Vehicle and method for facilitating detection of objects dropped from a vehicle - Patents.com

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle and method for facilitating detection of objects on a roadway, and in particular to a vehicle and method for facilitating detection of objects that have fallen from a vehicle. According to an aspect of the present invention, a vehicle for facilitating detection of objects that have fallen from a vehicle comprises a camera operable to acquire images of objects for storing prior information when the objects are loaded onto the vehicle, and to acquire images of a front surroundings of the vehicle and images of a rear surroundings of the vehicle when the vehicle is moving, an output unit operable to output a signal, and a control unit operable to detect objects from the images of the front surroundings and from the images of the rear surroundings using the prior information, and to compare the detected objects from the images of the front surroundings and the detected objects from the images of the rear surroundings to ascertain whether an object is present that is not detected from the images of the front surroundings but is detected from the images of the rear surroundings, and if an object is present that is not detected from the images of the front surroundings but is detected from the images of the rear surroundings, the control unit is operable to determine that an object that has fallen from the vehicle is present and to control the output unit to output a signal.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle and method for facilitating detection of objects in a roadway, and in particular to a vehicle and method for facilitating detection of objects that have fallen from the vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] The following discussion of the background is intended merely to facilitate understanding of the present invention. It may be recognized that this discussion is not an admission or acknowledgement that any of the material referred to was published, publicly known, or part of the common general knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art in any jurisdiction as of the priority date of the present invention.

[0003] A vehicle is a piece of equipment used to transport people or goods from one place to another, including, but not limited to, motor vehicles, such as motorcycles, cars, buses, and trucks, rail vehicles, such as trains, and watercraft, such as boats and ships.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art With the increasing popularity of vehicles, the need for safety and convenience for vehicle drivers is increasing. In accordance with this trend, various sensors and electronic devices have been developed to improve safety and convenience for drivers.

[0005] For example, when a vehicle travels on a highway, an object such as an obstacle may be present in the vehicle's travel route. The vehicle may detect the obstacle using an image acquired by a camera and / or a signal acquired by an infrared sensor, and may change the vehicle's speed to avoid a collision with the obstacle.

[0006] However, no technology has previously existed that can identify an obstacle that has fallen from a vehicle and then communicate the relevant information to the driver of the vehicle and / or other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In view of the above, there is a need to provide a solution that at least partially meets the above-mentioned needs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" are understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

[0009] Furthermore, throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "include" or variations such as "includes" or "including" are understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

[0010] The present invention seeks to provide a vehicle and method that at least partially addresses the above-mentioned needs.

[0011] The technical solution is provided in the form of a vehicle and method for facilitating detection of an object that has fallen from a vehicle. The vehicle comprises a camera operable to acquire an image of an object for storing prior information when the object is loaded onto the vehicle, and to acquire an image of a front surrounding of the vehicle and an image of a rear surrounding of the vehicle when the vehicle is running. The vehicle further comprises a control unit operable to detect an object from the image of the front surrounding and an object from the image of the rear surrounding using the prior information, and to compare the detected object from the image of the front surrounding and the detected object from the image of the rear surrounding to ascertain whether there is an object that is not detected from the image of the front surrounding but is detected from the image of the rear surrounding. If so, the control unit is operable to determine that there is an object that has fallen from the vehicle, and to control the output unit to output a signal to issue an alert to the driver.

[0012] Thus, the vehicle and method according to the invention can identify an object that has fallen from the vehicle and inform the driver of the vehicle and / or at least one other vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle of the fallen object, so that the driver of the vehicle can bring the object back to the vehicle, and in addition, at least one other vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle can avoid the object and / or the vehicle.

[0013] According to an aspect of the present invention, a vehicle for facilitating detection of an object that has fallen from the vehicle comprises a camera operable to acquire images of the object to store prior information when the object is loaded onto the vehicle, and to acquire images of a front surrounding area of ​​the vehicle and an image of a rear surrounding area of ​​the vehicle when the vehicle is moving, an output unit operable to output a signal, and a control unit operable to detect an object from the image of the front surrounding area and an object from the image of the rear surrounding area using the prior information, and to compare the detected object from the image of the front surrounding area with the detected object from the image of the rear surrounding area to determine whether an object is present that is not detected from the image of the front surrounding area but is detected from the image of the rear surrounding area, characterized in that if an object is present that is not detected from the image of the front surrounding area but is detected from the image of the rear surrounding area, the control unit is operable to determine that an object that has fallen from the vehicle is present and to control the output unit to output a signal.

