Road obstacle detection and tracking by an active and intelligent sensing strategy

Abstract

In this paper, we address the problem of road obstacle deletion. We propose a method based on an active and intelligent sensing strategy. A sensor composed of a range finder coupled with a (charge-coupled-device) CCD camera is used. This sensor is mounted in front of a vehicle. The basic idea is first to determine 2D visual targets in intensity images of the camera. Then the range finder will be used not only to confirm or reject the existence of the detected visual targets, but also to acquire 3D information of the confirmed visual targets. The central problem of this strategy is how to detect 2D visual targets from intensity images of a road scene. In our method, we consider line segments as significant features. We use the concept ofline segment of interest and the concept ofdominant line segment. With the help of the identified dominant line segments in an image, we can effectively ascertain 2D visual targets. Finally, we use the range finder to confirm or reject a 2D visual target. A confirmed visual target is temporally tracked with the help of the range finder.