KR101622041B1 - Detection system and method for preceding vehicle at close range - Google Patents

Abstract

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for detecting a near-by-the-preceding vehicle, and more particularly, to a system and method for detecting a near-by preceding vehicle, which comprises processing the image photographed by a front camera for photographing the front of the vehicle, 1 preceding vehicle detection unit; A system for processing an image photographed by a plurality of cameras for photographing the surroundings of a vehicle to form an aurally view image of the vehicle, detecting a preceding vehicle from the surrounding view image and calculating a distance to the preceding vehicle, a speed and an acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2 preceding vehicle detection unit; And a driving control module for operating one of the first preceding vehicle detecting unit and the second preceding vehicle detecting unit according to the processing result of the image photographed by the front camera. Thus, the accurate position of the preceding vehicle can be grasped by using the surrounding view monitoring system, and the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle can be accurately calculated. In addition, due to the precise positioning, it is possible to warn the driver of the possibility of a collision with the preceding vehicle or braking the vehicle, so that collision with the preceding vehicle can be prevented to enable safe driving.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a proximity antecedent vehicle detection system and a proximity antecedent vehicle detection system,

More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for detecting a near ahead vehicle, and more particularly, to a system and method for detecting a near ahead vehicle, And more particularly, to a system and method for detecting a proximity to a preceding vehicle that can accurately calculate a speed and an acceleration of the vehicle.

With the rapid increase in the use of cars in modern society, the number of fatalities and casualties due to car accidents has reached tens of millions of people every year. Ninety percent of these traffic accidents occur because of carelessness by the driver, or because they drive without enough space between the front and the rear.

Accordingly, a variety of automotive technologies are being developed to reduce the loss of life and the economy caused by traffic accidents by providing the driver with an alert for potential collisions or by assisting the driver. These technologies include Active Cruise Control (ACC) technology, Lane Change Assistance technology, Lane Departure Warning technology, Forward Collision Warning (FCW) technology, and Parking Assist (Parking Assistance) technology.

In order to implement the adaptive cruise control technology, lane change assistant technology, lane departure warning technology, and forward collision warning technology, it is necessary to accurately detect the distance to the preceding vehicle and the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle by sensing the preceding vehicle while driving do.

For this purpose, the preceding vehicle was photographed with a front camera, and the distance to the preceding vehicle and the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle were calculated by the following two methods. One is a method of detecting and estimating a point at which a preceding vehicle meets a road, that is, a bottom surface of a preceding vehicle. In this method, an error occurs when the bottom surface of the vehicle is not photographed. The other is a method for estimating the width or size of a vehicle. In this method, when an error occurs in estimating the width or size, an error also occurs in the distance estimation with respect to the preceding vehicle. Accordingly, in calculating the distance to the preceding vehicle and the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle, a method of minimizing the occurrence of errors should be sought.

The present invention proposes a proximity lead vehicle detection system and method that can accurately calculate a distance to a preceding vehicle, a speed and an acceleration of a preceding vehicle by using an image captured through the surround view monitoring system.

The above-described object is achieved by a first vehicle detection unit for processing an image photographed from a front camera for photographing a front of a vehicle to calculate a distance to the preceding vehicle, a speed and an acceleration of the preceding vehicle; A method for controlling a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: processing an image taken by a plurality of cameras taken around a vehicle to form an arousal view image of the vehicle; sensing a preceding vehicle from the surrounding view image and calculating a distance to the preceding vehicle, A second preceding vehicle detecting unit for detecting a second preceding vehicle; And a driving control module for operating one of the first preceding vehicle detecting unit and the second preceding vehicle detecting unit according to a processing result of the image photographed by the front camera Can be achieved.

The above objects are achieved by a vehicle comprising: a plurality of cameras installed in a vehicle body and photographing the surroundings of the vehicle; A second image processing unit for processing an image photographed by the camera to form an overview image of the vehicle; A second vehicle sensing unit for sensing an edge of the preceding vehicle in the surround view image; A second distance calculation unit for calculating a distance to the preceding vehicle detected by the second vehicle sensing unit; And a second speed calculation unit for calculating a speed and an acceleration of the preceding vehicle by using the distance from the preceding vehicle.

