Detector and method for identifying a road lane boundary

US8355540B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• ADC Automotive Distance Control Systems GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Michael Walter · Kornwestheim, DE
• Wladimir Klein · Gettorf, DE
• Dominik Maeder · Laupheim, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 18, 2008
• Grant date: Jan 15, 2013
• Expiry date: Mar 30, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B60W30/12
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A detector for identifying a road lane boundary using a digitalized optical image of the region in front of the vehicle. The detector includes a correlator configured to select the edges which are to be used for road lane estimation by searching for extreme values of convolution response, and to weight each convolution response by a weighting factor. A histogram analysis unit configured to group the extracted edges into pairs, and to determine a frequency distribution of the distances between two paired edges as a histogram, and to use said frequency distribution to determine the distances between two grouped edges forming a frequency peak or a frequency plateau in the histogram as nominal edge widths. A weighting factor determination unit configured to determine, for an edge, the weighting factor of the convolution response in the correlator in such a manner that the weight determined by the weighting factor for an edge of the paired edges is higher the smaller the deviation of the distance between the grouped edges from the nominal edge width.