New visual invariants for obstacle detection using optical flow induced from general motion
Gin-Shu Young, Tao Hong, Martin Herman, J. C. S. Yang · 2003
To operate autonomous vehicles safely, obstacles must be detected before any path planning and obstacle avoidance activity is undertaken. In the paper, a novel approach to obstacle detection is developed. New visual linear invariants based on optical flow have been developed. Employing the linear invariance property, obstacles an be directly detected by using a reference flow line obtained from measured optical flow. This method can be used for ground vehicles to navigate through man-made roadways or natural outdoor terrain or for air vehicles to land on known or unknown terrain.>