OBJECT RECOGNITION APPARATUS AND OBJECT RECOGNITION METHOD USING EPIPOLAR GEOMETRY

An object recognition apparatus that processes images, as acquired by an imaging means (10) mounted on a moving object, in a first image plane and a second image plane of different points of view, and recognizes an object in the vicinity of the moving object. The object recognition apparatus comprises: a feature point detection means (42) that detects feature points in first and second image planes of an object image; a fundamental matrix determination means (43a) that determines, based on calculation of an epipole through the auto-epipolar property, a fundamental matrix that expresses a geometrically corresponding relationship based on translational camera movement, with not less than two pairs of feature points corresponding between the first and second image planes; and a three-dimensional position calculation means (43b) that calculates a three-dimensional position of an object based on the coordinates of the object in the first and second image planes and the determined fundamental matrix.