Abstract: A vehicle environment monitoring apparatus is equipped with a monitored object detecting unit 26 which detects an object having possibility of contact by applying an object detecting algorithm for short range when the distance calculated from data on one disparity by the first distance calculating unit 24 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, and detects the object having possibility of contact by applying an object detecting algorithm for long range when the distance is longer than the predetermined distance, using the distance between the object and the vehicle calculated from a disparity gradient by the second distance calculating unit 25.

Abstract: A vehicle periphery monitoring device is operable to recognize with high accuracy whether or not an object is a designated quadruped animal. According to the vehicle periphery monitoring device, for determining whether or not a first object region and a second object region correspond to the designated quadruped animal according to whether or not the aspect ratio of the first object region is equal to or greater 1, a plurality of the second object regions are extracted, and it is determined whether the ratio of the vertical dimension of the second object region to the vertical dimension of the first object region lies within the range of the ratio of the leg vertical dimension to the torso vertical dimension of a common designated quadruped animal.

Abstract: An apparatus for testing infrared cameras includes: a cover plate which has a plurality of holes formed therethrough and arranged in line in a horizontal direction at a regular interval, the cover plate being adapted to emit an amount of infrared light; and an emission source which is disposed in parallel to and behind the cover plate as viewed from infrared cameras to be tested, the emission source being adapted to emit a different amount of infrared light when compared with the cover plate.

Abstract: A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus capable of recognizing the type of object existing around a vehicle with accuracy.

Abstract: A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus is provided herein which is capable of determining an object type, particularly capable of determining an animal other than a human being among objects. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus which monitors the surroundings of a vehicle by using an image captured by a camera (2R, 2L) mounted on the vehicle, including an object extraction process unit which extracts an image area of the object from the captured image (steps 1 to 6) and an object type determination process unit which determines the object type according to whether the image area of the object extracted by the object extraction process unit includes a first object area of an inverse triangular shape and a second object area located below the first object area and within a predetermined range from the first object area (steps 31 to 36).

Abstract: A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus is provided herein which is capable of determining an object type, particularly capable of determining an animal other than a human being among objects. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus which monitors the surroundings of a vehicle by using an image captured by a camera (2R, 2L) mounted on the vehicle, including an object extraction process unit which extracts an image area of the object from the captured image (steps 1 to 6) and an object type determination process unit which determines the object type according to whether the image area of the object extracted by the object extraction process unit includes a first object area in which the ratio of widths in different directions is within a predetermined range and a plurality of second object areas located below the first object area and smaller in area than the first object area (steps 31 to 37).

Abstract: A vehicle periphery monitoring device is operable to recognize with high accuracy whether or not an object is a designated quadruped animal. According to the vehicle periphery monitoring device, for determining whether or not a first object region and a second object region correspond to the designated quadruped animal according to whether or not the aspect ratio of the first object region is equal to or greater 1, a plurality of the second object regions are extracted, and it is determined whether the ratio of the vertical dimension of the second object region to the vertical dimension of the first object region lies within the range of the ratio of the leg vertical dimension to the torso vertical dimension of a common designated quadruped animal.

Abstract: The present invention provides an automotive environment monitoring device to detect the existence of an object, a pedestrian or the like, with high accuracy even if one part of the object is overlapped with the background of an image obtained from an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle. An area where the object exists in the image obtained from an infrared camera (102) is set as a first area (A1i) and a lower portion of the first area (A1i) is set as a second area (A2i). A feature of the object is extracted with respect to the second area (A2i) and the object is identified based on the extracted feature. Thereby, even in the case where the first area (A1i) has been set but the feature of an upper part of the object can not be extracted due to the upper part of the object being overlapped with the background of the image, the object can still be identified with high accuracy by extracting the feature of a lower part of the object in the second area (A2i).

Abstract: A vehicle environment monitoring apparatus is equipped with a monitored object detecting unit 26 which detects an object having possibility of contact by applying an object detecting algorithm for short range when the distance calculated from data on one disparity by the first distance calculating unit 24 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, and detects the object having possibility of contact by applying an object detecting algorithm for long range when the distance is longer than the predetermined distance, using the distance between the object and the vehicle calculated from a disparity gradient by the second distance calculating unit 25.

Abstract: A vehicle environment monitoring device identifies objects from an image taken by an infrared camera. Object extraction from images is performed in accordance with the state of the environment as determined by measurements extracted from the images as follows: N1 binarized objects are extracted from a single frame. Height of a grayscale objects corresponding to one of the binarized objects are calculated. If a ratio of the number of binarized objects C, where the absolute value of the height difference is less than the predetermined value ?H, to the total number N1 of binarized objects, is greater than a predetermined value X1, the image frame is determined to be rainfall-affected. If the ratio is less than the predetermined value X1, the image frame is determined to be a normal frame. A warning is provided if it is determined that the object is a pedestrian and if a collision is likely.

