KR102363924B1 - Distance measuring device and method for nearing vehicle using image - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for measuring a distance between vehicles using an image. More specifically, the present invention can measure an actual distance from a preceding vehicle by using screen information displayed on a display of a black box installed in a vehicle. A method for measuring a distance between vehicles using an image comprises: a step of obtaining position information by using a position obtaining unit of the boarding vehicle; a step of obtaining front image information of the boarding vehicle including two lanes by using an image obtaining unit; a step of determining whether the two lanes are a dotted line or a solid line by using the front image information; and a step of calculating the distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle according to whether the plurality of dotted lines are included in the two lanes.

Description

Apparatus and method for measuring distance between vehicles using images

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image, and more particularly, to an image capable of measuring an actual distance to a preceding vehicle using screen information displayed on a display such as a black box installed in a vehicle. The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for measuring an inter-vehicle distance.

In general, a method of measuring the distance between vehicles may measure the distance between the vehicle and an external vehicle through image information acquired from a camera installed in the vehicle.

Conventionally, a method of estimating the inter-vehicle distance using an image photographed from the rear of the vehicle is used. This method of estimating the inter-vehicle distance uses camera installation information for photographing the vehicle and the width of the vehicle in front or the location of the vehicle detected from the image. However, since the method of estimating the inter-vehicle distance using the vehicle width estimates the inter-vehicle distance under the assumption that all vehicles are the same size, the reliability of the result is lowered.

In addition, in the conventional method of estimating the inter-vehicle distance using the width of the vehicle, the measurement error for each situation is corrected using the focal length of the camera and the installation height information of the camera, so the installation height of the camera installed in the video vehicle; It is possible to estimate the distance between vehicles only if the installation angle is known in advance, and if such camera installation information is not known, there is a limitation in that the distance between vehicles cannot be estimated using only the captured image.

Meanwhile, in the conventional method for measuring the inter-vehicle distance, information on the width of a horizontal line connecting both left and right lanes at a point located at a close distance from the current vehicle and a width distance of a horizontal line connecting both left and right lanes at a point where the target vehicle is located Distance information between the target vehicle and the current vehicle included in the front image may be measured based on the information ratio.

However, since the conventional method for measuring the distance between vehicles uses distance information between dotted lines, there is a problem of generating a calculation error when the vertical angle while the camera is looking forward is shaken.

In addition, since the conventional method for measuring the inter-vehicle distance uses distance information on a horizontal line connecting both lanes at the reference position and the target position, the size of the screen area used for calculating the distance is substantially large. As the area is formed to be large, there is a problem in that the time required for measurement and calculation increases and the required memory capacity increases.

Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1722258 (registered on March 27, 2017)

The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and the present invention provides an apparatus for measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image capable of measuring the inter-vehicle distance using a captured image without installation information of the camera, such as the installation height or installation angle of the camera, and The challenge is to provide a method.

In addition, the present invention can measure the inter-vehicle distance in a captured image according to the ratio of the length of the dotted line or the dotted line interval length appearing in the captured image to the actual dotted line length or interval length without information on the reference distance in the captured image. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image that can reduce memory capacity and calculation time by using only a portion with a dotted line among lanes, not the entire screen.

In order to solve the above problems, the method for measuring the distance between vehicles using an image of the present invention includes acquiring location information using a location acquisition unit of the vehicle, and acquiring image information of the front of the vehicle including two road lines. A step of acquiring using a part, determining whether two road lines are a dotted line or a solid line by using front image information, and the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle according to whether the two road lines include a plurality of dotted lines It may include calculating the distance.

In addition, the calculating of the inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle according to whether the plurality of dotted lines is included in the two road lines may include determining whether the plurality of dotted lines are included in at least one of the two road lines , when the plurality of dotted lines is included in at least one of the two road lines, the inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is the It may include calculating using each length and each spacing between the plurality of dotted lines.