[0014] In some embodiments, the control unit is operable to reconstruct an image of the forward surroundings and to detect objects from the image of the forward surroundings.

[0015] In some embodiments, the control unit is operable to detect objects from images acquired as the objects are loaded into the vehicle and to store the detected objects from the images as prior information.

[0016] In some embodiments, objects from the images are detected by a neural network.

[0017] In some embodiments, the control unit is operable to store an image of the object as prior information such that the image of the object is used for association with detected objects from the image of the forward surroundings and / or detected objects from the image of the rear surroundings.

[0018] In some embodiments, if it is determined that there is an object falling from the vehicle, the output unit is operable to alert the driver of the vehicle using at least one of audio information, video information, and haptic feedback to the steering wheel.

[0019] In some embodiments, if it is determined that there is an object falling from the vehicle, the control unit is operable to notify another vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle of the presence of the object via wireless communication.

[0020] In some embodiments, if it is determined that there is a fallen object from the vehicle, the control unit is operable to monitor the vehicle dynamics of the vehicle and modify the path of the vehicle to retrieve the fallen object.

[0021] In some embodiments, if the control unit modifies the path of the vehicle, the output unit is operable to display the modified path.

[0022] In some embodiments, when the control unit modifies the route of the vehicle, the control unit is operable to inform other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle of the modified route of the vehicle via wireless communication.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is a method for facilitating detection of an object that has fallen from a vehicle, comprising the steps of acquiring an image of the object to store prior information when the object is loaded onto the vehicle, acquiring an image of a front surrounding of the vehicle and an image of a rear surrounding of the vehicle while the vehicle is running, detecting an object from the image of the front surrounding using the prior information, detecting an object from the image of the rear surrounding using the prior information, and comparing the detected object from the image of the front surrounding with the detected object from the image of the rear surrounding to determine whether an object is present that is not detected from the image of the front surrounding but is detected from the image of the rear surrounding, wherein the method further comprises the steps of determining that an object that has fallen from the vehicle is present if an object is present that is not detected from the image of the front surrounding but is detected from the image of the rear surrounding, and controlling an output unit to output a signal.

[0024] In some embodiments, the method further comprises reconstructing an image of the forward surroundings and detecting the object from the image of the forward surroundings.

[0025] In some embodiments, the method further includes detecting objects from images acquired as the objects are loaded into the vehicle, and storing the detected objects from the images as prior information.

[0026] In some embodiments, the method further includes storing an image of the object as prior information such that the image of the object is used to associate with detected objects from the image of the forward surroundings and / or detected objects from the image of the rear surroundings.

[0027] In some embodiments, the method further includes alerting an operator of the vehicle using at least one of audio information, video information, and haptic feedback to the steering wheel if it is determined that an object has fallen from the vehicle.

[0028] In some embodiments, the method further includes, if it is determined that there is an object falling from the vehicle, notifying another vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle of the presence of the object falling via wireless communication.

[0029] Other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0030] The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a block diagram according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 2 is a flow chart according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] Other configurations of the invention are possible and therefore the details of the accompanying drawings should not be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description of the invention.

[0033] FIG 1 is a block diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG 1, there is a vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is a device used to transport people or goods from one place to another. The vehicle 100 includes, but is not limited to, automobiles such as motorcycles, cars, buses, and trucks, rail vehicles such as trains, and watercraft such as boats and ships. In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 is capable of carrying objects.

[0034] The vehicle 100 includes, but is not limited to, a camera 110, a control unit 120, and an output unit 130.

[0035] The camera 110 may capture images of the external environment. The captured images may be still images (also referred to as "still images") and / or moving images (also referred to as "video" or "video"). The camera 110 may generate raw data. The control unit 120 may then receive and process, e.g., interpret, the raw data from the camera 110 to capture images. The captured images may be stored in a memory (not shown). The memory may include, but is not limited to, an internal memory of the vehicle 110 and / or an external memory, such as the cloud.

