Stereo IR Obstacle Detection via Invalid Area Recognition
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional obstacle detection systems using infrared cameras face issues with false detection due to insufficient dynamic range, leading to invalid areas in point cloud data where depth information is missing, causing unnecessary alerts or deceleration in vehicles.
Innovation Solution
An obstacle detection device that uses a stereo camera to create point cloud data and includes a recognition mechanism to identify and exclude invalid areas, utilizing brightness information and confidence factors to determine whether to detect obstacles based on both point cloud data and image recognition results.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an infrared camera is used to capture images for obstacle detection, then the system can detect obstacles in various lighting conditions, but the insufficient dynamic range causes invalid areas in point cloud data where depth information is missing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses image recognition technology as an intermediary to identify and handle invalid areas in point cloud data. The system recognizes specific patterns (such as circular manhole covers) in the original images and uses this recognition information to compensate for missing depth information in corresponding regions of the point cloud data, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and measurement precision.
2Reliability
If the system treats all invalid areas as obstacles for safety margin, then false detections are reduced, but unnecessary alerts and deceleration occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing image recognition on the captured images before processing point cloud data for obstacle detection. The system pre-identifies invalid areas such as manhole covers and other non-obstacle objects, then uses this prior knowledge to selectively exclude these areas from obstacle detection, preventing false alarms while maintaining safety for actual obstacles.
3Measurement precision
If image recognition is used to identify particular targets in invalid areas, then false detections are prevented, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves multi-functionality by using the existing image data from the infrared camera for dual purposes: the original obstacle detection task and the additional task of identifying invalid areas through pattern recognition. This approach improves measurement precision without requiring separate dedicated sensors or hardware, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Prevents false detections by accurately distinguishing between obstacles and non-obstacles, improving detection performance without increasing camera performance or adding sensors, thereby reducing unnecessary alerts and improving vehicle control.
Implementation Method 1
A stereo camera is one type of distance sensor and detects a distance to an object by using parallax between images captured by two cameras.
Data Source
AI summary
An obstacle detection device includes a stereo camera that captures IR images on the right side and left side; a point cloud data creation unit that creates point cloud data having three-dimensional position information from the IR images captured by the stereo camera; an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle according to point cloud data; an invalid area identification unit that identifies whether an invalid area with no point cloud is present in point cloud data; and a target recognition unit that recognizes a particular target in the invalid area with no point cloud according to an IR image. When a particular target is recognized by the target recognition unit, the obstacle detection unit does not determine the invalid area with no point cloud to be an obstacle.