The above object can be achieved by a vehicle comprising: a first processing step of processing a forward image of a vehicle photographed from a front camera; A determination step of determining whether the entire image of the preceding vehicle is photographed in the forward image; A photographing step of photographing the vicinity of the vehicle when the entire image of the preceding vehicle is not taken in the forward image; A second processing step of processing an image photographed by the plurality of cameras to form an overview image of the vehicle; A sensing step of sensing a preceding vehicle from the surround view image; And a calculating step of calculating a distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and a speed and an acceleration of the preceding vehicle.

In the proximity preceding vehicle detection system and method according to the present invention, when the preceding vehicle is close to the vehicle and the front camera can not photograph the entire preceding vehicle, the accurate position of the preceding vehicle is detected using the surrounding view image, So that the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle can be accurately calculated. Further, when there is a possibility of a collision, the driver can be warned or braked the vehicle precisely, thereby preventing a collision with the preceding vehicle, thereby enabling safe vehicle operation.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for detecting a near-by vehicle in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a front image photographed by a front camera,
3 shows an embodiment of the surround view image,
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of calculating a distance to a preceding vehicle, a speed of a preceding vehicle, and an acceleration in a near-by preceding vehicle detection system according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that, in adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of the drawings, the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference symbols as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

In describing the components of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are intended to distinguish the constituent elements from other constituent elements, and the terms do not limit the nature, order or order of the constituent elements. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled", or "connected" to another component, the component may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, It should be understood that an element may be "connected," "coupled," or "connected."

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a proximity prior vehicle detection system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an embodiment of a front image captured by a front camera, and FIG. 3 is an embodiment of an surround view image.

The proximity preceding vehicle detection system according to the present invention is a system for accurately detecting the distance to the preceding vehicle, the speed of the preceding vehicle, and the acceleration with a video captured through the front camera 11 so that the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is excessively close In case of difficulty, it is possible to accurately calculate the distance, speed and acceleration with respect to the preceding vehicle by using an image captured through the surround view monitoring system.

The proximity lead vehicle detection system includes a first preceding vehicle detection unit (10) for detecting a preceding vehicle using a front camera (11), a second preceding vehicle detection unit The first preceding vehicle detection unit 10 and the second preceding vehicle detection unit 20 are controlled to control the operation of the first preceding vehicle detection unit 10 and the second preceding vehicle detection unit 20, And an operation control module 30 for performing an operation control such as providing an alarm to the driver or braking the vehicle according to a result sensed by the operation control module 30.

The first preceding vehicle sensing unit 10 includes a front camera 11, a first image processing unit 13, a first vehicle sensing unit 15, a first distance calculating unit 17, a first speed calculating unit 19 ).

It is needless to say that the front camera 11 is installed in front of the vehicle to photograph the front of the vehicle, and one or a plurality of front cameras may be installed. The positions of the front cameras 11 can be set at mutually different positions according to the vehicle.

The first image processor 13 processes the image photographed by the front camera 11 to detect the image of the preceding vehicle photographed in the image.

The first vehicle sensing unit 15 detects an edge of the preceding vehicle in the forward image processed by the first image processing unit 13, recognizes the preceding vehicle, and determines whether or not the entire preceding vehicle has been picked up. In the case of FIG. 2, only the upper portion of the preceding vehicle was photographed by the preceding vehicle adjacent to the preceding vehicle, whereby the preceding vehicle was recognized as a rectangle.

When the first vehicle sensing unit 15 determines whether the entire preceding vehicle has been photographed, two methods can be used. One is a method of comparing an image of a captured preceding vehicle with a previously learned vehicle image, wherein the first vehicle sensing unit 15 has information on the entire vehicle image including both the car's tires and the tires, 11 and the previously learned image are compared with each other to determine whether the two images have similar shapes. Accordingly, if the two images are similar, it can be seen that the entire image of the preceding vehicle including the road surface including the tires of the preceding vehicle is photographed. If the two images are different, the first vehicle sensing unit 15 can determine that only a part of the preceding vehicle is photographed.

The other is a method of comparing the size of the image of the preceding vehicle with the width information of the vehicle image stored in advance. In general, the width of the vehicle image taken by the front camera 11 is about 1.4 to 1.6 m, By comparing this value with the width of the captured preceding vehicle image, it is possible to estimate whether or not the entire image of the preceding vehicle has been photographed.

