Vehicle Camera Distance Measurement via Vanishing Point
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle-mounted auxiliary systems rely on cumbersome methods, such as gyroscopes and manual labeling, to determine camera angles and vanishing points for accurate distance measurement between vehicles and pedestrians, which are inefficient and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus using a vehicle-mounted camera that calibrates camera parameters, detects parallel lane lines to find the vanishing point, calculates the pitch angle, and determines object distance and size through image processing and geometric calculations, eliminating the need for manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a gyroscope is employed to determine the angle of the camera, then the measurement precision of camera angle is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional hardware installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the angle determination function from the gyroscope and transfers it to the image processing system. By detecting the vanishing point of lane lines in the captured image and calculating its position relative to the image center, the system determines the camera's pitch angle without requiring a gyroscope, thus reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical gyroscope system with an optical-computational system. Instead of using mechanical sensors to measure camera angle, the system uses image capture, vanishing point detection, and geometric calculation to achieve the same measurement function, eliminating the need for additional mechanical hardware
2Measurement precision
If manual labeling is used to specify the location of the vanishing point, then the measurement precision of vanishing point location is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to cumbersome operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the system to automatically detect and determine the vanishing point location through image processing algorithms. The system autonomously identifies parallel lane lines in the captured image, calculates their intersection point, and uses this as the vanishing point without requiring manual intervention, thus maintaining precision while significantly improving ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual labeling operation with an automated computer vision system. Instead of requiring users to manually mark the vanishing point, the system uses edge detection, line detection, and geometric calculation algorithms to automatically identify and compute the vanishing point location from the image data
3Device complexity
If only one monocular camera is provided in the auxiliary system, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of distance and size is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the approach from using multiple cameras to using a single camera with enhanced processing capabilities. By introducing additional calculation parameters such as camera height above ground, pitch angle, and utilizing geometric relationships with the vanishing point, the system achieves accurate distance and size measurements with only one monocular camera, maintaining low device complexity while improving measurement precision
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for measuring a distance using a vehicle-mounted camera, a storage medium, and an electronic device. The method includes: calibrating a camera based on camera calibration images to obtain a camera parameter; detecting parallel lane lines to obtain a vanishing point of the parallel lane lines according to the detected parallel lane lines; calculating a pitch angle of the camera according to the camera parameter and the vanishing point; determining information of an object to be detected in an image captured by the camera; and calculating a distance from the object to be detected to the camera and a size of the object to be detected according to the information of the object to be detected, the pitch angle of the camera, and the camera parameter.