Abstract: A stereo camera apparatus which carries out distance measuring stably and with high accuracy by making measuring distance resolution variable according to a distance to an object is provided. A stereo camera apparatus 1 takes in two images, changes resolution of a partial area of each image that is taken in, and calculates a distance from a vehicle to an object that is imaged in the partial area, based on disparity of the partial area of each image in which resolution is changed. Thus, even when the object exists at a long distance and is small in size, distance measuring processing can be carried out stably.

Abstract: Disclosed is a road-shoulder detecting device including a distance-information calculating portion for calculating the presence of a physical object and the distance from the subject vehicle to the object from input three-dimensional image information relating to an environment around the vehicle, a vehicular road surface detecting portion for detecting a vehicular road surface with the subject vehicle from a distance image, a height difference calculating portion for measuring height difference between the detected vehicular road and an off-road region, and a road shoulder decision portion for deciding height difference as to whether the road shoulder is boundary between the surface and the region in a case where there is an off-road region lower than the vehicular road surface.

Abstract: An in-vehicle running-environment recognition apparatus including an input unit for inputting an image signal from in-vehicle imaging devices for photographing external environment of a vehicle, an image processing unit for detecting a first image area by processing the image signal, the first image area having a factor which prevents recognition of the external environment, an image determination unit for determining a second image area based on at least any one of size of the first image area, position thereof, and set-up positions of the in-vehicle imaging devices having the first image area, an environment recognition processing being performed in the second image area, the first image area being detected by the image processing unit, and an environment recognition unit for recognizing the external environment of the vehicle based on the second image area.

Abstract: An in-car-use multi-application execution device is provided that ensures safety while maintaining convenience by securing operation of a plurality of applications and suppressing occurrence of a termination process within a limited processing capacity without degrading a real-time feature. The in-car-use multi-application execution device dynamically predicts a processing time for each application, and schedules each application on the basis of the predicted processing time. If it is determined that an application failing to complete a process in a prescribed cycle exists as a result of the scheduling, a process is executed that terminates the application or degrades the function of the application on the basis of a preset priority order.

Abstract: A vehicle controller is provided capable of expanding an application range of departure prevention control while suppressing erroneous control. The vehicle controller includes: a vehicle-mounted camera 600 that captures an image in front of a vehicle; and an ECU 610 that decides one vehicle control method from a plurality of vehicle control methods and controls an actuator with the decided vehicle control method. The vehicle-mounted camera includes an area-specific confidence calculation section 400 that divides the image captured into a plurality of areas on a basis of an acquired image by the capturing and a recognized lane, calculates confidence for each divided area and outputs area-specific confidence information, and the ECU decides a vehicle control method in accordance with the area-specific confidence information.

Abstract: A road shape recognition device capable of accurately recognizing the road shape of a road that lies ahead in the travel direction of a vehicle is provided. A road shape recognition device 1 detects a road region of the road based on an image capturing a scene ahead in the travel direction of the vehicle, and estimates the shape of the road based on that road region. Thus, it is possible to accurately recognize road shapes over distances ranging from short to long.

Abstract: An on-vehicle camera calibration apparatus includes: an on-vehicle camera; a camera parameter calculation unit configured to calculate camera parameters from a characteristic amount of a road surface sign photographed by the on-vehicle camera and recognized by an image processing and to output the camera parameters, wherein the camera parameters include an installation height and installation angle of the on-vehicle camera in photographing; and a camera parameter calibration unit configured to perform optical axis calibration control of the on-vehicle camera by the camera parameters output from the camera parameter calculation unit.

Abstract: An in-vehicle running-environment recognition apparatus including an input unit for inputting an image signal from in-vehicle imaging devices for photographing external environment of a vehicle, an image processing unit for detecting a first image area by processing the image signal, the first image area having a factor which prevents recognition of the external environment, an image determination unit for determining a second image area based on at least any one of size of the first image area, position thereof, and set-up positions of the in-vehicle imaging devices having the first image area, an environment recognition processing being performed in the second image area, the first image area being detected by the image processing unit, and an environment recognition unit for recognizing the external environment of the vehicle based on the second image area.

Abstract: An image processing device of the present invention performs a task to execute an image processing This image processing device comprises a picture frame assigning unit that assigns an identification number to the image data to be collected by a picture collection device, an image capture requested picture of checking unit that checks whether the image data to which the identification number is assigned is identical with the image data that is requested by the task, an requested picture frame image collection notification unit that notifies the task of the image data having been collected which the task requests, if the image data to which the picture frame number is assigned is identical with the image data which the task requests, and an image capture requested picture frame receiving unit receives an image collection request from the task.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a detection device of a planar area, which suppresses matching of luminance values in areas other than a planar area, and non-detection and erroneous detection of the planar area arising from an error in projection transform. The detection device of a planar area includes an image obtaining section for obtaining a left image 100 and a right image 110; a planar area aligning section 30 for setting given regions of interest to the obtained left image 100 and the right image 110, and through use of a geometric transform function that matches the region of interest of the right image with the region of interest of the left image, performing geometric transform to generate a geometric transform image 130; and a planar area detecting section 55 for detecting a planar area 140 based on the geometric transform image 130 and the region of interest of the right image 110.

