Raindrop Detection Edge Rejection for Windshield Wiper Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing raindrop detection methods for vehicle windshields require significant computation time and memory resources, making them inefficient for real-time processing and automatic windscreen wiper control.
Innovation Solution
A method that focuses on rejecting uncharacteristic edges in captured images by selecting closed, elliptic, or round edges with specific grey level variations, using connected component analysis and geometric criteria, and tracking these components across frames to distinguish raindrops from other windshield features without excessive calculation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If comprehensive image processing techniques are used to detect raindrops, then detection accuracy is improved, but computation time and memory resources increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the raindrop detection process into distinct stages: edge detection, connected component analysis, geometric feature extraction, and classification. Each stage processes only relevant features, reducing overall computational burden while maintaining detection accuracy through systematic feature analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different processing strategies to different regions of the image. By focusing computational resources on detecting closed edges and analyzing geometric properties only in relevant areas, the system achieves high detection accuracy without processing the entire image at full resolution, thus reducing computation time.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive image processing techniques are used to detect raindrops, then detection accuracy is improved, but memory resources increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential features needed for raindrop detection: closed edge properties, geometric characteristics, and grey level variations. By extracting and analyzing only these critical features rather than processing the entire image data, the system maintains high detection accuracy while significantly reducing memory resource requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection process is segmented into feature extraction and classification stages, where only relevant features are extracted and stored for analysis. This segmentation allows the system to maintain accurate detection by preserving essential feature data while discarding redundant information, thereby optimizing memory usage.
3Productivity
If simple edge detection is used, then computation time is reduced, but inability to distinguish raindrops from other features reduces detection accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enhances simple edge detection by applying local quality analysis through connected component analysis and geometric feature extraction. This allows the system to process edges efficiently while adding discriminative features (closed loops, specific shapes, grey level patterns) only where needed, maintaining high processing speed while improving the ability to distinguish raindrops from other features.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the analysis parameters from simple edge presence to multiple discriminative parameters including geometric properties, connectivity, and grey level variations. This parameter transformation enables the system to maintain computational efficiency while significantly improving detection accuracy through multi-parameter classification.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method of raindrop detection on a vehicle windscreen by capturing images using a camera which is at least focused on the windscreen, including a step of detecting edges (102) in a research area of said captured images, characterized in that said method of raindrop detection comprises a rejection step (103) in which edges that are uncharacteristic with respect to a raindrop are rejected. This invention also relates to an associated driving assistance device.