Method for determining at which level a vehicle is when the vehicle is in a multi-level road system

A method for determining which level a vehicle is at when the vehicle is on a multi-level road system is to be implemented by a vehicle auxiliary system that includes a vehicle equipment unit and a server unit. The method includes the steps of: obtaining visual media data of surroundings of the vehicle generated by an image capturing module of the vehicle equipment unit; receiving reference data associated with surroundings of a vehicle in the multi-level road system from the server unit; and generating a recognition result indicating at which level the vehicle is by performing an image-matching technique on the visual media data and the reference data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application No. 105115140, filed on May 17, 2016.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a method for determining which level a vehicle is at when the vehicle is on a multi-level road system, and more particularly to a method for determining which level a vehicle is at when the vehicle is in a multi-level road system by performing an image-matching technique.

BACKGROUND

A conventional vehicle auxiliary system, such as a car video recorder, provided with Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality is incapable of correctly determining at which level a vehicle is when the vehicle is driving on a multi-level road system that includes at least two different levels of roads. For example, when the vehicle is driving on an elevated road which is on a higher level of the multi-level road system, the conventional vehicle auxiliary system may mistakenly provide driving assistance information that corresponds to a ground level road on a lower level of the multi-level road system.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a method for determining at which level a vehicle is when the vehicle is in a multi-level road system with at least two different levels of roads.

According to the disclosure, the method is to be implemented by a vehicle auxiliary system. The vehicle auxiliary system includes a vehicle equipment unit disposed on the vehicle, and a server unit. The vehicle equipment unit includes an image capturing module and a processing module. The image capturing module is configured to capture at least one image of surroundings of the vehicle to generate visual media data. The method includes the steps of: a) obtaining, by the processing module, the visual media data generated by the image capturing module; b) receiving, by the processing module, reference data that is associated with surroundings of a vehicle on the multi-level road system from the server unit; and c) generating, by the processing module, a recognition result that indicates which level the vehicle is at by performing an image-matching technique on the visual media data and the reference data.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2illustrate an embodiment of a method for determining at which level a vehicle (not shown) is when the vehicle is in a multi-level road system (either driving or stopping) according to the disclosure, and a first embodiment of a vehicle auxiliary system which implements the method. The multi-level road system includes roads on at least two different levels. For example, the multi-level road system may include an elevated road on a higher level of the multi-level road system and a ground level road (hereinafter referred as to normal road) on a lower level thereof. The vehicle auxiliary system includes a vehicle equipment unit100disposed on the vehicle, and a server unit200communicably coupled with the vehicle equipment unit100. The vehicle equipment unit100includes an image capturing module11, a positioning module12, a processing module13and an output module14. The image capturing module11is configured to capture at least one image of surroundings of the vehicle to generate visual media data. The positioning module12may be exemplified by a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, and is configured to detect a current position of the vehicle based on a GPS signal. In this embodiment, the vehicle equipment unit100includes a mobile communication device101such as a smartphone. The mobile communication device101includes the aforementioned image capturing module11, the positioning module12, the processing module13and the output module14. The image capturing module11may be exemplified by a digital camera or a digital video recorder, the processing module13may be exemplified by a central processing unit (CPU), a processor or a system on a chip (SoC), and the output module14may be exemplified as a display or a sound speaker. The method comprises the following steps S01-S07.

In step S01, the processing module13determines whether the vehicle is in one of a plurality of predetermined areas based on the current position detected by the positioning module12, and performs step S02when it is determined that the vehicle is in one of the predetermined areas. Otherwise, step S01is repeated until the vehicle is determined to be in one of the predetermined areas. Each of the predetermined areas may be an area near the multi-level road system, such as an area where an elevated road crosses over a normal road, or an area where the elevated road and the normal road extend adjacent to each other in parallel. Therefore, for example, according to the current position detected by the positioning module12, the processing module13is able to determine whether the vehicle is in one of a plurality of predetermined areas for determining whether the vehicle is at area where the elevated road crosses over the road, or where the elevated road and the road extend adjacent to each other in parallel.

In step S02, the processing module13obtains the visual media data generated by the image capturing module11. In this embodiment, the visual media data is video data.

In step S03, the processing module13extracts image data from the video data.

In step S04, the processing module13receives reference data that is associated with the surroundings of the vehicle from the server unit200. The reference data is stored in the server unit200, and contains a first reference image300relevant to the elevated road (as shown inFIG. 3), and a second reference image400relevant to the normal road (as shown inFIG. 4). Specifically speaking, the first reference image300may be an image of the surroundings of a vehicle which is at one of the levels (e.g., on an elevated road at the higher level as shown inFIG. 3) of the multi-level road system, and the second reference image400may be an image of the surroundings of a vehicle which is at another one of the levels (e.g., on a normal road at the lower level as shown inFIG. 4) of the multi-level road system. The first reference image300includes a plurality of first features301for recognition, e.g., noise barriers, a bridge and buildings as depicted inFIG. 3. The second reference image400includes a plurality of second features401for recognition, e.g., street trees and an elevated road as depicted inFIG. 4. The first features301and the second features401may serve as templates in a template matching technique. Specifically speaking, the processing module13transmits the current position detected by the positioning module12via a communication interface (not shown) to the server unit200, and the server unit200responds by transmitting the first reference image300and the second reference image400that correspond to the current position to the processing module13accordingly.

