Traveling road surface detection device and traveling road surface detection method

1. A traveling road surface detection device for detecting a traveling road surface of a vehicle, the traveling road surface detection device comprising:

a parallax image generation unit configured to generate a parallax image including a parallax point associated with parallax information based on a captured image of the surroundings of the vehicle;

an area specification unit configured to specify a road surface area, a stereoscopic object existence area where a stereoscopic object exists, and an indeterminate area other than the road surface area and the stereoscopic object existence area based on the parallax image;

a traveling road surface detection unit configured to detect the traveling road surface that sequentially extends in a direction away from the vehicle based on the captured image;

a road surface height estimation unit configured to estimate a height position of a road surface within the road surface area based on the parallax information; and

a parallax height specification unit configured to specify an area including a parallax point with a height equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value from the height position of the road surface in the indeterminate area as a parallax height existence area based on the estimated height position of the road surface and the parallax information,

wherein the traveling road surface detection unit excludes the stereoscopic object existence area, the parallax height existence area, and an area on a side further away from the vehicle than the stereoscopic object existence area and the parallax height existence area when viewed from the vehicle as the traveling road surface.

2. A traveling road surface detection method for a traveling road surface detection device for detecting a traveling road surface of a vehicle, the traveling road surface detection method comprising:

generating a parallax image including a parallax point associated with parallax information based on a captured image of the surroundings of the vehicle;

specifying a road surface area, a stereoscopic object existence area where a stereoscopic object exists, and an indeterminate area other than the road surface area and the stereoscopic object existence area based on the parallax image;

detecting the traveling road surface that sequentially extends in a direction away from the vehicle based on the captured image;

estimating a height position of a road surface within the road surface area based on the parallax information; and

specifying an area including a parallax point with a height equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value from the height position of the road surface in the indeterminate area as a parallax height existence area based on the estimated height position of the road surface and the parallax information by a parallax height specification unit of the traveling road surface detection device,

wherein, in the detecting the traveling road surface, the stereoscopic object existence area, the parallax height existence area, and an area on a side further away from the vehicle than the stereoscopic object existence area and the parallax height existence area when viewed from the vehicle are excluded from the traveling road surface.

3. A traveling road surface detection device, the traveling road surface detection device comprising:

at least one memory comprising computer executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to read and execute the computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions causing the at least one processor to perform:

generating a parallax image including a parallax point associated with parallax information based on a captured image of the surroundings of the vehicle;

determining a road surface area, a stereoscopic object existence area where a stereoscopic object exists, and an indeterminate area other than the road surface area and the stereoscopic object existence area based on the parallax image;

detecting a traveling road surface that sequentially extends in a direction away from the vehicle based on the captured image;

estimating a height position of a road surface within the road surface area based on the parallax information; and

specifying an area including a parallax point with a height equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value from the height position of the road surface in the indeterminate area as a parallax height existence area based on the estimated height position of the road surface and the parallax information,

wherein the detecting a traveling road surface excludes the stereoscopic object existence area, the parallax height existence area, and an area on a side further away from the vehicle than the stereoscopic object existence area and the parallax height existence area when viewed from the vehicle as the traveling road surface.

4. The traveling road surface detection device of claim 3 , wherein the determining the road surface area comprises setting a parallax vote map by arranging a plurality of rectangular blocks determined such that a side of the parallax vote map in a transverse direction corresponds to a position of the parallax image in a transverse direction and a side of the parallax vote map in a longitudinal direction corresponds to a magnitude of parallax.

5. The traveling road surface detection device of claim 4 , wherein the determining the road surface area comprises calculating at least one from among an average value of parallax, a deviation of parallax, an average value of coordinates of the parallax image in the longitudinal direction at the parallax point, and a deviation of the coordinates of the parallax image in the longitudinal direction at the parallax point for each block of the plurality of rectangular blocks in the parallax vote map.

6. The traveling road surface detection device of claim 3 , wherein the detecting the traveling road surface comprises setting a plurality of radiation lines so as to spread at a predetermined angle from the vehicle around the vehicle on the captured image.

7. The traveling road surface detection device of claim 1 , wherein the area specification unit is configured to set a parallax vote map by arranging a plurality of rectangular blocks determined such that a side of the parallax vote map in a transverse direction corresponds to a position of the parallax image in a transverse direction and a side of the parallax vote map in a longitudinal direction corresponds to a magnitude of parallax.

8. The traveling road surface detection device of claim 7 , wherein the area specification unit is configured to calculate at least one from among an average value of parallax, a deviation of parallax, an average value of coordinates of the parallax image in the longitudinal direction at the parallax point, and a deviation of the coordinates of the parallax image in the longitudinal direction at the parallax point for each block of the plurality of rectangular blocks in the parallax vote map.

9. The traveling road surface detection device of claim 1 , wherein the traveling road surface detection unit is configured to set a plurality of radiation lines so as to spread at a predetermined angle from the vehicle around the vehicle on the captured image.

10. The traveling road surface detection method of claim 2 , wherein the specifying the road surface area comprises setting a parallax vote map by arranging a plurality of rectangular blocks determined such that a side of the parallax vote map in a transverse direction corresponds to a position of the parallax image in a transverse direction and a side of the parallax vote map in a longitudinal direction corresponds to a magnitude of parallax.

11. The traveling road surface detection method of claim 10 , wherein the specifying the road surface area comprises calculating at least one from among an average value of parallax, a deviation of parallax, an average value of coordinates of the parallax image in the longitudinal direction at the parallax point, and a deviation of the coordinates of the parallax image in the longitudinal direction at the parallax point for each block of the plurality of rectangular blocks in the parallax vote map.

12. The traveling road surface detection method of claim 2 , wherein the detecting the traveling road surface comprises setting a plurality of radiation lines so as to spread at a predetermined angle from the vehicle around the vehicle on the captured image.