Patent ID: 6546118
Filing Date: 2003-04-08
Classification: G06K,G06T

Abstract:
An image processing apparatus for use with a vehicle, which is to be carried on the vehicle, said apparatus comprising:an image pick-up device operable to photograph a foreground in a vehicle-moving direction to generate an original image data which corresponds to the foreground; an outline extracting device operable to extract an outline image data from the original image data generated by said image pick-up device, the outline image data corresponding to outlines of two lane-indicating lines formed respectively at both end portions of a width of a traffic lane on a road, on which the vehicle is moving; a coordinate transforming device operable to perform a coordinate-transforming processing to the outline image data generated by said outline extracting device to generate coordinate-transforming image data which represents a plan view of the outlines of the lane-indicating lines in a predetermined plane coordinate system; and an attitude change detecting device operable to detect a change of a pitch angle of the vehicle based on the two lane-indicating lines being parallel to each other, by using the coordinate-transforming image data generated by said coordinate transforming device, wherein: said attitude change detecting device is operable to plot a plurality of points onto the plane coordinate system based on the coordinate-transforming image data, a position of each of the points in the first coordinate axis corresponding to a size in width of the traffic lane, and a position of the point in the second coordinate axis corresponding to a position in a longitudinal direction of the traffic lane; and said attitude change detecting device is further operable to decide one straight line which matches the points.