In step S05, the processing module13generates a recognition result that indicates which level the vehicle is at by image-matching on the image data and the reference data. Specifically speaking, the processing module13generates the recognition result that indicates which level the vehicle is at by performing image comparisons between the image data and the first reference image300based on the first features301, and between the image data and the second reference image400based on the second features401. For example, when the processing module13determines that the image data includes features matching the first features301, the processing module13generates the recognition result indicating that the vehicle is currently on the elevated road. Similarly, when the processing module13determines that the image data includes features matching the second features401, the processing module13generates the recognition result indicating that the vehicle is currently on the normal road.

In step S06, the processing module13transmits, via the communication interface, the image data to the server unit200for an update of the reference data. Therefore, the server unit200can use the latest image data from the processing module13as reference data.

In step S07, the processing module13controls the output module14to output predetermined driving assistance information that corresponds to the level at which the vehicle is located in the multi-level road system. For example, according to the recognition result, the processing module13of the vehicle equipment unit100controls the output module14, e.g., a display or a sound speaker, to provide the predetermined driving assistance information of the elevated road or the normal road which corresponds to the recognition result. The driving assistance information may be information associated with GPS navigation or locations of speed cameras. It should be noted that applications of the recognition result are not limited to the above-mentioned disclosure. In some other embodiments, the recognition result is merely used as a reference for recording paths that have been taken.

It should be noted that step S03may be omitted in some embodiments, where the visual media data would be directly compared with the reference data for generation of the recognition result, and be directly transmitted to the server unit200for an update of the reference data.

Referring toFIG. 5, a second embodiment of the vehicle auxiliary system which implements the method according to the disclosure is illustrated. The second embodiment of the vehicle auxiliary system is similar to the first embodiment of the vehicle auxiliary system but with the following differences. In the second embodiment, the vehicle equipment unit100includes a car video recorder102and a mobile communication device101. The car video recorder102includes the image capturing module11, the positioning module12, the output module14and a first processor131. The mobile communication device101includes a second processor132. The first and second processors131,132cooperatively serve as the processing module13in the first embodiment. Steps S01and S02are to be performed by the first processor131. Subsequent to step S02, the first processor131of the car video recorder102transmits the video data to the second processor132of the mobile communication device101. Steps S03, S04, S05and S06are performed by the second processor132. Subsequent to step S05, the second processor132of the mobile communication device101transmits the recognition result to the first processor131of the car video recorder102, and step S07is performed by the first processor131of the car video recorder102. It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the second processor132can control another output module (not shown) of the mobile communication device101, to output the predetermined driving assistance information according to the recognition result. The output module of the mobile communication device101can be a display unit or a speaker.

Referring toFIG. 6, a third embodiment of a vehicle auxiliary system which implements the method according to the disclosure is illustrated. The third embodiment of the vehicle auxiliary system is similar to the first embodiment of the vehicle auxiliary system but with the following differences. In the third embodiment, the vehicle equipment unit100includes a car video recorder102and a mobile communication device101. The car video recorder102includes the image capturing module11, the output module14and a first processor131. The mobile communication device101includes the positioning module12and a second processor132. The first and second processors131,132cooperatively serve as the processing module13of the first embodiment. Steps S01, S03, S04, S05and S06are to be performed by the second processor132of the mobile communication device101. Subsequent to step S01, the second processor132notifies the first processor131to perform step S02when it is determined that the vehicle is in one of the predetermined areas. Subsequent to step S02, the first processor131transmits the video data generated by the image capturing module11to the second processor132of the mobile communication device101. Subsequent to step S5, the second processor132of the mobile communication device101transmits the recognition result to the first processor131of the car video recorder102, for enabling the first processor131of the car video recorder102to perform step S07. In other embodiments, the second processor132can control another output module (not shown) of the mobile communication device101to output the predetermined driving assistance information according to the recognition result. The output module of the mobile communication device101can be a display unit or a speaker.

It is worth noting that in other embodiments, the vehicle equipment unit100may transmit the visual media data to the server unit200. The server unit200performs the image-matching technique on the visual media data and the reference data so as to generate the recognition result, and transmits the recognition result to the vehicle equipment unit100.

In summary, the method for determining which level a vehicle is at when the vehicle is on a multi-level road system according to the disclosure is to be implemented by the vehicle auxiliary system. The processing module13performs the image-matching technique on the visual media data generated by the image capturing module11and on the reference data received from the server unit200so as to generate the recognition result that indicates at which level the vehicle drives on. Consequently, the vehicle auxiliary system is capable of correctly providing the predetermined driving assistance information accordingly. Moreover, after generating the recognition result, the processing module13transmits the visual media data to the server unit200for an update of the reference data.