Abstract: In a lane boundary line information acquiring device, a detection unit detects lane boundary lines. A driving environment acquiring unit acquires a driving environment. A probability information acquiring unit acquires probability information containing a probability of presence of a lane boundary line, etc. based on the detected lane boundary lines and the acquired driving environment. A position information acquiring unit acquires position information of the own vehicle. A memory unit associates the probability information with the position information of the own vehicle. Where the position information is acquired by the position information acquiring unit at a time when the probability information acquiring unit acquires the probability information, and stores the probability information associated with the position information into the memory unit. A readout unit reads out the probability information associated with the position information at a location in front of the own vehicle.

Abstract: A road parameter calculator is provided which is equipped with an edge-point extracting unit, a road parameter calculating unit, a gradient detecting unit, and a modeling unit. The image acquiring unit. The edge-point extracting unit extracts edge points from an image of a frontal view of a vehicle. The parameter calculating unit calculates a road parameter using the edge points through a Kalman filter. The gradient detecting unit detects a change in gradient of the road in front of the vehicle. The modeling unit is responsive to a change in gradient to make a model as extending more straight than when the change in gradient is not detected. This minimizes adverse effects of the change in gradient of the road on the calculation of the road parameter.

Abstract: A road surface information acquisition apparatus a lane line recognizer configured to, based on a road surface image of a carpool lane forward of a vehicle acquired by a camera, recognize lane lines of the carpool lane. The apparatus further includes a determiner configured to, based on a lane partition line recognized by the lane line recognizer, determine a start point and an end point of the entrance and exit, and a lane-width calculator configured to, based on the lane lines recognized by the lane line recognizer, calculate a lane width of the carpool lane. The apparatus further includes a lane-width corrector configured to, based on determinations made by the determiner, correct the lane width calculated by the lane-width calculator. Based on a broken line as the lane partition line, the determiner determines the start point and the end point of the entrance and exit of the carpool lane.

Abstract: In a boundary line recognition apparatus, based on luminance levels of an image captured by a camera, candidate edge points of a boundary line sectioning a travel road are extracted, and a candidate line of the boundary line is extracted. An apparent width of the candidate line on an image is calculated, from a width of the candidate line in a horizontal direction of the image and an angle of the candidate line relative to a vertical direction of the image. A probability of a candidate line being a boundary line is calculated to be higher, as a degree of the candidate line having characteristics as a boundary line is higher. The calculated probabilities are integrated in respect of a plurality of characteristics to recognize a boundary line. The characteristics include a ratio of the calculated apparent width to an image blur degree is larger than a predetermined value.

Abstract: In a pitch angle estimation apparatus, an image acquirer sequentially acquires images in a forward or rearward direction of a vehicle. Each image is referred to as a frame. A movement amount calculator extracts a feature point from each of the images acquired by the image acquirer and calculates an amount of movement of the feature point in a vertical direction of the image. A pitch angle calculator calculates a pitch angle of the vehicle based on the amount of movement of the feature point. An output unit outputs the pitch angle calculated by the pitch angle calculator. A low frequency component calculator calculates a low frequency component of the pitch angle calculated by the pitch angle calculator. An output determiner determines whether to output the pitch angle based on the magnitude of the low frequency component calculated by the low frequency component calculator.

Abstract: An in-vehicle system as a road curvature detection device calculates a curvature of a road in front of a vehicle based on an acquired front scene image. The in-vehicle system receives gradient information from the data map. The gradient information corresponds to a current road section on the road on which the vehicle drives. The in-vehicle system detects a gradient accuracy of the received gradient information. When the current road section has a gradient, i.e. the road is an uphill or downhill road, the in-vehicle system selects an appropriate special detection methods based on the gradient accuracy of the received gradient information, and calculates a road curvature by using the selected special detection method. Each of the special detection methods calculates a road curvature while effectively suppressing influence of a road gradient indicated by the received gradient information.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus, an image acquiring unit acquires a first image and a second image that form stereoscopic images. A first sub-image extracting unit extracts first sub-images from the first image. A second sub-image extracting unit extracts second sub-images from the second image. A matching unit matches each pair of the first and second sub-images to determine a degree of similarity therebetween. A similar sub-image setting unit sets the second sub-image having a highest degree of similarity to the first sub-image to be a similar sub-image to the first sub-image. A brightness comparing unit compares in brightness each pair of the first and second sub-images. The matching unit is configured to, if a result of comparison made by the brightness comparing unit between a pair of the first and second sub-images is out of a predetermined brightness range, exclude such a pair of the first and second sub-images.

Abstract: A lane detecting apparatus is provided which obtains at least one type of parameters associated with lane lines on the road and selects one of the lane lines as a reference line using one of the parameters which is most useful in determining the configuration of a lane on a road. The lane detecting apparatus also calculates a lane boundary line using the reference lane line.

Abstract: A monitoring apparatus is provided. When a determination process of determining whether or not the part of an object located in a search range is an airborne substance, a rangefinder measures a distance to the object located in the search range for each of a plurality of unit areas forming the search range, a variation measure calculator calculates a variance of the distances (individual distances) measured for the respective unit areas, a variable threshold setter variably sets a variation measure threshold based on the individual distances, and a determiner determines that at least part of the object is an airborne substance if the calculated variance exceeds the variation measure threshold.

Abstract: The demarcation line recognition device determines the line type and line color of the extracted candidate line, and the presence or absence of an influence of backlight, and determines whether the extracted candidate line constitutes a part of a multiple line. The demarcation line recognition device selects a candidate line corresponding to a demarcation line from extracted candidate lines, using the line type and line color determined, and the determination result of the multiple line determination, and according to the rules of the driving region. When a candidate line determined to be under the influence of backlight constitutes a part of a multiple line, the demarcation line recognition device compares the color information of the candidate lines constituting that multiple line with each other and re-determines the line color of the candidate line determined to be under the influence of backlight.

