Abstract: A target vehicle recognition apparatus detects a stopped vehicle ahead of the host vehicle, detects a reference boundary line position where at least one of two boundary lines forming a travel lane of the host vehicle intersects a reference axis extending from a lower end of the stopped vehicle in an image horizontal direction on a captured image, recognizes the stopped vehicle as a target vehicle of steering control when the reference boundary line position between a vehicle left end position of the stopped vehicle and a vehicle right end position of the stopped vehicle is present, and does not recognize the stopped vehicle as a target vehicle of steering control when the reference boundary line position between the vehicle left end position of the stopped vehicle and the vehicle right end position of the stopped vehicle is not present.

Abstract: A target vehicle recognition apparatus for recognizing a target vehicle as a target to be avoided by steering control of a host vehicle detects a stopped vehicle located in front of the host vehicle, determines whether the stopped vehicle is in a forward-facing state to the host vehicle or a rearward-facing state to the host vehicle, determines whether the stopped vehicle is in a right boundary line deviation state crossing a right boundary line of a travel lane of the host vehicle, a left boundary line deviation state crossing a left boundary line of the travel lane, and recognizes the target vehicle for steering control based on a captured image captured by a front camera of the host vehicle and each of the determination results.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a determiner that determines whether or not a vehicle in which a camera is mounted is located at a specific place where a traveling direction of the vehicle changes, the camera picking up an image of an entire image pickup range with first image quality and picking up an image of a partial region in the image pickup range with second image quality that is higher image quality than the first image quality; and a region changer that, when it is determined that the vehicle is located at the specific place, changes a position of the partial region in the image pickup range such that an image of a region of attention that is included in the image pickup range and an image of which is to be picked up with the second image quality is picked up.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a determiner that determines whether or not a vehicle in which a camera is mounted is located at a specific place where a traveling direction of the vehicle changes, the camera picking up an image of an entire image pickup range with first image quality and picking up an image of a partial region in the image pickup range with second image quality that is higher image quality than the first image quality; and a region changer that, when it is determined that the vehicle is located at the specific place, changes a position of the partial region in the image pickup range such that an image of a region of attention that is included in the image pickup range and an image of which is to be picked up with the second image quality is picked up.

Abstract: An exposure control apparatus is for a camera mounted in a vehicle including a lamp. The exposure control apparatus includes: an exposure setter setting an exposure time of the camera in each frame period and cyclically changing the exposure times of the camera in each predetermined period with a length equal to, or an integral multiple of, a length of a change cycle of the quantity of light of the lamp and including a plurality of frame periods; and an adjuster setting a calibration period for setting the exposure times. The exposure setter sets the exposure times in the plurality of frame periods to be constant in the calibration period, and sets the exposure time in each of the plurality of frame periods, based on a degree of brightness of each of a plurality of images picked up by the camera during the calibration period.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus is configured to photograph an image of a scene ahead of a vehicle. The imaging apparatus is provided with: an actuator configured to move an imaging range in an upward/downward direction by moving an imaging sensor in the upward/downward direction and adjusting a relative position of the imaging sensor with respect to a lens; a calculator configured to calculate a reference angle, which is an angle made by a line extending in a moving direction of the vehicle from the imaging sensor and a line extending to a traffic light, which is ahead of the vehicle, from the imaging sensor; and a controller programmed to control the actuator to include the traffic light in the imaging range on the basis of the reference angle.

Abstract: A reflection determining apparatus is configured to determine reflection for a camera, wherein the camera is configured to photograph an external environment of a vehicle through a glass from an inside of the vehicle and the camera includes a reflection preventer configured to prevent reflection on the glass. The reflection determining apparatus is provided with: a calculator configured to calculate an optical flow of an area in which the reflection is not prevented in a photographed image of the camera; and a determinator configured to determine that there is the reflection in the photographed image of the camera if a duration in which a particular area is detected is greater than or equal to a predetermined time, wherein the particular area is defined by points with a value of the optical flow that is smaller than a predetermined threshold value.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus is configured to photograph an image of a scene ahead of a vehicle. The imaging apparatus is provided with: an actuator configured to move an imaging range in an upward/downward direction by moving an imaging sensor in the upward/downward direction and adjusting a relative position of the imaging sensor with respect to a lens; a calculator configured to calculate a reference angle, which is an angle made by a line extending in a moving direction of the vehicle from the imaging sensor and a line extending to a traffic light, which is ahead of the vehicle, from the imaging sensor; and a controller programmed to control the actuator to include the traffic light in the imaging range on the basis of the reference angle.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus is configured to photograph an image of a scene ahead of a vehicle, and is provided with: an actuator configured to adjust a relative position of an imaging sensor with respect to a lens; and a controller configured to control the actuator in such a manner that light that enters from above the lens enters the imaging sensor when a speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined speed, in comparison with when the speed of the vehicle is greater than the predetermined speed.

Abstract: A reflection determining apparatus is configured to determine reflection for a camera, wherein the camera is configured to photograph an external environment of a vehicle through a glass from an inside of the vehicle and the camera includes a reflection preventer configured to prevent reflection on the glass. The reflection determining apparatus is provided with: a calculator configured to calculate an optical flow of an area in which the reflection is not prevented in a photographed image of the camera; and a determinator configured to determine that there is the reflection in the photographed image of the camera if a duration in which a particular area is detected is greater than or equal to a predetermined time, wherein the particular area is defined by points with a value of the optical flow that is smaller than a predetermined threshold value.