Meanwhile, the calculating of the inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle according to whether the two road lines include a plurality of dotted lines may include determining whether the plurality of dotted lines are included in at least one of the two road lines. , determining whether each length of a plurality of dotted lines of a first lane including a plurality of dotted lines among the two road lines and each interval between the plurality of dotted lines are constant, the plurality of first lanes of the two road lines When the lengths of each of the dotted lines and the distances between the plurality of dotted lines are not constant, the first inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is the length and plurality of each of the plurality of dotted lines of the first lane according to the location information. Calculating using the respective intervals between the dotted lines of calculating the length of each of the plurality of dotted lines of the first lane by reflecting the difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance, and equally correcting each interval between the plurality of dotted lines The third inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is calculated using the step of reflecting in the first lane information and the corrected lengths of the plurality of dotted lines of the first lane and the information of the respective distances between the plurality of corrected dotted lines may include the step of

According to this embodiment, the distance between vehicles can be measured using the captured image without camera installation information such as the installation height or installation angle of the camera. has the effect of reducing it.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a front image acquired through an image acquisition unit in a vehicle on board according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image by an apparatus for measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view for explaining a method of measuring inter-vehicle distance information according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view for explaining a method of measuring inter-vehicle distance information according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view for explaining a method of measuring inter-vehicle distance information according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image by an apparatus for measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an apparatus for measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Advantages and features of the present invention, and a method for achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various different forms.

Hereinafter, the technical features of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The inter-vehicle distance measuring system using an image described in this specification measures distance information between the current vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on a front image acquired through an image acquisition unit capable of acquiring a front image of the current vehicle, such as a black box. can

The inter-vehicle distance measuring system using the image of the present invention can measure the inter-vehicle distance information based on the ratio of the preset lane length information acquired from the database for road standard information and the acquired lane length information acquired from the front image. have. Since the inter-vehicle distance measurement system using an image calculates the inter-vehicle distance using the dotted line length of the lanes displayed in the image or the length information between the dotted lines, the distance can be calculated without being affected by the change in the vertical angle of the camera's forward gaze. .

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a front image acquired through an image acquisition unit in a vehicle on board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The front image 10 of FIG. 1 may be acquired through an image acquisition unit such as a black box installed in the current vehicle.

The front image 10 includes a vehicle 11 running on a three-lane road. The vehicle 11 included in the front image acquired through the image acquisition unit installed in the currently boarded vehicle is the size of the vehicle 11 displayed in the image and the size of the vehicle 11 in the front image according to the distance from the currently boarded vehicle. The location can be changed. For example, a vehicle that is far away from the currently boarded vehicle may appear small in the front image 10 and may be located at an upper portion of the front image 10 , and a vehicle close to the currently boarded vehicle has a larger size and a lower portion of the front image 10 . may appear in

At this time, the two road lines 12 respectively located on both sides of the vehicle 11 in the front image 10 may be any one of a center line, a lane line, and a road edge zone line depending on the location of the lane, and each line may be indicated by a solid line or a dotted line. Here, when the road line 12 included in the front image 10 is displayed as a dotted line, the painted length of the dotted line or the blank length between consecutive dotted lines may be shortened as the distance increases from a close distance.

That is, the length of the dotted line (the length of the painting) or the interval between the dotted lines (the length of the blank) of the front image 10 may be displayed differently in proportion to the distance from the current vehicle.

In other words, the road lines appearing in the front image acquired through the image acquisition unit converge to a single point (vanishing point) at the top of the screen as the distance from the current vehicle increases.

Here, when the road lines are dotted lines, the dotted line length or the dotted line interval length of the actual road line is the same, but the dotted line length or the dotted line interval length of the road line displayed in the front image differs depending on the distance.

For example, the length (A) of the dotted line (or the interval between the dotted lines) located at a distance D1 close to the currently boarded vehicle is the length (B) of the dotted line (or the interval between the dashed lines) located at a distance D2 from the currently boarded vehicle It may appear in the anterior image for a longer period of time.

In general, the dotted line length and the dotted line interval length of the same road line on a road are constant unless the type of road (eg, highway, national road, etc.) is changed.

Table 1 below shows the installation standards of lines according to road division. Each length can be expressed in cm.

linetype division road traffic law
enforcement rules Standard downtown area road local road road for automobiles
(highway) center line Paint length (L1) 300 300 300 300 Hollow length (L2) 300 300 300 300 lane Paint length (L1) 300~1,000 300 500 1,000 Hollow length (L2) (1~2) * L1 500 800 1,000 career change
limit line Paint length (L1) 300 300 300 300 Hollow length (L2) 200-300 200-300 200-300 200-300 dedicated lane Paint length (L1) 300 300 300 300 Hollow length (L2) 300 300 300 300 guide line Paint length (L1) 50 to 100 50 to 100 50 to 100 50 to 100 Hollow length (L2) 50 to 100 50 to 100 50 to 100 50 to 100