[0036] In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may include multiple cameras 110. For example, the cameras 110 include at least one of a forward camera, a SV (surround view) camera, and an RVS (rear view) camera (also referred to as a "rear camera"). The SV camera includes a fisheye lens, which is an ultra-wide-angle lens to cover a wider field of view. The RVS camera includes at least one of a fisheye lens or a normal lens.

[0037] In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may include a forward camera 111 and a rearward camera 112. It may be appreciated that the forward camera 111 may be mounted on the front side of the vehicle 100 and the rearward camera 112 may be mounted on the rear side of the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may include multiple forward cameras 111 and / or multiple rearward cameras 112. In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may further include at least one side camera mounted on a side mirror of the vehicle 100.

[0038] The camera 110 is operable to capture images of objects as they are loaded into the vehicle 100. For example, the objects may include cardboard boxes, suitcases, bicycles, pets, etc.

[0039] The control unit 120 may be referred to as a vehicle control unit, which is an embedded system of automotive electronics that controls one or more of a number of electrical systems or subsystems in the vehicle 100. The vehicle control unit may include an engine control unit (also referred to as an “ECU”) operable to control an engine of the vehicle 100.

[0040] The control unit 120 is operable to detect objects from images acquired when the objects are loaded into the vehicle 100 and store the detected objects from the images as prior information. In some embodiments, the objects from the images may be detected by a neural network, for example an artificial neural network. The prior information may be stored in a memory (not shown). In this way, the control unit 120 can know what objects are placed in the vehicle 100.

[0041] In some embodiments, the control unit 120 is operable to store images of the objects as prior information so that the images of the objects are used for association with detected objects from images of the surroundings in front of the vehicle 100 and / or detected objects from images of the surroundings in rear of the vehicle 100.

[0042] The cameras 110 are further operable to capture images of the surroundings in front of the vehicle 100 and images of the surroundings behind the vehicle 100 as the vehicle 100 travels. In some embodiments, the front camera 111 is operable to capture images of the surroundings in front of the vehicle 100 and the rear camera 112 is operable to capture images of the surroundings behind the vehicle 100.

[0043] The output unit 130 is operable to output signals, such as visual signals, audio signals, and tactile signals, and may include, but is not limited to, at least one of a display 131, a speaker 132, and a haptic device 133.

[0044] The display 131 is operable to display information processed by the control unit 120. For example, the display 131 may include a display mounted in an instrument cluster. It may be appreciated that multiple displays may be provided. For example, information may be displayed on a display mounted in an instrument cluster and on a head-up display.

[0045] The speaker 132 is operable to output an audio signal. It will be appreciated that multiple speakers may be provided.

[0046] The haptic device 133 may include an actuator, such as an eccentric rotating mass actuator and / or a piezoelectric actuator, and is operable to output a haptic signal, for example a vibration, to the steering wheel.

[0047] In this manner, the output unit 130 is operable to alert the driver of the vehicle 100 using at least one of audio information, video information, and haptic feedback to the steering wheel.

[0048] The control unit 120 is operable to detect objects using the prior information from images of the surroundings in front of the vehicle 100 acquired as the vehicle 100 travels. In some embodiments, the control unit 120 is operable to reconstruct images of the surroundings in front of the vehicle 100 and detect objects from the images of the surroundings in front of the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the images acquired by the front camera 111 may be corrected if the front camera 111 includes a fisheye lens.

[0049] The control unit 120 is further operable to detect objects using the prior information from images of the rear surroundings of the vehicle 100 captured as the vehicle 100 moves. In some embodiments, if the rear camera 112 includes a fisheye lens, the images captured by the rear camera 112 may be compensated.

[0050] The control unit 120 is then operable to compare the detected objects from the image of the forward surroundings with the detected objects from the image of the rear surroundings to ascertain whether there are objects present that are not detected in the image of the forward surroundings but are detected in the image of the rear surroundings.

[0051] In some embodiments, control unit 120 may check for objects in a small area (e.g., on the road but not off the road). In some embodiments, control unit 120 may compare frames of objects or number of objects from images acquired from front camera 111 at time "TX" (X depends on the speed of vehicle 100) with frames of objects or number of objects from images acquired from rear camera 112 at time "T". When vehicle 100 passes a detected object, control unit 120 may compare the front camera view and the rear camera view.