If the first vehicle sensing unit 15 determines that the entire preceding vehicle has not been photographed, the first vehicle sensing unit 15 provides the operation control module 30 with information that the entire preceding vehicle has not been photographed. If the entire preceding vehicle is not photographed, the probability of occurrence of an error in the distance calculation with respect to the preceding vehicle is high. Therefore, in order to prevent such an error, the operation control module 30 controls the operation of the first preceding vehicle sensing unit 10 And operates the second preceding vehicle detecting unit 20.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the entire preceding vehicle is photographed in the first vehicle sensing unit 15, the image is transmitted to the first distance calculating unit 17. The first distance calculating unit 17 calculates the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle using the size of the preceding vehicle image or the like. Various methods can be used to calculate the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle, and are not related to the gist of the present invention, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The first speed calculating section 19 is provided with the distance information between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle calculated by the first distance calculating section 17, calculates the speed of the preceding vehicle by differentiating the provided distance, The acceleration of the preceding vehicle can be calculated.

The first speed calculating section 19 can provide the travel control module 30 with the distance to the calculated preceding vehicle, the speed of the preceding vehicle and the acceleration information.

When the driving control module 30 provides the distance to the preceding vehicle, the speed and the acceleration information of the preceding vehicle in the first preceding vehicle sensing unit 10 or the second preceding vehicle sensing unit 20, It is possible to judge whether or not there is a possibility of a collision.

As a result of the determination, if there is a possibility of a collision, the operation control module 30 may display a possibility of collision through navigation, a display unit, and an HMI (Human Machine Interface), or may warn the driver by flashing the screen. Alternatively, a voice message may indicate a possibility of a collision. In addition, when the driving control module 30 becomes imminent, the braking function may be operated by providing a command signal to the braking device so as to stop the vehicle.

The operation control module 30 stops the operation of the first preceding vehicle sensing unit 10 when it is determined that only a part of the preceding vehicle is photographed from the first vehicle sensing portion 15 of the first preceding vehicle sensing unit 10 , And can activate the second preceding vehicle sensing unit 20.

The second preceding vehicle detecting unit 20 includes a plurality of cameras 21, a second image processing unit 23, a second vehicle sensing unit 25, a second distance calculating unit 27, a second speed calculating unit 29).

The plurality of cameras 21 photograph the periphery of the vehicle to form the surround view image, and can be mounted at regular intervals along the periphery of the vehicle. The plurality of cameras 21 are mounted at positions where they can take an image of the lower portion or the side portion of the vehicle to form the surround view image. Here, the surround view image is an image formed by processing by a conventional surround view monitoring system, and is an image obtained by processing the image around the vehicle as viewed from above the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second image processing unit 23 can generate a plurality of images captured by the plurality of cameras 21, and generate an overview view image using a predetermined surrounding view monitoring algorithm.

The second vehicle sensing unit 25 can detect an edge of the preceding vehicle from the surrounding view image generated by the second image processing unit 23. [ When the edge of the preceding vehicle is detected in the second vehicle sensing section 25, the second vehicle sensing section 25 can provide the second distance calculating section 27 with information on the position of the preceding vehicle.

The second distance calculating section 27 can calculate the distance from the preceding vehicle to the own vehicle. At this time, since the width of the surrounding view image generated by the surround view algorithm has already been determined, the second distance calculating unit 27 compares the width of the surrounding view image with the position of the preceding vehicle and calculates the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle can do.

The distance information between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle calculated by the second distance calculating section 27 may be provided to the second speed calculating section 29. [ Similarly to the first speed calculating section 19, the second speed calculating section 29 can calculate the speed of the preceding vehicle by differentiating the distance from the preceding vehicle. Then, the second speed calculating section 29 can calculate the acceleration of the preceding vehicle by differentiating the speed of the preceding vehicle.

