A machine vision system for lane-departure detection

This paper presents a feature-based machine vision system for estimating lane-departure of a traveling vehicle on a road. The system uses edge information to define an edge distribution function (EDF), the histogram of edge magnitudes with respect to edge orientation angle. The EDF enables the edge-related information and the lane-related information to be connected. Examining the EDF by the shape parameters of the local maxima and the symmetry axis results in identifying whether a change in the traveling direction of a vehicle has occurred. The EDF minimizes the effect of noise and the use of heuristics, and eliminates the task of localizing lane marks. The proposed system enhances the adaptability to cope with the random and dynamic environment of a road scene and leads to a reliable lane-departure warning system.