[0052] In this manner, the control unit 120 may compare detected objects from the images of the front surroundings with detected objects from the images of the rear surroundings by image association techniques or by the number of detected objects (e.g., the type of objects loaded on the vehicle 100, such as cardboard boxes, luggage, suitcases, etc.). It may be recognized that the control unit 120 may not consider a vehicle as an object because the vehicle is always on the road and the number of front views and the number of rear views are different from each other.

[0053] If there is an object that is not detected from the image of the front surroundings of the vehicle 100 but is detected from the image of the rear surroundings of the vehicle 100, the control unit 120 is operable to determine that there is an object that has fallen from the vehicle 100. Additionally, the control unit 120 is operable to control the output unit 130 to output a signal.

[0054] In some embodiments, if an object is moving in front of the vehicle 100 (e.g., a cardboard box is strapped to another vehicle and the vehicle 100 is following the other vehicle), the new object may be detected from images of the front surroundings but not from the rear surroundings. The vehicle 100 may see the object through the front camera 111 but not through the rear camera 112.

[0055] If it is determined that there is an object falling from the vehicle 100, the output unit 130 is operable to issue a warning to the driver of the vehicle 100 using at least one of audio information, visual information, and haptic feedback to the steering wheel. In some embodiments, the type of warning may be set by the driver. For example, if the driver has set to receive a warning by a visual signal, information of the presence of the falling object is displayed on the display 131 of the vehicle 100.

[0056] If it is determined that there is a falling object from the vehicle 100, the control unit 120 is operable to notify another vehicle 200 in the vicinity of the vehicle 100 of the presence of the falling object via wireless communication. An embodiment will be described with respect to FIG.

[0057] FIG. 2 is a block diagram according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] 2, the vehicle 100 includes a camera 110, a control unit 120, an output unit 130, and a communication unit 140. The communication unit 140 may communicate with another vehicle 200 through a communication network. It may be appreciated that the communication unit 140 may communicate with an external device (e.g., a mobile device) through the communication network.

[0059] The communication unit 140 may transmit and / or receive information using a channel access scheme, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) or time division multiple access (TDMA). In some embodiments, the communication unit 140 may support wireless Internet access to communicate with another vehicle 200 and / or an external device. The wireless Internet access may include, but is not limited to, wireless LAN (e.g., Wi-Fi), wireless broadband (Wi-bro), and worldwide interoperable microwave access (Wi-max). In some embodiments, the communication unit 140 may support short-range communication to communicate with another vehicle 200 and / or an external device. The short-range communication may include, but is not limited to, Bluetooth, ultra-wideband (UWB), radio frequency identification (RFID), and ZigBee.

[0060] In some embodiments, the separate vehicle 200 may include a camera 210, a control unit 220, an output unit 230, and a communication unit 240. The communication unit 240 may communicate with the communication unit 140 of the vehicle 100 through a communication network. It may be appreciated that the communication unit 140 may communicate with an external device (e.g., a mobile device) through the communication network.

[0061] When the control unit 120 of the vehicle 100 (hereinafter referred to as the "first vehicle") determines that there is a fallen object from the first vehicle 100, it is operable to notify another vehicle 200 (hereinafter referred to as the "second vehicle") in the vicinity of the vehicle 100 of the presence of the fallen object via wireless communication.

[0062] In some embodiments, the control unit 120 of the first vehicle 100 is operable to monitor vehicle dynamics of the first vehicle 100 and modify the path of the first vehicle 100 to retrieve the fallen object if the control unit 120 of the first vehicle 100 determines that there is a fallen object from the first vehicle 100. The vehicle dynamics may include, but are not limited to, speed, GPS position, and acceleration.

[0063] When the control unit 120 of the first vehicle 100 modifies the route of the first vehicle 100, the output unit 130 of the first vehicle 100 is operable to inform the driver of the first vehicle 100 of the modified route. For example, the control unit 120 is operable to display the modified route on the display 131.