The distance information to the preceding vehicle calculated by the second distance calculating section 27 and the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle calculated by the second speed calculating section 29 may be provided to the travel control module 30. [

The operation control module 30 can determine whether there is a possibility of collision between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle based on the distance to the preceding vehicle and the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle as described above. If it is determined that there is a possibility of a collision, the operation control module 30 may warn the driver or may directly brak the vehicle by controlling the braking device.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, a separate operation control module 30 is provided to control operations of the first preceding vehicle sensing unit 10 and the second preceding vehicle sensing unit 20 in the operation control module 30, And warns the driver or controls the braking device according to the detection results from the first preceding vehicle detecting unit 10 and the second preceding vehicle detecting unit 20. [ However, it goes without saying that both of the first preceding vehicle sensing unit 10 and the second preceding vehicle sensing unit 20 may include components having the same functions as the operation control module 30. In addition, only one of the first preceding vehicle sensing unit 10 and the second preceding vehicle sensing unit 20 is provided with components having the same function as the operation control module 30, and then the result detected by the other sensing unit May be provided to the corresponding component so that the control is performed.

The process of determining the distance to the preceding vehicle, the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle in the near-by preceding vehicle detection system according to this configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

When the front of the vehicle is photographed by the front camera 11 of the first preceding vehicle sensing unit 10 at step S400, the forward image of the vehicle is transmitted to the first image processing unit 13 and processed, (15) to detect the image of the preceding vehicle in the forward image. Then, the first vehicle sensing unit 15 compares the detected image of the preceding vehicle with the previously learned image, and if the bottom surface of the preceding vehicle is photographed as a result of the comparison and it is determined that the entire preceding vehicle has been photographed (S405-Y) , And provides the image to the first distance calculating unit 17.

The first distance calculating section 17 calculates the distance to the preceding vehicle by a predetermined method (S407), and provides the calculated distance information to the first speed calculating section 19. [ The first speed calculating unit 19 calculates the speed of the preceding vehicle by differentiating the distance, and calculates the acceleration of the preceding vehicle by differentiating the speed (S409). The distance to the calculated preceding vehicle, the speed and acceleration information of the preceding vehicle are provided to the operation control module 30 (S440).

The operation control module 30 judges whether there is a possibility that the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle collide with each other based on the distance to the preceding vehicle and the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle. And generates and provides a control signal for controlling the apparatus.

On the other hand, when the first vehicle sensing unit 15 of the first preceding vehicle sensing unit 10 determines that only a part of the preceding vehicle is photographed (S406-N), the operation control module 30 informs that only a part of the preceding vehicle has been photographed . Then, the operation control module 30 activates the second preceding vehicle sensing unit 20 (S410).

The plurality of cameras 21 of the second preceding vehicle sensing unit 20 photographs the surroundings of the vehicle and transmits the photographed images to the second image processing unit 23 in step S415. In the second image processing unit 23, Thereby forming an image (S420). Then, the second vehicle sensing unit 25 detects an edge of the preceding vehicle in the vicinity view image, detects the preceding vehicle, and transmits information on the preceding vehicle to the second distance calculating unit 27 (S425). The second distance calculating unit 27 calculates the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle and provides the distance to the second speed calculating unit 29 (S430).

The second speed calculating section 29 calculates the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle by differentiating the distance from the preceding vehicle (S435), and calculates information about the distance between the calculated preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle together with the calculated speed and acceleration To the control module 30 (S440).

The operation control module 30 judges whether there is a possibility that the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle collide with each other based on the distance to the preceding vehicle and the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle. And generates and provides a control signal for controlling the apparatus.

In the proximity preceding vehicle detection system according to the present invention, when the preceding vehicle is close to the vehicle and the front camera 11 can not shoot the entire preceding vehicle, the precise location of the preceding vehicle is detected using the surrounding view monitoring system, The speed and the acceleration of the preceding vehicle can be accurately calculated. Accordingly, the performance and quality of the near-by-lead vehicle detection system can be improved. Further, when the preceding vehicle is close to the vehicle and there is a possibility of a collision, the driver can be warned or braked by the driver precisely, so that collision with the preceding vehicle can be prevented to enable safe driving.

