Patent ID: 6842531
Filing Date: 2005-01-11
Classification: B60R,G06K

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for detecting objects in a vehicle area, said apparatus detects said vehicle area from a vehicle candidate area having a high probability of existence of a vehicle in an image produced by an imager mounted on a vehicle, comprising: horizontal symmetry evaluator for evaluating a degree of horizontal symmetry with respect to a degree of gradation in the image of the area, variance evaluator for evaluating a degree of variance in the degree of gradation in the image of the area, mean gradation evaluator for evaluating a difference in the degree of gradation of an image between a lower area of a vehicle candidate area and an area in the proximity of a lower edge of the candidate area; area determinator for determining a vehicle candidate area as the vehicle area when either one of the results of evaluation from the symmetry evaluator, the variance evaluator, and the mean gradation evaluator exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and area evaluator for detecting a vehicle candidate area at a position substantially equal to that of a vehicle candidate area as the vehicle area when an event in which either one of the results of evaluation from the symmetry evaluator, the variance evaluator, and the mean gradation evaluator exceeds a predetermined threshold value is detected up to this point a predetermined number of times for the vehicle candidate area by the area determinator.