JP2827711B2 - Vehicle distance detection device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle distance detecting device which is installed in a vehicle and detects a distance between the vehicle and a vehicle in front of the vehicle and a distance to an object in front of the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an apparatus for detecting an inter-vehicle distance or the like, there is known a means using a distance measuring function of an object, which is one of human visual functions called a stereo method. This means for capturing the measurement object from a plurality of positions, mutual pixel coordinates of the same object point of the captured image (by binarizing the differential processing after the threshold thus simply identifies the object to be measured) The deviation is processed by an electronic calculator to calculate and calculate the distance to the object to be measured (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 3-245012 and 3-24501).

However, in the two-dimensional image processing, the apparatus itself is large and complicated, and the amount of data processing is large, the processing time is long, and the practicality is poor. Therefore, one-dimensional image processing in which light-receiving sensors corresponding to the pixel configuration are arranged has been proposed. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a light receiving unit 01 that is separated from the vehicle by a predetermined distance M and inputs the scenery in front of the vehicle redundantly, and an image captured by the light receiving unit 01 is reflected by a prism 02 and a lens 03. The distance L is calculated from the pixel coordinates of the image of the measured object 05 (the predetermined light receiving sensor position in the sensor unit) by leading the image to the sensor unit 04 having an image pixel configuration using a plurality of light receiving sensors.

[0004]

In the apparatus employing the above-described one-dimensional sensor, there are some obvious disadvantages as compared with the apparatus employing two-dimensional coordinates. That is, in order to determine the image of the preceding vehicle at a short distance, the determination by the horizontal line component in the two-dimensional image becomes clear, and in the case of the preceding vehicle at a long distance, the determination by the vertical line component is suitable. For this reason, when a one-dimensional sensor is employed, a characteristic that is suitable for long-distance measurement or short-distance measurement occurs depending on the arrangement direction of the sensor elements.

As a countermeasure against this, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-115808, it has been proposed to arrange a distance detecting device having a sensor unit arranged vertically and a sensor unit arranged horizontally. However, in this device, the installation distance of the light receiving section is short, and a highly accurate result (inter-vehicle distance) cannot be obtained. Further, if the installation distance M of the light receiving unit is increased, the accuracy is improved, but the height of the vehicle is particularly limited. Therefore, the present invention proposes a vehicle distance detection device capable of appropriately measuring distance and near distance by efficiently combining one-dimensional sensors.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A vehicle distance detecting apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of image pickup means for picking up an image of a scene ahead of a vehicle mounted on the vehicle at different positions from each other. In the vehicle distance detection device that calculates and detects the distance to the taken object ahead, a horizontal sensor in which the light receiving sensor unit serving as the pixel coordinates is aligned with the horizontal sensor, and the center of the horizontal sensor is matched. A vertical direction sensor arranged orthogonally, and having two separated horizontal direction light receiving portions for receiving light to the horizontal direction sensor and two adjacent light receiving portions for receiving light to the vertical direction sensor. It is a feature.

[0007]

In the long distance measurement, the inter-vehicle distance is obtained from the image of the vertical line component of the object to be measured by two horizontal light receiving units that are incident from two distant horizontal light receiving units. The distance between the vehicles is calculated from the image of the horizontal line component of the object to be measured by the vertical direction sensor.

[0008]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The vehicle distance detecting device according to the present invention includes a light receiving unit 1, a reflecting mirror 2, a reflecting prism 3, a lens group 4, a sensor unit 5, and an arithmetic processing unit (not shown).

The light receiving section 1 includes two horizontal light receiving sections 11 provided at right and left distances, and two vertical light receiving sections 12 provided above and below the center position of the horizontal light receiving section 11. Consists of Horizontal sensor light receiving sensor unit 5 has been constituted by the light receiving sensors corresponding to the pixel elements (in parallel about 6.2mm width 36 of the photodiode in the), which arranged the light receiving sensors in the left and right 51 and this sensor 51
A vertical sensor 52 having the same structure as the above and having the centers aligned and arranged orthogonally.

The reflecting mirror 2, the reflecting prism 3 and the lens group 4 project the incident light from the light receiving section 11 to the horizontal sensor 51 and project the incident light from the light receiving section 12 to the vertical sensor 52. is there.

The apparatus A of the present invention is mounted on the vehicle A so that the light receiving section 1 captures a scene in front of the vehicle. The distance from the vehicle is measured and calculated. That is, the vertical line component of the imprint of the image of the preceding vehicle is detected by the horizontal direction sensor unit 51.
The horizontal line component is grasped by the vertical direction sensor unit 52, and calculates the distance from the preceding vehicle which is the object to be measured due to left and right displacement and vertical displacement based on the light and dark gradation of each sensor pixel. The calculation results are used as various control data for safe running of the vehicle, such as an inter-vehicle distance display, a warning display, an automatic brake operation in an emergency, and the like.

In particular, the image reception of the preceding vehicle is easy to grasp as a vertical line component at a long distance, and is easy to grasp as a horizontal line component at a short distance. The distance is calculated by the incidence from the horizontal light receiving unit 11 installed in the vertical direction, and the distance calculation based on the horizontal line component is performed by the incidence from the vertical light receiving unit 12 installed in the vicinity. This has the advantage that it can be implemented reliably, and that the entire device has a horizontally long form that can be easily mounted on a passenger car.

If the device of the present invention includes a predetermined light receiving section and a predetermined sensor section, the means for introducing light from the light receiving section to the sensor section, the material for the sensor section itself and the means for calculating and calculating the distance are arbitrarily set. It can be determined.

[0014]

According to the present invention, there is provided a distance detecting apparatus for a vehicle which comprises a plurality of image pickup means as described above and which calculates and detects the distance to an object ahead of the vehicle based on the pixel coordinates of the picked-up image. A horizontal light sensor and a vertical sensor in which the light receiving sensor section having the pixel coordinates of the pixels is orthogonally arranged, and having a horizontal light receiving section provided at an appropriate distance and a vertical light receiving section provided in close proximity. Thus, even if the measurement distance changes, the one-dimensional sensor can appropriately cope with the change.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the vehicle mounted state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light receiving part 11 Horizontal light receiving part 12 Vertical light receiving part 5 Light receiving sensor part 51 Horizontal direction sensor 52 Vertical direction sensor

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Koichi Katori 2069 Hanacho, Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture Toho Seimei Building Nippon Seiki Co., Ltd. Niigata Technical Center (56) References JP-A-4-175739 (JP, A ) Hikaru Hei 3-115808 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G01C 3/00-3/32

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A vehicle, comprising: a plurality of image capturing means for capturing a scene in front of an on-board vehicle from different positions overlapping each other, and calculating and detecting a distance from an object ahead of the vehicle captured based on pixel coordinates of an image. In the distance detecting device, the light receiving sensor section serving as the pixel coordinates is constituted by a horizontal sensor in which sensors are arranged in a row, and a vertical sensor in which the horizontal sensor is aligned at the center and arranged orthogonally, and A distance detecting device for a vehicle, comprising: two separated horizontal light receiving portions that allow light to enter a sensor; and two adjacent light receiving portions that allow light to enter a vertical sensor.