Parking Area Detection Using Top View Image Line Combination
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current parking area detection systems, such as AVM systems, fail to accurately detect parking areas when they are obstructed by obstacles like columns, limiting the driver's visibility and ability to park safely.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that generate a top view image by capturing 360-degree surroundings, detect first and second directional parking lines using edge pixels and linear templates, and combine these lines to identify parking areas, while utilizing ultrasonic sensors for reliability and occupancy calculations to enhance detection accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a top view image is used to detect parking areas, then the driver can see parking areas clearly, but parking areas covered by obstacles cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of parking areas before the vehicle approaches them. By detecting parking areas in advance when the vehicle is at a distance, the system can identify parking spaces that may later be obscured by obstacles like columns. This preliminary action allows the system to maintain awareness of parking areas even when they become covered during the parking maneuver.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional image analysis to three-dimensional spatial reasoning by incorporating vehicle position and movement information. By adding the temporal and spatial dimension of vehicle motion, the system can predict which parking areas will be covered by obstacles and maintain detection capability through predictive tracking across multiple frames.
2Loss of information
If multiple cameras are installed surrounding the vehicle to provide 360-degree images, then the driver's visibility is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The multiple cameras installed around the vehicle serve multiple functions: they capture images for generating top view displays, detect parking areas through image processing, and provide comprehensive surroundings visibility. By making the camera system multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated sensors for each function, thereby managing system complexity while achieving comprehensive monitoring capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the functions of multiple cameras and their image processing into a unified system that generates a single top view image. Instead of processing each camera's output separately, the system merges the images and processes them together to detect parking areas, reducing computational complexity and simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Reliability
If parking areas are detected in real-time, then the information is current and useful, but detection fails when parking areas are covered by obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from continuous image processing and vehicle position tracking to maintain reliable parking area detection. By continuously analyzing image data and comparing it with predicted parking area locations, the system can confirm the presence of parking areas even when temporarily obscured, using feedback loops to maintain detection reliability under challenging conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection and recording of parking areas before they become obscured. This preliminary action creates a reference database of parking area locations that can be used to confirm detection when obstacles temporarily block the view, maintaining reliability by relying on pre-established information combined with continuous verification.
Data Source
AI summary
A parking area detecting method includes generating a top view image by capturing images of surroundings of a vehicle, detecting a first directional parking line from the top view image, detecting a second directional parking line having a direction different from a direction of the first directional parking line from the top view image, and detecting a parking area by combining the first directional parking line and the second directional parking line.