Three-feature based automatic lane detection algorithm (TFALDA) for autonomous driving

Three-feature based automatic lane detection algorithm (TFALDA) is a new lane detection algorithm which is simple, robust, and efficient, thus suitable for real-time processing in cluttered road environments without a priori knowledge on them. Three features of a lane boundary-starting position, direction (or orientation), and its gray-level intensity features comprising lane vector are obtained via simple image processing. Out of the many possible lane boundary candidates, the best one is then chosen as the one at a minimum distance from the previous lane vector according to a weighted distance metric in which each feature is assigned a different weight. An evolutionary algorithm then finds the optimal weights for combination of the three features that minimize the rate of detection error. The proposed algorithm was successfully applied to a series of actual road following experiments using the PRV (POSTECH research vehicle) II both on campus roads and nearby highways.X1159sciescopu

Reconocimiento gestual para determinar cuando un conductor utiliza el celular mientras conduce

Proyecto de Graduación (Licenciatura en Ingeniería Mecatrónica) Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Área Académica de Ingeniería Mecatrónica, 2015.El presente proyecto fue desarrollado en la Universidade de São Paulo, sede São Carlos en Brasil; específicamente en el “Laboratório de Robótica Móvel” perteneciente a la Universidad. Este laboratorio realiza proyectos en el área de navegación autónoma de vehículos y aplicaciones de asistencia al conductor en prevención de accidentes y supervisión de acciones inseguras. Las acciones inseguras, como hablar por celular mientras se conduce, son una de las principales causas de accidentes en las vías, produciendo una cantidad considerable al año. Aunque varias de estas acciones se han regulado por ley, son difíciles de supervisar y controlar a nivel práctico. Utilizando un sistema automatizado es posible controlar este tipo de acciones peligrosas, para así incrementar la seguridad en las vías. El proyecto consistió en realizar el diseño e implementación de una aplicación de reconocimiento de gestos para asistencia al conductor, utilizando un sensor 3D Kinect y substracción de fondo, con la cual se puede detectar el gesto de hablar por celular. En la primera parte se realizó una simulación funcional del sistema utilizando el programa V-REP. La implementación se realizó utilizando datos reales del Kinect procesados en el programa Octave para verificar el funcionamiento del programa desarrollado en la simulación. Se utilizaron dos métodos para hacer la detección: análisis de histogramas y análisis de la zona alrededor de la cabeza. Ambos métodos produjeron resultados deseables.Laboratorio de Robótica Móvel-ICMC-Universidad de Sao Paul

Contribution à la localisation de véhicules intelligents à partir de marquage routier

Autonomous Vehicles (AV) applications and Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) relay in scene understanding processes allowing high level systems to carry out decision marking. For such systems, the localization of a vehicle evolving in a structured dynamic environment constitutes a complex problem of crucial importance. Our research addresses scene structure detection, localization and error modeling. Taking into account the large functional spectrum of vision systems, the accessibility of Open Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and the widely presence of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) onboard vehicles, we study the performance and the reliability of a vehicle localization method combining such information sources. Monocular vision–based lane marking detection provides key information about the scene structure. Using an enhanced multi-kernel framework with hierarchical weights, the proposed parametric method performs, in real time, the detection and tracking of the ego-lane marking. A self-assessment indicator quantifies the confidence of this information source. We conduct our investigations in a localization system which tightly couples GPS, GIS and lane makings in the probabilistic framework of Particle Filter (PF). To this end, it is proposed the use of lane markings not only during the map-matching process but also to model the expected ego-vehicle motion. The reliability of the localization system, in presence of unusual errors from the different information sources, is enhanced by taking into account different confidence indicators. Such a mechanism is later employed to identify error sources. This research concludes with an experimental validation in real driving situations of the proposed methods. They were tested and its performance was quantified using an experimental vehicle and publicly available datasets.Les applications pour véhicules autonomes et les systèmes d’aide avancée à la conduite (Advanced Driving Assistance Systems - ADAS) mettent en oeuvre des processus permettant à des systèmes haut niveau de réaliser une prise de décision. Pour de tels systèmes, la connaissance du positionnement précis (ou localisation) du véhicule dans son environnement est un pré-requis nécessaire. Cette thèse s’intéresse à la détection de la structure de scène, au processus de localisation ainsi qu’à la modélisation d’erreurs. A partir d’un large spectre fonctionnel de systèmes de vision, de l’accessibilité d’un système de cartographie ouvert (Open Geographical Information Systems - GIS) et de la large diffusion des systèmes de positionnement dans les véhicules (Global Positioning System - GPS), cette thèse étudie la performance et la fiabilité d’une méthode de localisation utilisant ces différentes sources. La détection de marquage sur la route réalisée par caméra monoculaire est le point de départ permettant de connaître la structure de la scène. En utilisant, une détection multi-noyau avec pondération hiérarchique, la méthode paramétrique proposée effectue la détection et le suivi des marquages sur la voie du véhicule en temps réel. La confiance en cette source d’information a été quantifiée par un indicateur de vraisemblance. Nous proposons ensuite un système de localisation qui fusionne des informations de positionnement (GPS), la carte (GIS) et les marquages détectés précédemment dans un cadre probabiliste basé sur un filtre particulaire. Pour ce faire, nous proposons d’utiliser les marquages détectés non seulement dans l’étape de mise en correspondance des cartes mais aussi dans la modélisation de la trajectoire attendue du véhicule. La fiabilité du système de localisation, en présence d’erreurs inhabituelles dans les différentes sources d’information, est améliorée par la prise en compte de différents indicateurs de confiance. Ce mécanisme est par la suite utilisé pour identifier les sources d’erreur. Cette thèse se conclut par une validation expérimentale des méthodes proposées dans des situations réelles de conduite. Leurs performances ont été quantifiées en utilisant un véhicule expérimental et des données en libre accès sur internet

