Abstract: A stereo camera implements ranging of an object that includes consecutive similar patterns. In stereo matching using the stereo camera, if a plurality of corresponding point candidates are present in a sum of absolute differences (SAD) or suchlike evaluation value distribution for a target point, an evaluation value map is generated by superimposing an evaluation value distribution of a target point for which a plurality of corresponding points are determined to be present and an evaluation value distribution of each other target point present in a peripheral area of that target point. By this means, the shape of an object is represented in real space around a target point for which a plurality of corresponding points are determined to be present, and it is possible to calculate the true distance of a railing or the like that extends in a straight line by extracting a line segment with the strongest linearity in the evaluation value map.

Abstract: Provided is a calibration device that can calculate the mounting state of a stereo camera without the placing of a physical marker. In this device, an area setting processor (113) preliminarily sets, for an integrated image in which a road surface image region and a setting-prohibited region are integrated, an arrangement pattern having a plurality of area setting frames, and adjusts the arrangement pattern so that the plurality of area setting frames recede from each other. An extraction processor (114) extracts from distance images a plurality of partial images corresponding to the plurality of area setting frames. A mounting-state calculation unit (104) calculates a mounting-state parameter on the basis of a plurality of partial images, such parameter relating to the mounting state of a stereo camera used to pick up stereo images.

Abstract: Disclosed is an object detection device capable of improving object detection accuracy by preventing erroneous combination detection. In this device, a detection object region correction unit (103) corrects a detection object region set by a detection object region set unit (102) on the basis of moving speed map information associated with a coordinate group in a reference image plane and the detected moving speed on each coordinate, which is detected by a radar. Thus, the detection object region can be amended by the use of the moving speed map information even when the detection object region is obtained as a result of erroneous combination. As a result, the object detection accuracy can be improved.

Abstract: Provided is a feature extraction device whereby it is possible, while using local binary patterns, to extract image features with which object detection which is robust against disparities in a photographic environment is possible. A feature extraction unit (440) comprises: a binary pattern generation unit (443) which generates, for each of all pixels or partial pixels in an image, local binary patterns which denote, by bit values, whether the difference in pixel values between the pixel and the surrounding adjacent pixels is greater than or equal to a threshold value; a weighting generation unit (444) which determines, for each generated local binary pattern, a weighting according to the pixel value difference; and a histogram generation unit (445) which applies the determined weightings to the corresponding local binary patterns and generates a histogram which denotes the distribution of the local binary patterns which are generated from the image.

Abstract: Provided is a positioning information forming device which improves object detection accuracy. This device comprises a synthesis unit (103) which synthesizes camera distance map information and radar distance map information and generates “synthesized map information”. This synthesized map information is used for object detection processing by a detection device (200). In this way it is possible to improve object detection accuracy by being able to detect objects based on information in which the camera distance map information and radar distance map information have been synthesized. In other words, by synthesizing the camera distance map information and radar distance map information, it is possible to remove unnecessary noise due to reflection from the ground and walls, etc. and therefore set object detection thresholds to low values. It is therefore possible to detect even objects the detection of which was judged to be impossible in the past.

Abstract: An object detection device that can accurately identify an object candidate in captured stereo images as an object or a road surface. The object detection device (100) have a disparity map generator (120) that generates a disparity map based on the stereo images; a road surface estimator (130) that estimates a road surface based on the disparity map; an object candidate location extractor (140) that extracts an object candidate region above the road surface, based on the disparity map and the road surface; an object identifying region extractor (150) that extracts an object identifying region including a region around the object candidate region; a geometric feature extractor (160) that extracts a geometric feature of the object candidate based on the object identifying region; and an object identifying unit (170) that identifies whether the object candidate is an object or a road surface based on the geometric feature.

Abstract: Provided is a stereo distance measurement apparatus wherein a camera image itself is adjusted to correct the blur, thereby preventing the distance measurement time from being long, while improving the precision of disparity detection. In the apparatus (100), a blur adjusting unit (102) uses a filter to tailor the blur of one of two images used by a disparity measuring unit (103), to the blur of the other which is weaker. A camera image itself is adjusted, whereby the blur can be corrected. Moreover, tailoring the blur of the one image to the blur of the other image which is weaker allows an application of the filter, which is a simple processing, to cause the blurs of the images used in the disparity detection, to coincide with each other. Therefore, the precision of disparity detection can be improved, while the distance measurement can be performed at a high speed.