Referring to the table above, the length of the dotted line (painting length) and the interval between consecutive dotted lines (empty length) are determined to be different lengths depending on the type of road, but unless the type of road being driven is changed constant That is, if the length of the dotted line and the interval between the dotted lines are used, the actual inter-vehicle distance information can be measured according to the type of road being driven.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image by an apparatus for measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A method of measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

In step S110 , the apparatus for measuring the distance between vehicles using the image may acquire location information of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling through the location acquisition unit installed in the vehicle currently being boarded. The location acquisition unit may include a GPS sensor of a black box installed in the vehicle. According to an embodiment, the apparatus for measuring the inter-vehicle distance may acquire road line information of a currently driving road from road information for each location through the obtained location information. For example, when the location information obtained from the GPS sensor appears as a location on a highway, it may be determined that the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is the highway. In this way, road line information of a road may be obtained from a database or a server, and the obtained road line information may be stored in a database or a server in the device.

In step S120 , the apparatus for measuring the inter-vehicle distance using the image may acquire front image information in which the front of the currently boarded vehicle is photographed through an image acquisition unit installed in the currently boarded vehicle. For example, the image acquisition unit may include a black box installed in the vehicle, and the front image information acquired through the image acquisition unit may include at least two road lines on both sides of the vehicle that are the road lines of the lane in which the currently boarded vehicle is driving. have. In this case, the front image information may include a plurality of road lines according to the number of lanes on the road being driven.

In step S130 , the apparatus for measuring the inter-vehicle distance using the image may determine whether two road lines are a dotted line or a solid line. For example, the inter-vehicle distance measuring apparatus determines whether two road lines included in the screen of the acquired front image are a dotted line or a solid line. In this case, according to an embodiment, the inter-vehicle distance measuring apparatus may determine the types of two road lines included in the front image.

That is, the inter-vehicle distance measuring apparatus using an image determines the type of road currently being driven based on the location information obtained from the location acquisition unit, and the length of the dotted line or the interval between the dotted lines from the database according to the identified road type. information will be obtained.

Here, in step S130, a step S131 of determining the type of one or more lanes among the two road lines may be additionally performed. In this case, at least one of the two road lines may be any one of a center line, a lane, a course change restriction line, an exclusive lane, a guide line, or a road edge zone line. That is, even with the same dotted line, the length is formed differently depending on the type of road line, so an accurate determination is required. there will be

In step S140 , the apparatus for measuring the inter-vehicle distance using the image may calculate the inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle according to whether a plurality of dotted lines are included in two road lines included in the acquired front image.

According to an embodiment, the apparatus for measuring the inter-vehicle distance using the image determines whether a plurality of dotted lines is included in at least one of two road lines included in the acquired front image in step S141, In ( S142 ), when the plurality of dotted lines are included in at least one of the two road lines, the length of the plurality of dotted lines according to the location information of the inter-vehicle distance between the current boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and each interval information between the plurality of dotted lines can be used to calculate the inter-vehicle distance. A specific method for determining the inter-vehicle distance will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 .

As described above, according to the method for measuring the inter-vehicle distance using an image according to an embodiment of the present invention, information on the length of the dotted line is obtained from information on the currently driving road based on the location information, and information on the length of the dotted line is obtained. It is possible to measure the distance between the currently boarded vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

As a result, according to the present embodiment, one lane is used to calculate the distance by using one of the two road lines on both sides of the driving lane, so that only the portion with the dotted line is used instead of the entire area.

Accordingly, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of memory used and the time required for calculation by using only a partial area instead of a large area on the screen, so that the calculation can be performed quickly.

3 and 4 are diagrams for explaining a method of measuring inter-vehicle distance information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the image acquisition unit may acquire front image information of the currently boarded vehicle through the lens 13 , and the front image information may be imaged and output to a screen. Here, the position of the preceding vehicle 11 on the screen of the front image information acquired through the lens 13 of the image acquisition unit may be displayed closer or farther according to the distance from the current vehicle as shown in FIG. 1 .

At this time, the actual vehicle distance (L _x ) from the current boarding vehicle to the preceding vehicle is proportional to the distance (h) from the lens 13 to the image forming position and the installation height (h) of the lens 13 to the screen It is expressed as the distance (V _x ) of the phase.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4 , each of the distances L1 to L4 for consecutive arbitrary positions in front of the currently boarded vehicle is imaged through one lens 13, which corresponds to the position on the screen. Since it is expressed as the distances V1 to V4, the actual inter-vehicle distance L _x can be expressed by the following equation using the proportional expression.