Moving object detection for automobiles by the shared use of H.264/AVC motion vectors : innovation report.

Cost is one of the problems for wider adoption of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in China. The objective of this research project is to develop a low-cost ADAS by the shared use of motion vectors (MVs) from a H.264/AVC video encoder that was originally designed for video recording only. There were few studies on the use of MVs from video encoders on a moving platform for moving object detection. The main contribution of this research is the novel algorithm proposed to address the problems of moving object detection when MVs from a H.264/AVC encoder are used. It is suitable for mass-produced in-vehicle devices as it combines with MV based moving object detection in order to reduce the cost and complexity of the system, and provides the recording function by default without extra cost. The estimated cost of the proposed system is 50% lower than that making use of the optical flow approach. To reduce the area of region of interest and to account for the real-time computation requirement, a new block based region growth algorithm is used for the road region detection. To account for the small amplitude and limited precision of H.264/AVC MVs on relatively slow moving objects, the detection task separates the region of interest into relatively fast and relatively slow speed regions by examining the amplitude of MVs, the position of focus of expansion and the result of road region detection. Relatively slow moving objects are detected and tracked by the use of generic horizontal and vertical contours of rear-view vehicles. This method has addressed the problem of H.264/AVC encoders that possess limited precision and erroneous motion vectors for relatively slow moving objects and regions near the focus of expansion. Relatively fast moving objects are detected by a two-stage approach. It includes a Hypothesis Generation (HG) and a Hypothesis Verification (HV) stage. This approach addresses the problem that the H.264/AVC MVs are generated for coding efficiency rather than for minimising motion error of objects. The HG stage will report a potential moving object based on clustering the planar parallax residuals satisfying the constraints set out in the algorithm. The HV will verify the existence of the moving object based on the temporal consistency of its displacement in successive frames. The test results show that the vehicle detection rate higher than 90% which is on a par to methods proposed by other authors, and the computation cost is low enough to achieve the real-time performance requirement. An invention patent, one international journal paper and two international conference papers have been either published or accepted, showing the originality of the work in this project. One international journal paper is also under preparation

Videogestützte Umfelderfassung zur Interpretation von Verkehrssituationen für kognitive Automobile

Es wird einen holistischer Ansatz zur Interpretation von Verkehrssituationen vorgestellt, der aus den drei Teilen Umfelderfassung, Wissensmodellierung und Situationsinterpretation besteht. Die Umfelderfassung dient dazu, das Umfeld des Fahrzeug durch unterschiedliche Sensorik zu beobachten und die zur Fahrzeugführung relevanten Informationen zu extrahieren. Mit Hilfe einer Ontologie werden Situationen beschrieben und durch das Fallbasierte Schließen klassifiziert und bewertet