Abstract: Provided is a stereo image processing apparatus and a method of processing a stereo image, wherein calculation precision of disparity is improved, while maintaining a processing amount equal to the SAD method. In the stereo image processing apparatus (200), a data deletion unit (201) is installed in a stage prior to an image matching unit (102) and a filter unit (103), and forms a thinned-out target image and a thinned-out reference image, by thinning out a target image and a reference image. The filter unit (103) carries out filtering that uses an inverted phase filter, which is matching based on phase correlation.

Abstract: Provided are a pedestrian-crossing marking detecting method and a pedestrian-crossing marking detecting device, wherein the existence of pedestrian crossing markings and the positions thereof can be detected accurately from within a picked up image, even when detection of the intensity edges of painted sections is difficult. In the pedestrian-crossing mark detecting device (100), a road-surface distance of a predetermined range is calculated with respect to image data picked up from the periphery of the vehicle including the road, using camera installation information or a stereo camera's distance information, and the period of the pedestrian crossing markings is calculated on the basis of the road-surface distance of the predetermined range, and furthermore, a power of frequency is calculated using an even function and odd function of a square wave of the period as the basis function.

Abstract: A stereo image processor (1) performs image matching, in an image matching section (6), on partial images of the same object included in a base image and a comparative image respectively and detects pixel-precision partial displacement between the base image and the comparative image based on a result of the image matching. Next, in an inverted phase filter processing section (9) in a second matching section (8), pixel values from the comparative image are filtered with an inverted phase filter using, as a filter coefficient, pixel values from the base image with the order thereof reversed, given the partial images of the same object that have minimum pixel-precision partial displacement. Then, in a peak detecting section (10), a peak position where an output value of the filtering with the inverted phase filter is maximum is detected and sub-pixel-precision partial displacement between the base image and the comparative image is detected based on the peak position.

Abstract: A traveling information providing device is provided in which a surrounding information corrector acquires surrounding information on the condition surrounding a vehicle equipped with the device. An object extractor extracts a safety confirmation object the safety of which must be confirmed by a driver from the surrounding information acquired by the surrounding information collector. A line-of-sight detector detects a line-of-sight direction of the driver. A visibility calculator receives the extracted safety confirmation object and the line-of-sight direction of the driver and calculates visibility in consideration of the driver's peripheral vision with respect to the safety confirmation object according to the distance or the angle from the driver's line-of-sight direction to the object. An information presenter presents safety confirmation to the driver depending on the calculated visibility.

Abstract: Disclosed is a stereo camera that implements ranging of an object that includes consecutive similar patterns. In stereo matching using the stereo camera, if a plurality of corresponding point candidates are present in an SAD or suchlike evaluation value distribution for a target point, an evaluation value map is generated by superimposing an evaluation value distribution of a target point for which a plurality of corresponding points are determined to be present and an evaluation value distribution of each other target point present in a peripheral area of that target point. By this means, the shape of an object is represented in real space around a target point for which a plurality of corresponding points are determined to be present, and it is possible to calculate the true distance of a railing or the like that extends in a straight line by extracting a line segment with the strongest linearity in the evaluation value map.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a safety-drive assistance device that can judge whether a driver recognizes an object to which a driver should pay an attention or not even if an accuracy of detecting a visual-line direction is almost equal to once degree. A traffic environment detecting unit 11 detects an object such as an automobile, a pedestrian, a road mark and a traffic signal. A watched target judging unit 12 judges a watched target among the objects, to which a driver pays attention. A visual-line direction detecting unit 13 detects a visual-line direction of a driver. A visual recognition judging unit 14 judges whether a driver visually recognizes the watched target or not, based on the watched target and a fluctuation pattern of a direction of either or both eyes of the driver. A non-safety recognition judging unit 15 judges whether a driver recognizes non-safety or not, based on the result of visual recognition judged by the visual recognition judging unit 14.

