Patent ID: 8094934

Claim:
An object detection system comprising: a plurality of image capture units for capturing images including a reference image and a comparing image; a distance information calculation unit for dividing the reference image into a plurality of pixel blocks, searching corresponding pixel positions within the comparative image for each of the pixel blocks, calculating distance information for each of the pixel blocks, and forming a range image representing distance information; a histogram generation module for dividing the range image into a plurality of segments having predetermined sizes, and generating a histogram relating to the distance information by voting the distance information of the pixel blocks to the histogram of the respective segments; an object detection module for detecting an object based on frequencies of classes to each of the histograms; and a reliability evaluation module for calculating an index of reliability of the distance information of each of the pixel blocks, wherein the histogram generation module changes a resolution for generating the histogram according to the index of reliability of the distance information of each of the pixel blocks, and wherein the histogram generation module changes, as the resolution for generating the histogram, at least one of the size of the segments which divide the range image, a size of class divisions of the histogram, and an extent of a distribution range in voting by distributing the distance information of the pixel blocks to the classes of the histogram and classes which surround the classes of the histogram according to the index of reliability of the distance information of each of the pixel blocks.