as the distance from the vehicle increases. The operation of a steering device and the like is so controlled that the vehicle will not depart from the virtual travel area set as the travel area.

Abstract: A vehicle travel support device capable of continuing operation even when the recognition accuracy of a lane mark has been degraded, and the like, wherein the degree of control on the operation of a steering device or the like is set higher as the reliability of a lane mark becomes higher. In a state in which the reliability of a travel area demarcated by the lane mark is high, a vehicle's travel is relatively strongly or actively supported so that the vehicle will not depart from the travel area. On the other hand, the degree of control on the operation of the steering device or the like is set lower as the reliability of the lane mark is lower. In a state in which the reliability of the travel area demarcated by the lane mark is low, the vehicle's travel is relatively weakly or passively supported so that the vehicle will not depart from the travel area.

Abstract: The lane mark recognition device is equipped with a lane mark detecting unit which executes a lane mark detection process in each predetermined control cycle, and adds a detection presence/absence data to a ring buffer, a detection presence/absence data addition inhibiting unit which inhibits addition of the detection presence/absence data to the ring buffer when the vehicle is traveling in the intersection, and a lane mark position recognizing unit which recognizes a relative position of the vehicle and the lane mark, when the lane mark is detected in the situation where a lane mark detection rate calculated from the data of the ring buffer is higher than a reliability threshold value.

Abstract: A lane recognition device recognizes a lane along which a vehicle travels by detecting a lane mark provided on the road to define the lane, from an image of the road acquired via an image acquisition device mounted on the vehicle. The lane recognition device is equipped with an object detection unit which detects an object other than the lane mark existing ahead of the vehicle, and a lane mark detection unit which detects the lane mark on the basis of the data from which the area corresponding to the object detected by the object detection unit is removed. By doing so, when recognizing the lane along which the vehicle travels by detecting the lane mark from the image of the road, the recognition accuracy of the lane is improved by appropriately removing influence of the object other than the lane mark captured in the image of the road.

Abstract: The present invention includes: image capturing means (2) which captures a color image of a road via imaging means (7); area extraction means (6) which extracts areas having a similar color feature value from the captured color image of the road; white balance processing means (5) which performs, for each of the extracted areas, a white balance process of correcting each pixel data in the extracted area so as to reduce the degree of divergence in the level between color components according to a level balance between the color components of the pixel data in the extracted area; and road sign detection means (6) which detects a road sign on the road from the color image subjected to the white balance process. Thus, even if the road illumination state is partially different, it is possible to accurately detect a road sign such as a lane mark from the captured color image of the road via the imaging means such as a camera.

Abstract: A vehicle and road sign recognition device each includes: image capturing means (2) which captures a color image of a road via imaging means (6); feature value calculation means (4) which calculates a feature value of each pixel corresponding to the color of a road sign on the road from the color components of each pixel in the color image so as to reduce the effect of brightness on the color components; and road sign detection means (5) which detects the road sign on the road from the feature image in which the feature value of each pixel in the color image is arranged so as to match with the position of each pixel in the color image. Thus, it is possible to accurately detect a road sign such as a lane mark from the color image of the road captured via the imaging means such as a camera even if the road illumination state is partially different.

Abstract: An image processing system and the like capable of recognizing a lane mark in a road image with high accuracy are provided even if a light illumination state on a road surface is partially different. According to the image processing system (100) mounted on a vehicle (10), a color component (Rij, Gij, Bij) of the first pixel (Pij) included in an area (Aij) set in the road image is corrected with reference to a color component (Rik, Gik, Bik) of a second pixel (Pik) in view of a fact that it is highly probable that the color component of the second pixel included in the area along with the first pixel is affected by a shadow or light on the road surface. This reduces the effect of the shadow or light on the road surface and the actual color of a road surface portion corresponding to the first pixel can be sufficiently reflected in the color components (Rij, Gij, Bij) of the first pixel (Pij) and consequently in a feature value (Qij).

Abstract: A lane mark recognition apparatus includes an image capturing means (30) which captures a color image (IM—0) of a road via a color video camera (10), a specific-color-extracted image generating means (31) which generates a luminance-extracted image (IM—1) obtained by extracting white-color data from the color image (IM—0) and a yellow-color-extracted image (IM—2) obtained by extracting yellow-color data from the color image (IM—0), and a lane mark detection means (50a) which detects a white line and a yellow line from a composite image (IM_C) formed from the luminance-extracted image (IM—1) and the yellow-color-extracted image (IM—2) and outputs position data (Pd1) of the white line and position data (Pd2) of the yellow line.

Abstract: A lane recognizing device comprises: an image processing means which performs a process of estimating a lane of a road by processing an image of the road and outputs a result of the process as first lane information; a lane estimating means which performs a process of estimating the lane using a map data of the road and the current position information of a vehicle and outputs a result of the process as second lane information; and an actual lane recognizing means which recognizes an actual lane of the road on the basis of the first lane information and the second lane information. Thereby, even if there is an unpredictable skid mark or road repaired part, it is possible to detect the lane accurately while increasing the opportunities for detecting the lane as much as possible by processing the road image and obtaining the road information and the map data.