Abstract: Provided is a camera device which is capable of estimating a road shape ahead of a target vehicle or capable of determining whether or not the target vehicle needs to be decelerated by controlling a brake before a curve, even in the situation where a white line of a traveling road or a roadside three-dimensional object is difficult to detect. A camera device 105 including a plurality of image capturing units 107 and 108 which each take an image of a traveling road ahead of a target vehicle 106, includes: a three-dimensional object ahead detection unit 114 which detects three-dimensional objects ahead 101 existing in a vicinity of a vanishing point of the traveling road 102 on the basis of the images picked up by the plurality of image capturing units 107 and 108; and a road shape estimation unit 113 which estimates a road shape of a distant portion on the traveling road 102 on the basis of a detection result detected by the three-dimensional object ahead detection unit 114.

Abstract: After etching a polysilicon film, when a protective film made of a carbon polymer is formed on a sidewall of the polysilicon film using plasma containing carbons, a metallic material as a lower film is etched using plasma containing a halogen gas under an etching condition in which volatility is improved due to the rise in a wafer temperature or the low pressure of a processing pressure, thereby preventing a side etching and unevenness of a sidewall of the polysilicon film. Further, by using the protective film made of a carbon polymer, metallic substances scattered at the time of etching the metallic material are not directly attached to the polysilicon film, but can be simply removed along with the protective film made of a carbon polymer in an asking step.

Abstract: In conventional systems using an onboard camera disposed rearward of a vehicle for recognizing an object surrounding the vehicle, the object is recognized by the camera disposed rearward of the vehicle. In the image recognized by the camera, a road surface marking taken by the camera appears at a lower end of a screen of the image, which makes it difficult to predict a specific position in the screen from which the road surface marking appears. Further, an angle of depression of the camera is large, and it is a short period of time to acquire the object. Therefore, it is difficult to improve a recognition rate and to reduce false recognition. Results of recognition (type, position, angle, recognition time) made by a camera disposed forward of the vehicle, are used to predict a specific timing and a specific position of a field of view of a camera disposed rearward of the vehicle, at which the object appears.

Abstract: Image information apparatuses, methods, and programs acquire image information of a plurality of frames of images sensed at predetermined regular time intervals. The apparatuses, methods, and programs detect a leading and trailing end of a lane mark included in a detection area defined in each frame of the image information. The apparatuses, methods, and programs detect a detected distance from one of the leading and trailing end of the lane mark to the other one as a detected distance based on the speed of the vehicle and the number of frames between a frame in which one of the leading end and the trailing end of the lane mark is detected and a frame in which the other one of the leading end and the trailing end of the lane mark is detected and determine a lane mark type of the lane mark on the basis of the detected distance.

Abstract: In stereo matching based on standard area matching, in order to suppress a decrease in matching accuracy, it is effective to adaptively change a matching area in accordance with the local properties of an image. However, this requires high calculation costs.

Abstract: After etching a polysilicon film, when a protective film made of a carbon polymer is formed on a sidewall of the polysilicon film using plasma containing carbons, a metallic material as a lower film is etched using plasma containing a halogen gas under an etching condition in which volatility is improved due to the rise in a wafer temperature or the low pressure of a processing pressure, thereby preventing a side etching and unevenness of a sidewall of the polysilicon film. Further, by using the protective film made of a carbon polymer, metallic substances scattered at the time of etching the metallic material are not directly attached to the polysilicon film, but can be simply removed along with the protective film made of a carbon polymer in an asking step.

Abstract: An obstacle detection apparatus more accurately detects a moving obstacle present around a motor vehicle. With this system, desired feature quantities of an obstacle present in a coverage of a first sensor are calculated and then stored into a storage device, and when the obstacle moves from the coverage of the first sensor to a coverage of a second sensor, a relative distance to the obstacle is calculated from the above-stored feature quantities of the obstacle and from the desired feature quantities of the obstacle, obtained by analyzing the recognition results of the second sensor that have been processed by a processor which processes the recognition results.

Abstract: Image information apparatuses, methods, and programs acquire image information of a plurality of frames of images sensed at predetermined regular time intervals. The apparatuses, methods, and programs detect a leading and trailing end of a lane mark included in a detection area defined in each frame of the image information. The apparatuses, methods, and programs detect a detected distance from one of the leading and trailing end of the lane mark to the other one as a detected distance based on the speed of the vehicle and the number of frames between a frame in which one of the leading end and the trailing end of the lane mark is detected and a frame in which the other one of the leading end and the trailing end of the lane mark is detected and determine a lane mark type of the lane mark on the basis of the detected distance.

Abstract: An in-vehicle running-environment recognition apparatus including an input unit for inputting an image signal from in-vehicle imaging devices for photographing external environment of a vehicle, an image processing unit for detecting a first image area by processing the image signal, the first image area having a factor which prevents recognition of the external environment, an image determination unit for determining a second image area based on at least any one of size of the first image area, position thereof, and set-up positions of the in-vehicle imaging devices having the first image area, an environment recognition processing being performed in the second image area, the first image area being detected by the image processing unit, and an environment recognition unit for recognizing the external environment of the vehicle based on the second image area.

Abstract: Disclosed is an obstacle detection apparatus to detect more accurately a moving obstacle present around a motor vehicle. With this system, desired feature quantities of an obstacle present in a coverage of a first sensor are calculated and then stored into a storage device, and when the obstacle moves from the coverage of the first sensor to a coverage of a second sensor, a relative distance to the obstacle is calculated from the above-stored feature quantities of the obstacle and from the desired feature quantities of the obstacle, obtained by analyzing the recognition results of the second sensor that have been processed by a processor which processes the recognition results.