Abstract: Traveling information providing device for ensuring the safety of a traveling vehicle by correctly judging the driver's recognition of a safety confirmation object through not only driver's attentive viewing of the safety confirmation object but also his or her viewing of the surroundings. A surrounding information collecting section (120) acquires surrounding information on the condition surrounding the vehicle equipped with the device. An object extracting section (130) extracts a safety confirmation object the safety of which must be confirmed by the driver from the surrounding information acquired by the surrounding information collecting section (120). A line-of-sight detecting section (110) detects the line-of-sight direction of the driver.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a safety-drive assistance device that can judges whether a driver recognizes an object to which a driver should pay an attention or not even if an accuracy of detecting a visual-line direction is almost equal to one degree. A traffic environment detecting unit 11 detects an object such as an automobile, a pedestrian, a road mark and a traffic signal. A watched target judging unit 12 judges a watched target among the objects, to which a driver pays attention. A visual-line direction detecting unit 13 detects a visual-line direction of a driver. A visual recognition judging unit 14 judges whether a driver visually recognizes the watched target or not, based on the watched target and a fluctuation pattern of a direction of either or both eyes of the driver. A non-safety recognition judging unit 15 judges whether a driver recognizes non-safety or not, based on the result of visual recognition judged by the visual recognition judging unit 14.

Abstract: A guidance issuing device has a guidance sound storage unit for storing a guidance sound set every guidance, a sound volume setting unit for setting the volume of the guidance sound, a sound volume storage unit for storing the volume set by the sound volume setting unit, and an output unit for outputting the guidance sound at the set volume level corresponding to the guidance sound of the sound volume storage unit.

Abstract: A speech synthesis apparatus (10) comprises speech segment disassembling means (101) for disassembling the speech segments each including at least one phoneme into a plurality of pitch waveforms, phase characteristic transforming means (103) for transforming the phase characteristics of the pitch waveforms into a uniformed phase characteristic, pitch waveform classifying means (104) for classifying the pitch waveforms into a plurality of groups, pitch waveform registering means (106) for registering the pitch waveforms in the database (111) by extracting one pitch waveform from among the pitch waveforms in each of the groups, and synthesizing means (107) for synthesizing the speech with the pitch waveforms registered in the database (111). The speech synthesis apparatus (10) thus constructed can synthesize a natural speech using a relatively small database capacity.

Abstract: An exhaust purifying system includes switching between a stratified combustion state at a stratified combustion region (I) of low revolutions speeds and low loads and a homogeneous combustion state of substantially the theoretical air/fuel ratio at a warm &lgr;=1 region (II) adjacent thereto with higher revolution speeds or loads, wherein a first oxygen concentration sensor is arranged upstream from the three-way catalyst, and when an engine shifts from the stratified combustion region (I) to the warm &lgr;=1 region (II), the feedback control of the air/fuel ratio based on an output signal of that sensor begins, and the target air/fuel ratio A/F is set to a range of 14.0≦A/F<14.7, so that the target air/fuel ratio A/E is slightly richer than the theoretical air/fuel ratio, thus preventing a temporary deterioration of the exhaust gas state.

Abstract: In the case that an engine is operated in a state where an in-cylinder air/fuel ratio is lean in a stratified combustion region and a fuel cut control is performed under a predetermined condition, when catalysts are in a low temperature state where a purification performance is deteriorated or when a NOx absorptive amount of the lean NOx catalyst, a control procedure for exhaust air/fuel state at a recovery timing from the fuel cut control so that a driving sensation is improved while maintaining the exhaust purification performance by the catalysts. When the fuel cut control is terminated and the engine shifts into the stratified combustion region, if a catalyst temperature is at or below a set temperature or a NOx absorptive amount is at or above a set amount, the in-cylinder air/fuel ratio of the engine is correctively enriched and the exhaust air/fuel state is enriched.

Abstract: An engine control system for a direct injection-spark ignition type of engine which is equipped with a fuel injector for spraying fuel directly into a combustion chamber and an exhaust system having a lean NOx conversion catalyst for lowering an emission level of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in exhaust gas at an air-fuel ratio of &lgr;>1 controls divides a given amount of fuel into two parts which are intermittently delivered through early and late split injection respectively in a intake stroke and controls a fuel injector such that a midpoint between points at which the early and late split injection are timed respectively to start is before a midpoint of a intake stroke while the engine is in a lean fuel charge zone.