Abstract: There is provided an image acquisition means (2) for acquiring a color image of a road via an imaging means (9) mounted on a vehicle (8), a lane mark detection means (3, 4) for performing processing of detecting lane marks of a plurality of predetermined colors different from each other on the road based on color information of the color image, and outputting a result of the processing as lane mark candidate data, and a selection means (6) for selecting lane mark candidate data corresponding to a lane mark defining an actual lane on which the vehicle (8) is traveling from among at least the lane mark candidate data for the respective predetermined colors output from the lane mark detection means (3, 4), and determining and outputting lane data indicating information of the actual lane based on the selected lane mark candidate data.

Abstract: An image processing system and the like capable of accurately recognizing lane edges defined by dotted lane marks are provided. According to an image processing system (100) of the present invention, a first processing unit (110) searches a road surface image captured by a vehicle-mounted camera for a “small area,” which is composed of high- or low-luminance pixels and satisfies “eligibility conditions” on the “size,” “shape,” and “arrangement” in the road surface image. Additionally, a second processing unit (120) recognizes “lane edges” of the lane along which the vehicle travels on the basis of the “small area.” Furthermore, a third processing unit (130) sets a “search range” of the small area searched by the first processing unit (110) on the basis of a result of the foregoing recognition of the lane edges by the second processing unit (120).

Abstract: An image processing system and the like capable of improving recognition accuracy of a lane mark are provided. According to the image processing system of the present invention, a first processing unit (110) recognizes a lane mark candidate on the basis of the luminance of each pixel in a road image. Moreover, there are evaluated a first index which represents continuity of an edge of the lane mark candidate, a second index which represents conformance between the width of the lane mark candidate and a lane mark standard width, and a third index which represents uniformity of the luminance of pixels contained in the lane mark candidate. According to the first, second, and third indices, a second processing unit (120) recognizes a lane mark candidate most likely to be a true lane mark as a lane mark.

Abstract: A vehicle capable of preventing detection of stud-type lane marks from being impossible and a vehicle having a lane mark recognizer are provided. The vehicle includes installation interval recognizing means (21) which recognizes an interval (L) between Botts Dots, vehicle speed recognizing means (22) which recognizes a traveling speed (v) of the vehicle, image synthesizing means (13) which generates synthesized image data (M3) by combining image data (M1) stored in an image memory (11) through an image input circuit (10) and image data (M2) stored in an image memory (12) through the same, imaging timing determining means (20) which determines the timing of imaging by a camera (2) on the basis of the interval (L) and the traveling speed (v) when acquiring the image data (M1, M2) in such a way that the positions of the Botts Dots in the image data (M1, M2) are different therebetween, and Botts Dots detecting means (14) which detects the Botts Dots from the synthesized image data (M3).

Abstract: A traffic lane marking line recognition system for vehicle including a traffic lane marking line recognizing device configured to recognize at least a traffic lane marking line in broken (e.g., white) line on a road surface in a camera photographed image, and an image compositing device which composites images photographed at different time points to elongate the traffic lane marking line in the photographed image, wherein the images are composited in a processing stage in such a manner that no change will be imparted to at least a shape of the traffic lane marking line in the photographed image in a traffic lane marking line recognition processing, specifically in a processing stage prior to edge detection. With this, a distant traffic lane marking line is prevented from being chipped away when compositing the photographed images, thereby enabling accurate and unerring recognition of the traffic lane marking line.

Abstract: A traffic lane marking line recognition system for vehicle including a traffic lane marking line recognizing device configured to recognize at least a traffic lane marking line in broken (e.g., white) line on a road surface in a camera photographed image, and an image compositing device which composites images photographed at different time points to elongate the traffic lane marking line in the photographed image, wherein the images are composited in a processing stage in such a manner that no change will be imparted to at least a shape of the traffic lane marking line in the photographed image in a traffic lane marking line recognition processing, specifically in a processing stage prior to edge detection. With this, a distant traffic lane marking line is prevented from being chipped away when compositing the photographed images, thereby enabling accurate and unerring recognition of the traffic lane marking line.

Abstract: In an electric vehicles sharing system, a number of (electric) vehicles are stored in ports and are used by drivers to achieve assigned objects. Herein, multiple vehicles run together in column in an automatic follow-up manner in such a way that following vehicles which are normally unmanned automatically follow up with a manned preceding vehicle. Each vehicle is equipped with ultrasonic sensors, which are arranged in a front portion and a rear portion respectively. Normally, each vehicle detects a travel direction thereof (i.e., a forward or backward direction) to activate only a sensor which matches with the travel direction. Thus, ultrasonic waves radiated from the ultrasonic sensors do not mutually interfere with each other among the vehicles.

Abstract: In an automatic drive control system in a road environment in which an infrastructure has been constructed so as to automatically steer a vehicle, the automatic steering of the vehicle is performed irrespective of lane markers attached on the road surface. A running command and a running course are determined on the basis of an obstacle detection signal, a vehicle position signal, road data, and traffic information signal for automatic driving. A target running locus is obtained on the basis of the set running course. The vehicle is automatically steered so as to trace and run along the obtained running target locus.

Abstract: In an automatic drive control system in a road environment in which an infrastructure has been constructed so as to automatically steer a vehicle, the automatic steering of the vehicle is performed irrespective of lane markers attached on the road surface. A running command and a running course are determined on the basis of an obstacle detection signal, a vehicle position signal, road data, and traffic information signal for automatic driving. A target running locus is obtained on the basis of the set running course. The vehicle is automatically steered so as to trace and run along the obtained running target locus.