[0064] In some embodiments, when the control unit 120 of the first vehicle 100 modifies the path of the vehicle 100, the control unit 120 is operable to inform a second vehicle 200 in the vicinity of the first vehicle 100 of the modified path of the first vehicle 100 via the communication unit 140. In this way, the driver of the second vehicle 200 can avoid any confusion or collision caused by the first vehicle 100.

[0065] FIG. 3 is a flow chart according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 3, the camera 110 of the vehicle 100 captures an image of an object to store prior information when the object is loaded onto the vehicle 100 (S110). An object is put into or loaded onto the vehicle 100 when the vehicle 100 is in a stationary position. The object is scanned by the cameras 110, including but not limited to at least one front camera 111, at least one rear camera 112, and at least one side camera, so that the object is identified and / or detected as an object (e.g., a cardboard box, a suitcase, a bicycle, a pet, etc.). This procedure can help the algorithm know what object is placed inside the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, this detection can be done by a neural network to detect general objects. In some embodiments, the object image can be used later for association with the detected fallen object.

[0067] The cameras 110 acquire images of the surroundings in front of the vehicle 100 and images of the surroundings behind the vehicle 100 while the vehicle 100 is traveling (S120). The cameras 110, including but not limited to at least one forward camera 111, at least one rearward camera 112, and at least one side camera, acquire images of the surroundings of the vehicle 100 while the vehicle 100 is traveling.

[0068] The control unit 120 detects objects from the image of the front surroundings and from the image of the rear surroundings using the prior information (S130). In some embodiments, the control unit 120 reconstructs an image of the front surroundings of the vehicle 100 and detects objects from the image of the front surroundings. In this way, the control unit 120 may detect whether there is any object in the vicinity of the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the control unit 120 detects objects using the image of the rear surroundings, mainly for detection with respect to the prior information of the cargo in the vehicle 100.

[0069] The control unit 120 compares the detected objects from the image of the front surroundings with the detected objects from the image of the rear surroundings (S140). In some embodiments, the control unit 120 may identify objects in a small area (e.g., on the road but not off the road). In some embodiments, the control unit 120 may compare the frame of objects or the number of objects from the image acquired from the front camera 111 at time "TX" (X depends on the speed of the vehicle 100) with the frame of objects or the number of objects from the image acquired from the rear camera 112 at time "T". When the vehicle 100 passes the detected object, the control unit 120 may compare the detected objects from the image of the front surroundings with the detected objects from the image of the rear surroundings.

[0070] The control unit 120 checks whether there is an object that is not detected in the image of the front surroundings but is detected in the image of the rear surroundings (S150). If there is an object that is not detected in the image of the front surroundings but is detected in the image of the rear surroundings, the control unit 120 determines that there is an object that has fallen from the vehicle 100 (S160).

[0071] This comparison in S140 may allow the control unit 120 to determine if a new object has been spotted on the rear camera 112 in order to identify an object that has fallen from the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, if the type of object is unknown, an input image captured when the object is loaded onto the vehicle 100 may be correlated with an image of the rear surroundings to detect the fallen object. The results of the algorithm may be used as input to the control unit 120, e.g., an ECU.

[0072] The control unit 120 controls the output unit 130 to output a signal (S170). The output unit 120 issues a warning to the driver of the vehicle 100 using at least one of audio information, video information, and haptic feedback to the steering wheel.

[0073] In some embodiments, when vehicle 100 is stopping or about to stop to pick up the fallen object, other vehicles in the vicinity of vehicle 100 may need to address this potential situation. If vehicle-to-everything (V2X), a technology that allows vehicle 100 to communicate with other vehicles and / or traffic systems, is enabled, a warning signal may be sent to other vehicles in the vicinity of vehicle 100 to alert them to the fallen object and the potential situation.

[0074] In some embodiments, once an object falls (e.g., at night), an algorithm may track vehicle dynamics, including but not limited to the speed, GPS location, acceleration, etc., of the vehicle 100, and reconstruct the path along which the object fell. This information about the reconstructed path may be displayed on the dashboard of the vehicle 100 to suggest to the driver of the vehicle 100 how he or she can retrace their steps to retrieve the fallen object. This information may be shared with other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle 100, so that the other vehicles can avoid lanes associated with the reconstructed path far ahead.

