Patent ID: 7437244
Filing Date: 2008-10-14
Classification: G06K,G08G

Abstract:
1. An obstacle detection apparatus using an image sensor installed on a movable object, comprising: an image input unit configured to input an image sequence captured by the image sensor; a velocity detector to derive a plurality of velocity vectors representing motions of at least one to-be-detected point and at least one to-be-compared point on each picture of the image sequence; a predictive velocity vector calculator to calculate a predictive velocity vector of the to-be-detected point using a detected velocity vector of the to-be-compared point; an obstacle detector to detect the to-be-detected point as a point on an obstacle when a horizontal component of a detected velocity vector of the to-be-detected point is larger than a horizontal component of the predictive velocity vector by a given threshold; and an obstacle information output unit to output information on the to-be-detected point detected as the point of the obstacle.