Abstract: An estimating device includes: a movement amount computing section that, on the basis of a position of a predetermined region within an image picked-up at a first time, and a position of a region that corresponds to the predetermined region and is within an image picked-up in a same direction at a second time that is after the first time, computing a movement amount of the predetermined region in a vertical direction; a movement amount integrating section that computes an integrated value of the movement amounts, each time the movement amount is computed; a correcting section that corrects the integrated value of a current point in time on the basis of time series data of the integrated values of the movement amounts within a past predetermined time period; and an estimating section that estimates a pitch angle of the vehicle on the basis of a corrected integrated value.

Abstract: In a boundary line recognition apparatus, based on luminance levels of an image captured by a camera, candidate edge points of a boundary line sectioning a travel road are extracted, and a candidate line of the boundary line is extracted. An apparent width of the candidate line on an image is calculated, from a width of the candidate line in a horizontal direction of the image and an angle of the candidate line relative to a vertical direction of the image. A probability of a candidate line being a boundary line is calculated to be higher, as a degree of the candidate line having characteristics as a boundary line is higher. The calculated probabilities are integrated in respect of a plurality of characteristics to recognize a boundary line. The characteristics include a ratio of the calculated apparent width to an image blur degree is larger than a predetermined value.

Abstract: A traveling path estimation apparatus includes a calculation section that calculates a traveling marking line marking a lane of a road, on which a vehicle runs, based on a front image acquired by a camera mounted in the vehicle, an estimation section that estimates road parameters including a curvature and a curvature change rate of the lane, the estimation section estimating the road parameters at current time based on the traveling marking line calculated by the calculation section and the road parameters previously estimated, a determination section that determines departure of the vehicle from a curve of the lane, and a reset section that, when the determination section determines the departure of the vehicle, resets at least the curvature change rate included in the road parameters previously estimated by the estimation section.

Abstract: A complex marking determining device includes a brightness state calculating portion configured to calculate a lane marking representative value indicative of a brightness state of a plurality of pixels that make up a lane marking display region, and calculate a road surface representative value indicative of a brightness state of a plurality of pixels that make up the road surface display region; and a complex marking determining portion configured to determine that the lane marking is a complex marking at least when a degree of deviation between the lane marking representative value and the road surface representative value is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

Abstract: In an apparatus for recognizing a lane partition line, a pre-branch section setting unit sets a pre-branch section of a road on which an own vehicle is traveling. The pre-branch section extends a section length from a start line that is positioned closer to the own vehicle than a branch location by an offset distance in a traveling direction of the own vehicle. A determination unit determines whether or not a geographical location of the own vehicle is within the pre-branch section. If it is determined that the geographical location of the own vehicle is within the pre-branch section, a recognition unit suppresses recognition of the lane partition line on an diverging road side of the road on which the own vehicle is traveling. The diverging road is another road branching off from the road on which the vehicle is traveling at the branch location.

Abstract: A parking space recognition apparatus includes an onboard camera, a wireless receiver, and a parking space determination portion. The onboard camera is mounted to a first vehicle and captures a peripheral image around the first vehicle. The wireless receiver is mounted to the first vehicle and receives a parking-space related information that is transmitted from an outside of the first vehicle. The parking space determination portion is mounted to the first vehicle and determines a parking space to park the first vehicle on a basis of the peripheral image and the parking-space related information.

Abstract: A driving area recognition device has an image acquiring section for acquiring image data transmitted from an in-vehicle monocular camera and an extraction section for extracting, from the acquired image data, edge points in boundary parts arranged at both the right side and the left side of a driving area of a vehicle. The device further has a setting section for setting plural provisional areas as candidates of the driving area so that at least a part of each of the plural provisional areas is overlapped together, a calculation section for calculating the number of edge points in each of the plural provisional areas, and a recognition section for recognizing the driving area based on the plural provisional areas and the number of edge points in each of the plural provisional areas.

Abstract: An apparatus for recognizing lane partition lines on opposite sides of a traveling lane of a vehicle based on a forward image captured by a camera mounted in the vehicle. In the apparatus, an allowable range limiter is configured to, based on a learned value of a lane width learned by a lane width learner, limit allowable ranges for the respective lane partition lines, where in the allowable ranges the respective lane partition lines are allowed to be detected in the forward image. A lane change determiner is configured to determine whether or not there is a lane change made by the vehicle. The allowable range limiter is further configured to, if it is determined by the lane change determiner that there is a lane change, enlarge at least one of the allowable ranges limited by the allowable range limiter based on the learned value of the lane width.

Abstract: A branching and merging determination apparatus includes a recognizer and a determiner. The recognizer recognizes a target present in front of an own vehicle. The determiner determines, based on a result of the recognition of the target by the recognizer, presence or absence of branching and merging of roads. Specifically, the determiner is configured to: estimate a traveling section where branching or merging of roads is probably present; and determine that no branching or merging of roads is present in a region of the estimated traveling section where there is a preceding vehicle traveling at a higher speed than the own vehicle.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for driving assisting provided with an ECU which includes an extraction unit extracting a shape and a distribution of a landmark on a plurality of routes leading to a destination on a map, an accuracy calculation unit calculating an estimated accuracy of a vehicle position at each sampling point positioned at predetermined intervals on each route, on the basis of the shape and distribution of each landmark, an operating ratio calculation unit calculating an operating ratio of a driving assistance control on each of the routes, on the basis of the calculated accuracy at each sampling point, and a route selection unit which enables a driver of the vehicle to select a route among the plurality of routes, after the calculated operating ratio is presented to the driver.