[0075] Therefore, the vehicle 100 can identify the object that has fallen from the vehicle 100 and notify the driver of the vehicle 100 and / or at least one other vehicle 200 in the vicinity of the vehicle 100 of the information about the fallen object. The driver of the vehicle 100 can then bring the object back to the vehicle 100. Additionally, the at least one other vehicle 200 in the vicinity of the vehicle 100 can avoid the object and / or the vehicle 200.

[0076] In particular, the present invention has been shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. However, this is merely an exemplary embodiment, and those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and equivalents are possible in light of the above embodiments. This application relates to the invention described in the claims, but also includes the following as other aspects. 1. 1. A vehicle for facilitating detection of an object that has fallen from the vehicle, comprising: a camera operable to capture images of an object when the object is loaded onto the vehicle for storing prior information, and to capture images of the surroundings in front of the vehicle and images of the surroundings behind the vehicle when the vehicle is moving; an output unit operable to output a signal; a control unit operable to use the prior information to detect objects from the image of the front surroundings and objects from the image of the rear surroundings, and to compare the detected objects from the image of the front surroundings and the detected objects from the image of the rear surroundings to ascertain whether there are objects present that are not detected in the image of the front surroundings but are detected in the image of the rear surroundings. Equipped with A vehicle, characterized in that when an object is present that is not detected from the image of the forward surroundings but is detected from the image of the rear surroundings, the control unit is operable to determine that a falling object from the vehicle is present and to control the output unit to output the signal. 2. 2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the control unit is operable to reconstruct the image of the forward surroundings and detect the object from the image of the forward surroundings. 3. 3. The vehicle of claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit is operable to detect the object from the image acquired when the object is loaded into the vehicle and to store the detected object from the image as the prior information. 4. 4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the object from the image is detected by a neural network. 5. 3. The vehicle of claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit is operable to store the image of the object as the prior information so that the image of the object is used for association with the detected object from the image of the forward surroundings and / or the detected object from the image of the rear surroundings. 6. A vehicle as described in any one of 1 to 5 above, wherein if it is determined that there is a falling object from the vehicle, the output unit is operable to issue a warning to a driver of the vehicle using at least one of audio information, video information, and haptic feedback to the steering wheel. 7. A vehicle described in any one of 1 to 6 above, wherein when it is determined that a fallen object has been detected from the vehicle, the control unit is operable to notify another vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle of the presence of the fallen object via wireless communication. 8. A vehicle as described in any one of 1 to 7, wherein when it is determined that a fallen object from the vehicle exists, the control unit is operable to monitor the vehicle dynamics of the vehicle and modify the path of the vehicle to recover the fallen object. 9. 9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein when the control unit modifies the route of the vehicle, the output unit is operable to display the modified route. 10. 10. A vehicle as described in claim 8 or 9, wherein when the control unit modifies the route of the vehicle, the control unit is operable to inform another vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle of the modified route of the vehicle via wireless communication. 11. 1. A method for facilitating detection of an object that has fallen from a vehicle, comprising: acquiring an image of the object for storing prior information when the object is loaded into the vehicle; acquiring an image of an area in front of the vehicle and an image of an area in rear of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling; detecting objects in the image of the front surroundings using the prior information; detecting objects in the image of the rear surroundings using the prior information; comparing the detected objects from the image of the forward surroundings with the detected objects from the image of the rear surroundings to ascertain whether there are objects detected from the image of the rear surroundings that are not detected from the image of the forward surroundings; Including, The method further comprises the steps of determining that an object has fallen from the vehicle if the object is not detected from the image of the forward surroundings but is detected from the image of the rear surroundings, and controlling an output unit to output a signal. 12. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising reconstructing the image of the forward surroundings and detecting the object from the image of the forward surroundings. 13. 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising the steps of detecting the object from the image acquired when the object is loaded onto the vehicle, and storing the detected object from the image as the prior information. 14. 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising a step of storing the image of the object as the prior information so that the image of the object is used for association with the detected object from the image of the front surroundings and / or the detected object from the image of the rear surroundings. 15. 15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising the step of: if it is determined that there is an object that has fallen from the vehicle, issuing an alert to a driver of the vehicle using at least one of audio information, video information, and haptic feedback to a steering wheel. 16. 16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, further comprising the step of notifying another vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle of the presence of the fallen object via wireless communication when it is determined that the fallen object from the vehicle exists. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 100 vehicles 110 Camera 111 Front Camera 112 Rear Camera 120 Control Unit 130 Output Unit 131 Display 132 Speaker 140 Communication Unit 200 different vehicles 210 Camera 221 Front Camera 222 Rear Camera 220 Control Unit 230 Output Unit 231 Display 232 Speaker 240 Communication Unit

