Appeal No. 1998-0728
Application 08/468,231
reference data including a coordinate position of the
light spot baricenter, the pixel data being obtained from
the image signals supplied by the camera that
photographed the light spot pattern projected upon a flat
supporting surface when sensing means is first mounted on
a vehicle without any load on board the vehicle;
a detecting means which compares the light spots of
the reference data with light spots which are extracted
from pixel data, the pixel data being produced from the
image signals supplied by the camera that photographed
the light spot pattern projected upon a supporting
surface being examined, in order to detect the presence
of obstacles and depressions; and
a height correction means which corrects the
coordinates of the light spots of the reference data
according to changes in the camera height from the
supporting surface, wherein said height correction means
first detects displacements of the coordinates of light
spots at several predetermined points from those at the
same points of said reference data with a load on board
the vehicle, determines a height correction value by an
amount of displacement for every light spot caused by a
weight of the load, said amount being calculated by
interpolation from said detected displacements, and
corrects the coordinates of said reference data by said
height correction value for obtaining the actual
reference data to be used in said detecting means.
The Examiner relies on the following prior art:
Caimi 4,948,258 August 14, 1990
Evans, Jr. et al. (Evans) 4,954,962 September 4, 1990
Kurami et al. (Kurami) 5,081,585 January 14, 1992
(filed June 15, 1988)
Aoyama et al. (Aoyama) 5,148,322 September 15, 1992
(filed November 9, 1989)
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