On-road computer vision based obstacle detection

Abstract

Applying computer technology to vehicle driving has been studied for many years. In this research field, obstacle detection plays an important role in assisting drivers with warning mechanism when some dangerous situations may happen. In this paper, we propose a fast method for detecting and tracking bikes, pedestrians, and vehicles in front of a moving vehicle. In order to detect bikes and pedestrians efficiently, we apply a simplified fast stereo vision method to estimate their approximate positions. On the other hand, we apply the so-called sign pattern technique to estimate the vehicle positions. After that, different methods are used to classify and confirm different kinds of obstacles for adapting their heterogeneity.