| US 7,512,252 B2 | ||
| Image processing system and vehicle control system | ||
| Yuji Otsuka, Hitachi (Japan); Hiroshi Takenaga, Tokai (Japan); Shoji Muramatsu, Hitachi (Japan); Tatsuhiko Monji, Hitachinaka (Japan); and Isao Furusawa, Hitachinaka (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Aug. 11, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/915,603. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2003-206997 (JP), filed on Aug. 11, 2003; and application No. 2004-144788 (JP), filed on May 14, 2004. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2005/0036660 A1, Feb. 17, 2005 | ||
| Int. Cl. G06K 9/00 (2006.01); G01C 21/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 382—104 [701/207] | 6 Claims |
| 1. An image processing system comprising an imaging means mounted on a vehicle, and an image analysis means that acquires
images photographed by the imaging means and analyzes the images;
wherein the image analysis means acquires plural sheets of images with different exposures that the imaging means photographed,
and analyzes the plural images with different exposures to detect positions of other vehicles;
wherein the image analysis means detects light spots emitted from the other vehicles from the plural images with different
exposures, and detects positions of the other vehicles;
wherein the plural images with different exposures are an image photographed with a first exposure, and an image photographed
with a second exposure greater than the first exposure;
the image analysis means analyzes the image photographed with the first exposure to detect the positions of the light spots
emitted from the other vehicles, searches a light spot area originated in the same light source as the light spot detected
with the first exposure from the image photographed with the second exposure, and masks the light spot area originated in
the same light source in the image photographed with the second exposure;
wherein the image analysis means;
calculates the nositions of the other vehicles, when there are more than two light spots in the horizontal direction of the
image photographed by the imaging means, on the basis of a spacing of the two light spots;
calculates the positions of the other vehicles, when there is one light spot in the horizontal direction of the image photographed
by the imaging means, on the basis of depression angle information from the imaging means;
wherein, when there are more than two light spots in the horizontal direction of the image photographed by the imaging means,
the position of the other vehicle calculated from the spacing of the two light spots is compared with the position of the
other vehicle calculated from the depression angle information of one light spot; and
the position of the other vehicle being in a shorter distance from the own vehicle is control information for controlling
the own vehicle.
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