US 7,612,800 B2
Image processing apparatus and method
Ryuzo Okada, Kanagawa-ken (Japan); and Kazunori Onoguchi, Kanagawa-ken (Japan)
Assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on Jun. 27, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/607,045.
Claims priority of application No. 2002-187091 (JP), filed on Jun. 27, 2002.
Prior Publication US 2004/0057599 A1, Mar. 25, 2004
Int. Cl. H04N 5/225 (2006.01); G06K 9/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 348—169  [382/107] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
means for inputting a plurality of frame images serving as video images;
means for detecting, from each frame image in the plurality of frame images, a horizontal line in a three dimensional space, the horizontal line being parallel to an image plane of the respective video image;
means for generating an obstacle candidate area as an image area in a vicinity of the detected horizontal line;
means for tracking the obstacle candidate area in an image succeeding each frame image in the plurality of frame images, and producing a tracking result for the obstacle candidate area;
means for determining, using the tracking result of three or more obstacle candidate areas, whether the three or more obstacle candidate areas belong to a plane extending in a specific direction in the three dimensional space and producing a determination result; and
means for detecting an obstacle based on the determination result,
wherein the means for determining includes:
means for selecting a candidate area group consisting of three or more obstacle candidate areas; and
means for computing a fitness between the candidate area group and a predetermined plane and evaluating whether the candidate area group belongs to the predetermined plane based on the fitness.