Abstract: Two aiming targets are arranged at positions that are away from two infrared cameras by a predetermined distance. One of the infrared cameras images one of the aiming targets, and the other of the infrared cameras images the other of the aiming targets. Assuming that the obtained images relate to an image of one aiming target, a parallax offset value is calculated. The correction of position is performed based on the parallax offset value.

Abstract: An abnormality detecting apparatus for an imaging apparatus that detects a presence of abnormalities in imaging apparatuses mounted on a vehicle to capture vehicle surroundings, which includes: a luminance variance value calculating device that calculates a luminance variance value of each image from the imaging apparatuses using the luminance value of each image from the imaging apparatuses obtained by the imaging apparatuses; and an abnormality detecting device that detects the presence of abnormalities in any of the imaging apparatuses in accordance with the luminance variance values calculated by the luminance variance value calculating device.

Abstract: A first object and a second object arranged in an actual space with coordinates (Xn, Zn) and (Xn?D, Zn) are imaged, and respective coordinates x1* and x2* of the first object and the second object in the image are calculated. Then, a coordinate x1 of the first object in the image and a coordinate x2 of the second object in the image are calculated by equations: x1=F·Xn/Zn x2=F·(Xn?D)/Zn where F is a design parameter of an imaging unit. An image distortion corrective value ? to correct the design parameter F is calculated by equations: ?·x1*=x1 ?·x2*=x2 using a difference between the coordinates x1 and x1* and a difference between the coordinates x2 and x2*.

Abstract: A right infrared camera produces a right gray-scale image by imaging aiming targets disposed in a right position, and a left infrared camera produces a left gray-scale image by imaging aiming targets disposed in a left position. An average value of coordinates of the aiming targets in a preset clipping area is determined, and an average value of coordinates of the aiming targets in a preset clipping area is determined. A difference between the average value and the average value is determined, and the clipping area is moved depending on the difference.

Abstract: An ECU of a night vision system stores small obtained images of provisional targets as six templates depending on the distance from infrared cameras, and selects one of the templates depending on the distance up to an actual object. Using the selected template, the ECU performs template matching on images obtained by the infrared cameras, and calculates coordinates of the inspection target. The ECU compares the calculated coordinates of the inspection target and stored reference coordinates with each other, and determines mounted angles of the infrared cameras.

Abstract: An abnormality detecting apparatus for an imaging apparatus that detects the presence of abnormalities in an imaging apparatus mounted on a vehicle to capture vehicle surroundings which includes: a region setting device that sets a region including at least a road boundary portion in an image obtained by the imaging apparatus; a luminance variance value calculating device that calculates a luminance variance value using the luminance value acquired from the image with respect to the region set by the region setting device; and an abnormality detecting device that detects the presence of abnormalities in the imaging apparatus according to the luminance variance value calculated by the luminance variance value calculating device.

Abstract: A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus that extracts a body present in the surroundings of a vehicle as an object, based on an image captured by an infrared imaging device including a binarized object extraction device that extracts a binarized object from image data obtained by binarizing a gray scale image of the image; a region setting device that sets a region including at least a portion of the binarized object on the gray scale image; a luminance status quantity calculation device that calculates a luminance status quantity of the region; an interval status quantity calculation device that calculates an interval status quantity according to an interval between a position of a substantially maximum luminance value and a position of a substantially minimum luminance value within the region based on the luminance status quantity; and an object type determination device that determines a type of the object based on the interval status quantity.

Abstract: A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus that extracts a body present in the surroundings of a vehicle as an object, based on an image captured by an infrared imaging device including a binarized object extraction device that extracts a binarized object from image data obtained by binarizing a gray scale image of the image, an obstacle determination device that determines whether or not another body being an obstacle is present between the infrared imaging device and the binarized object, a height calculation device that calculates a height dimension of the binarized object based on the height dimension of the obstacle on the gray scale image when it is determined that an obstacle is present in a determination result of the obstacle determination device and an object type determination device that determines a type of the object based on the height dimension of the binarized object.

Abstract: The present invention provides an automotive environment monitoring device to detect the existence of an object, a pedestrian or the like, with high accuracy even if one part of the object is overlapped with the background of an image obtained from an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle. An area where the object exists in the image obtained from an infrared camera (102) is set as a first area (A1i) and a lower portion of the first area (A1i) is set as a second area (A2i). A feature of the object is extracted with respect to the second area (A2i) and the object is identified based on the extracted feature. Thereby, even in the case where the first area (A1i) has been set but the feature of an upper part of the object can not be extracted due to the upper part of the object being overlapped with the background of the image, the object can still be identified with high accuracy by extracting the feature of a lower part of the object in the second area (A2i).

Abstract: An apparatus for testing infrared cameras includes: a cover plate which has a plurality of holes formed therethrough and arranged in line in a horizontal direction at a regular interval, the cover plate being adapted to emit an amount of infrared light; and an emission source which is disposed in parallel to and behind the cover plate as viewed from infrared cameras to be tested, the emission source being adapted to emit a different amount of infrared light when compared with the cover plate.