A lane-curve detection based on an LCF

This paper proposes a novel image-processing algorithm to recognize the lane-curve of a structured road. The proposed algorithm uses an lane-curve function (LCF) obtained by the transformation of the defined parabolic function on the world coordinates into the image coordinates. Unlike other existing methods, this algorithm needs no transformation of the image pixels into the world coordinates. The main idea of the algorithm is to search for the best-described LCF of the lane-curve on an image. In advance, several LCFs are assumed by changing the curvature. Then, the comparison is carried out between the slope of an assumed LCF and the phase angle of the edge pixels in the lane region of interest constructed by the assumed LCF. The LCF with the minimum difference in the comparison becomes the true LCF corresponding to the lane-curve. The proposed method is proved to be efficient through experiments for the various kinds of images, providing the reliable curve direction and the valid curvature compared to the actual road. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.