The standard content or standard documents referred to in the above-mentioned embodiments constitute a part of this specification, for the sake of simplicity of description of the specification. Therefore, it is to be understood that the content of the above standard content and portions of the standard documents are added to or contained in the scope of the present invention.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents thereof should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

10: first preceding vehicle detecting unit 11: front camera
13: first image processing unit 15: first vehicle sensing unit
17: first distance calculating section 19: first speed calculating section
20: a second preceding vehicle detecting unit 21: a plurality of cameras
23: second image processing unit 25: second vehicle sensing unit
27: second distance calculating section 29: second speed calculating section
30: Operation control module

Claims (17)

A first preceding vehicle detecting unit for processing an image photographed from a front camera for photographing the front of the vehicle to calculate a distance to the preceding vehicle, a speed and an acceleration of the preceding vehicle;
A method for controlling a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: processing an image taken by a plurality of cameras taken around a vehicle to form an arousal view image of the vehicle; sensing a preceding vehicle from the surrounding view image and calculating a distance to the preceding vehicle, A second preceding vehicle detecting unit for detecting a second preceding vehicle; And
And a driving control module for activating one of the first preceding vehicle detecting unit and the second preceding vehicle detecting unit according to the processing result of the image photographed by the front camera. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first preceding vehicle detection unit comprises:
The front camera;
A first image processing unit for processing an image photographed from the front camera;
A first vehicle sensing unit for sensing a preceding vehicle in an image processed by the first image processing unit;
A first distance calculating unit for calculating a distance to the preceding vehicle;
And a first speed calculating unit for calculating a speed and an acceleration of the preceding vehicle by using a distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the second preceding vehicle detection unit comprises:
A plurality of cameras installed on the vehicle body and photographing the surroundings of the vehicle;
A second image processing unit for processing an image photographed by the camera to form an overview image of the vehicle;
A second vehicle sensing unit for sensing a preceding vehicle in the surround view image;
A second distance calculation unit for calculating a distance to the preceding vehicle when the preceding vehicle is sensed;
And a second speed calculation unit for calculating a speed and an acceleration of the preceding vehicle by using the distance from the preceding vehicle. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the second vehicle sensing unit detects an edge of the preceding vehicle in the far view image. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the second distance calculation unit calculates a distance from the position of the preceding vehicle detected by the second vehicle sensing unit to the vehicle body. The method of claim 3,
The first speed calculating section and the second speed calculating section calculate the speed by differentiating the distances calculated by the first distance calculating section and the second distance calculating section and calculate the acceleration by differentiating the speed Proximity lead vehicle detection system. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the operation control module operates the second preceding vehicle detection unit when the image of the preceding vehicle detected by the first preceding vehicle detection unit is not the entire image of the preceding vehicle system. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the travel control module provides a collision alarm to the driver of the own vehicle when it is determined that there is a possibility of a collision with the preceding vehicle based on the distance to the preceding vehicle and the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle Detection system. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the operation control module generates a control signal for controlling the braking of the vehicle if it is determined that there is a possibility of collision with the preceding vehicle based on the distance from the preceding vehicle and the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle Leading vehicle detection system. delete A first processing step of processing a forward image of a vehicle photographed from a forward camera;
A determination step of determining whether the entire image of the preceding vehicle is photographed in the forward image;
A photographing step of photographing the surroundings of the vehicle using a plurality of cameras when the entire image of the preceding vehicle is not captured in the forward image;
A second processing step of processing an image photographed by the plurality of cameras to form an overview image of the vehicle;
A sensing step of sensing a preceding vehicle from the surround view image; And
And a calculating step of calculating a distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle detected in the sensing step, and a speed and an acceleration of the preceding vehicle. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the detecting step is a step of detecting an edge of the preceding vehicle in the far view image. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the calculating step includes calculating a distance from the preceding vehicle detected in the far view image to the vehicle. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the calculating step includes a step of calculating a speed by differentiating a distance from the preceding vehicle and calculating an acceleration by differentiating the speed. 12. The method of claim 11,
Further comprising the step of providing a collision warning to the driver of the preceding vehicle when there is a possibility of a collision with the preceding vehicle based on the distance to the preceding vehicle and the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle . 12. The method of claim 11,
Further comprising the step of generating a control signal for controlling the braking of the preceding vehicle when there is a possibility of a collision with the preceding vehicle based on the distance from the preceding vehicle and the speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle Detection method. 12. The method of claim 11,
And calculating a distance between the preceding vehicle and a speed and an acceleration of the preceding vehicle when the entire image of the preceding vehicle is photographed in the forward image as a result of the determining step Vehicle detection method.

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