Abstract: An object recognizing apparatus is provided with: an acquirer configured to acquire a plurality of images photographed by a stereo camera; a segment extractor configured to calculate parallax from the plurality of images and to extract a set in which the parallax is within a predetermined range, as a segment, at intervals of a certain width in an image lateral direction; a target extractor configured to extract segments coupled in the image lateral direction and an image depth direction, as a target; a calculator configured to calculate a variation amount of upper end positions and a variation amount of height widths of the segments that constitute the target; and a determinator configured to determine that the target is a haze if at least one of the variation amount of the upper end positions and the variation amount of the height widths is greater than a predetermined threshold value.

Abstract: An apparatus that detects a road surface on the basis of a parallax image around a vehicle, the road surface detection apparatus includes an ECU configured to determine on the basis of parallax information of the parallax image whether a unit area is a road surface area for each unit area of the parallax image associates each unit area with a grid in a map on the basis of parallax information and coordinate position of the unit area, an eye point of the map being set so as to be higher than an eye point of the parallax image, the map being obtained by partitioning an area around the vehicle in a grid, and detect road surface grids and each grid located between the road surface grids as the road surface, the road surface grids being the grids corresponding to the unit areas determined as the road surface areas.

Abstract: In an object detection apparatus, a range image generator, based on distance information indicative of distances from a given measurement point to objects in real space, generates a range image indicative of a distribution of distance information of objects located around the measurement point. A subgroup generator horizontally divides the range image into a number of column regions of prescribed width, and for each column region, generates one or more subgroups that extend continuously in a vertical direction of the range image and fall within a given range of distance information. A continuity determiner determines, for each of the subgroups, whether or not there is distance continuity between the subgroup and its horizontally adjacent subgroup in the range image. A merger merges together horizontally continuous-in-distance subgroups. An object detector detects an object in each of regions of the range image corresponding to the respective merged groups.

Abstract: An object recognizing apparatus is mounted in a vehicle and uses photographed images of a stereo camera which photographs an exterior of a vehicle from a vehicle interior of the vehicle through an area of a window glass wiped by a wiper. The object recognizing apparatus is provided with: a light source detector configured to detect a light source on a photographed image; an edge detector configured to detect an edge extending in a direction crossing a wiping direction of the wiper, on the photographed image; and a determinator configured to determine that the window glass is stained, if the edge extending in the crossing direction from the light source is detected continuously for a predetermined time, on the basis of a detection result of the light source detector and a detection result of the edge detector.

Abstract: A road surface detection device that detects a road surface region based on disparity information obtained from a captured image of an area around a vehicle that is captured by an onboard camera, includes a path estimating portion that estimates a travel path where the vehicle will travel, based on driving information of the vehicle; and a detecting portion that weights the disparity information, and detects a road surface region in the captured image based on the weighted disparity information, wherein when the detecting portion weights the disparity information, the detecting portion gives less weight to the disparity information positioned on a side away from the travel path in the captured image than to the disparity information positioned on a side near the travel path in the captured image.

Abstract: A traveling road surface detection device is provided. The traveling road surface device determines a road surface area, a stereoscopic object existence area where a stereoscopic object exists, and an indeterminate area other than the road surface area and the stereoscopic object existence area based on a parallax image of the surroundings of the vehicle, detects a traveling road surface that sequentially extends in a direction away from the vehicle based on the captured image, estimates a height position of a road surface within the road surface area based on the parallax information, and specifies an area including a parallax point with a height equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value from the height position of the road surface in the indeterminate area as a parallax height existence area based on the estimated height position of the road surface and the parallax information.

Abstract: An object recognizing apparatus is provided with: an acquirer configured to acquire a plurality of images photographed by a stereo camera; a segment extractor configured to calculate parallax from the plurality of images and to extract a set in which the parallax is within a predetermined range, as a segment, at intervals of a certain width in an image lateral direction; a target extractor configured to extract segments coupled in the image lateral direction and an image depth direction, as a target; a calculator configured to calculate a variation amount of upper end positions and a variation amount of height widths of the segments that constitute the target; and a determinator configured to determine that the target is a haze if at least one of the variation amount of the upper end positions and the variation amount of the height widths is greater than a predetermined threshold value.

Abstract: An object recognizing apparatus is mounted in a vehicle and uses photographed images of a stereo camera which photographs an exterior of a vehicle from a vehicle interior of the vehicle through an area of a window glass wiped by a wiper. The object recognizing apparatus is provided with: a light source detector configured to detect a light source on a photographed image; an edge detector configured to detect an edge extending in a direction crossing a wiping direction of the wiper, on the photographed image; and a determinator configured to determine that the window glass is stained, if the edge extending in the crossing direction from the light source is detected continuously for a predetermined time, on the basis of a detection result of the light source detector and a detection result of the edge detector.

Abstract: In an object detection apparatus, a range image generator, based on distance information indicative of distances from a given measurement point to objects in real space, generates a range image indicative of a distribution of distance information of objects located around the measurement point. A subgroup generator horizontally divides the range image into a number of column regions of prescribed width, and for each column region, generates one or more subgroups that extend continuously in a vertical direction of the range image and fall within a given range of distance information. A continuity determiner determines, for each of the subgroups, whether or not there is distance continuity between the subgroup and its horizontally adjacent subgroup in the range image. A merger merges together horizontally continuous-in-distance subgroups. An object detector detects an object in each of regions of the range image corresponding to the respective merged groups.

Abstract: A traveling road surface detection device is provided. The traveling road surface device determines a road surface area, a stereoscopic object existence area where a stereoscopic object exists, and an indeterminate area other than the road surface area and the stereoscopic object existence area based on a parallax image of the surroundings of the vehicle, detects a traveling road surface that sequentially extends in a direction away from the vehicle based on the captured image, estimates a height position of a road surface within the road surface area based on the parallax information, and specifies an area including a parallax point with a height equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value from the height position of the road surface in the indeterminate area as a parallax height existence area based on the estimated height position of the road surface and the parallax information.