IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,218,535
Granted Patent B2
US 9,218,535 · App. 13/205,891 · Granted Dec 22, 2015

Arrangement and method for recognizing road signs

Inventors: Torsten Wey (Moers, DE); Gerald Doerne (Cologne, DE); Dirk Gunia (Pulheim, DE); Marc Roeber (Dusseldorf, DE); Christoph Schlaug (Ingelbach, DE)
Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
G06K9/00818G06K9/00791G08G1/0962G08G1/0967G08G1/09623G08G1/096716G06K9/3241G08G1/096783G08G1/163
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,218,535
App. No.
13/205,891
Granted
Dec 22, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

Various embodiments include a system and a method for recognizing road signs. An image of a road sign may be captured by least one image sensor. A vehicle computer may receive the image data representing one or more road signs along a route and display one or more images of the road sign based on the image data. The display may be capable of presenting one or more status of the road sign based on one or more travel states for the vehicle. These travel states may include at least one of an amount of elapsed travel time, distance travelled, or speed.

Claims (13)

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle computer, in communication with a vehicle display, the computer configured to:

receive image data representing a speed limit sign detected by a vehicle camera;

display a sign-image, on the vehicle display, based on the image data; and

vary a displayed intensity of the sign-image inversely with respect to distance traveled since sign-detection, such that intensity diminishes as the vehicle moves along a route.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the varied display intensity includes at least three intensity levels.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the displayed intensity is also varied with respect to a likelihood of the applicability of the sign.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle camera is a front-mounted camera.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the image data includes sign identification information.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a vehicle computer, image data representing a speed limit sign detected by a vehicle camera;

displaying, at the vehicle on a vehicle display, a sign-image based on the image data; and

inversely varying a displayed intensity of the sign-image based on at least one of an elapsed-travel-time amount since detecting the sign or distance travelled since detecting the sign, such that intensity diminishes with a respective passage of time or distance.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 9, 2011
From: WEY, TORSTEN; DOERNE, GERALD; GUNIA, DIRK; ROEBER, MARC; SCHLAUG, CHRISTOPH
To: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 026720/0774 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2010 039 634 · Aug 23, 2010 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20120046855A1 · Feb 23, 2012