Vehicle Vicinity Supervising Device Parallax Offset Correction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vicinity supervising devices face errors in parallax calculation due to pixel locking, leading to incorrect parallax offset values and potential malfunctions in vehicle control systems.

Innovation Solution

A device and method that include an image capturing unit, parallax calculation unit, parallax offset calculation unit, and parallax correction unit, which perform sub pixel estimation and calculate parallax offset values only when the decimal part of the parallax value is within a predetermined range to correct for pixel locking errors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If sub pixel estimation is performed to compensate resolution of the stereo image, then the parallax value accuracy is improved, but pixel locking error occurs causing systematic estimation error

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveparallax value accuracyVSAvoidparallax offset calculation reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter selection criterion by introducing a decimal part range condition for parallax values used in offset calculation. Instead of using all parallax values, only those with decimal parts within a predetermined range (e.g., 0.2-0.8) are selected, thereby avoiding values that cause pixel locking errors while maintaining sub-pixel estimation accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and excludes problematic data points from the calculation process. By identifying and removing parallax values with decimal parts that cause pixel locking (typically values close to 0 or 1), the system performs offset calculation only on reliable data, separating the useful information from the harmful portions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Productivity

If parallax offset is calculated using all parallax values, then the calculation completeness is improved, but systematic estimation error due to pixel locking occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecalculation completenessVSAvoidparallax offset accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies the selection parameter for parallax values by introducing a decimal part range filter. This ensures that only parallax values with decimal parts within a safe range (avoiding pixel locking) are used in offset calculation, maintaining both completeness and precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the potential harm of pixel locking errors into a beneficial filtering mechanism. By identifying the decimal part pattern that causes errors and systematically excluding those cases, the method transforms a source of error into a quality control criterion that improves overall measurement reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS10733749B2Vehicle vicinity supervising device and vicinity supervising method

Publication Date: 2020.08.04 DENSO CORP

AI summary

An apparatus for supervising a vicinity of a vehicle includes: an image capturing unit that captures a plurality of images in which an object is simultaneously captured from different locations; a parallax calculation unit that performs a sub pixel estimation based on the plurality of images to calculate a parallax value; a parallax offset calculation unit that calculates a parallax offset value based on the parallax value under a condition where a decimal part S of the parallax value is within a predetermined range; and a parallax correction unit that corrects the parallax value using the parallax offset value.