Claims

1. 1. A vehicle for facilitating detection of an object that has fallen from the vehicle, comprising: a camera operable to capture images of an object when the object is loaded onto the vehicle for storing prior information, and to capture images of the surroundings in front of the vehicle and images of the surroundings behind the vehicle when the vehicle is moving; an output unit operable to output a signal; a control unit operable to use the prior information to detect objects from the image of the front surroundings and objects from the image of the rear surroundings, and to compare the detected objects from the image of the front surroundings and the detected objects from the image of the rear surroundings to ascertain whether there are objects present that are not detected in the image of the front surroundings but are detected in the image of the rear surroundings. Equipped with A vehicle, characterized in that when an object is present that is not detected from the image of the forward surroundings but is detected from the image of the rear surroundings, the control unit is operable to determine that a falling object from the vehicle is present and to control the output unit to output the signal.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is operable to reconstruct the image of the forward surroundings and to detect the object from the image of the forward surroundings.

3. 3. The vehicle of claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit is operable to detect the object from the image acquired when the object is loaded onto the vehicle and to store the detected object from the image as the prior information.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the objects from the images are detected by a neural network.

5. 3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit is operable to store the image of the object as the prior information such that the image of the object is used for association with the detected object from the image of the front surroundings and / or the detected object from the image of the rear surroundings.

6. 3. The vehicle of claim 1 or 2, wherein if it is determined that there is an object falling from the vehicle, the output unit is operable to issue a warning to a driver of the vehicle using at least one of audio information, video information, and haptic feedback to a steering wheel.

7. 3. The vehicle of claim 1 or 2, wherein when it is determined that an object has fallen from the vehicle, the control unit is operable to notify another vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle of the presence of the object via wireless communication.

8. 3. The vehicle of claim 1 or 2, wherein if it is determined that a fallen object from the vehicle is present, the control unit is operable to monitor vehicle dynamics of the vehicle and modify the path of the vehicle to retrieve the fallen object.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein if the control unit modifies the path of the vehicle, the output unit is operable to display the modified path.

10. 9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein if the control unit modifies the route of the vehicle, the control unit is operable to inform another vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle of the modified route of the vehicle via wireless communication.

11. 1. A method for facilitating detection of an object that has fallen from a vehicle, comprising: acquiring an image of the object for storing prior information when the object is loaded into the vehicle; acquiring an image of an area in front of the vehicle and an image of an area in rear of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling; detecting objects in the image of the front surroundings using the prior information; detecting objects in the image of the rear surroundings using the prior information; comparing the detected objects from the image of the forward surroundings with the detected objects from the image of the rear surroundings to ascertain whether there are objects detected from the image of the rear surroundings that are not detected from the image of the forward surroundings; Including, The method further comprises a step of determining that an object has fallen from the vehicle if the object is not detected from the image of the forward surroundings but is detected from the image of the rear surroundings, and a step of controlling an output unit to output a signal.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising reconstructing the image of the forward surroundings and detecting the object from the image of the forward surroundings.

13. 13. The method of claim 11 or 12, further comprising the steps of detecting the object from the image acquired when the object is loaded onto the vehicle, and storing the detected object from the image as the prior information.

14. 13. The method of claim 11 or 12, further comprising a step of storing the image of the object as the prior information, such that the image of the object is used for association with the detected object from the image of the front surroundings and / or the detected object from the image of the rear surroundings.

15. 13. The method of claim 11 or 12, further comprising the step of: issuing a warning to a driver of the vehicle using at least one of audio information, video information, and haptic feedback to a steering wheel if it is determined that there is an object falling from the vehicle.

16. The method according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising the step of notifying another vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle of the presence of the fallen object via wireless communication when it is determined that the fallen object from the vehicle exists.

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