In the above equation, V _x is the vertical distance from the upper part of the screen where the front image information of the currently boarded vehicle is displayed to the part where the preceding vehicle is displayed on the screen, so the corresponding length can be calculated through the front image information. And, f is the distance from the lens 13 to the position where the image is formed, and h is the installation height of the lens 13, since the f and h values are fixed unless the position or angle of the lens 13 is changed. , f*h can be used in the calculation formula by replacing the constant k.

In this way, in order to calculate the actual distance (L _x ), information such as the installation height of the lens 13 and the focal length of the lens 13 is required.

Accordingly, in the present invention, the inter-vehicle distance can be measured without inputting information on f and h by using the length of the dotted line and the length of the interval between the dotted lines according to the location information.

5 is a diagram for explaining a method of measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the image acquisition unit may acquire front image information of the currently boarded vehicle through the lens 13 , and a dotted road line 12 may be displayed on the screen of the acquired front image information.

Here, referring to Table 1 showing the installation standards of road lines according to road division, the actual length of the dotted line 12 is set to a length determined according to location information. For example, if the road being driven is a highway, the length of the dotted line of the dotted line 12 may be 10 m, and the length of the dotted line may be used to calculate the inter-vehicle distance.

That is, the device for measuring the inter-vehicle distance according to the present embodiment is based on the first virtual point in the currently boarded vehicle, based on the dotted road line on the road for which the actual length information is obtained through the corresponding road information according to the location information. and the second virtual point are displayed at the starting point and the end point of the length of one dotted line (or the interval between the dotted lines) of the dotted road line 12, the actual first distance (L _i ) to the first virtual point ) and the actual second distance (L _i+1 ) to the second virtual point becomes the length of one dotted line (or the interval between the dotted lines) of the dotted road line 12 .

Accordingly, in the front image information, the difference between the distance (V _i ) in the screen to the first virtual point and the distance (V _i+1 ) in the screen to the second virtual point corresponding to the dotted line 12 is the above A length proportional to the length of the dotted line 12 is displayed on the screen, and the inter-vehicle distance can be calculated by measuring it on the screen and using it for calculation.

After all, k can be calculated through the following equation.

In the above equation, L _i is the first distance from the boarding vehicle to the first virtual point determined by the length of the dotted line according to the location information and the interval between the dotted lines, and L _i+1 is larger than L _i by a certain magnification and the location The second distance to the second virtual point from the vehicle is determined by the length of the dotted line according to the information and the interval between the dotted lines, and V _i is the image of the first virtual point in the upper part of the screen on which the front image information is displayed. the first vertical distance to the displayed portion, V _i+1 is the second vertical distance from the upper part of the screen on which the front image information is displayed to the portion where the image of the second virtual point is displayed, and Δl is the first distance and It is the difference value of the second distance.

At this time, the Vi value and the V _{i +1} value can be measured from the screen of the front image information, and Δl is measured by specifying the length of the dotted line or the length of the interval between the dotted lines obtained according to the position information. It is possible to calculate the k value by inputting the length of the dotted line of the currently driving road line or the length of the interval between the dotted lines.

In this way, when the calculated value of k is substituted into Equation 1 above, the actual inter-vehicle distance L _x on the currently driving road can be measured.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the inter-vehicle distance may be calculated using the length of the dotted line or the distance between the dotted lines according to the location information.

Therefore, in the method of measuring the distance between vehicles using an image according to the present embodiment, information on the length of the dotted line displayed on the screen is based on the location information, and the length information of the dotted line obtained from the information on the lane on the actual driving road is used. Since the inter-vehicle distance is calculated, the inter-vehicle distance can be measured irrespective of the specification, installation height, or installation angle of a lens that captures front image information.

In addition, according to the method for measuring the inter-vehicle distance using an image according to the present embodiment, since the inter-vehicle distance is measured using road line information on the road, that is, the length information of the road line, even if information on the reference distance to a predetermined location is not input, the inter-vehicle distance is measured. The distance can be measured. Meanwhile, in the method for measuring the inter-vehicle distance using an image according to the present embodiment, the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is calculated depending on whether two road lines include a plurality of dotted lines. In step S140, when the lengths of the plurality of dotted lines and the intervals between the plurality of dotted lines are changed, the lengths of the plurality of dotted lines displayed on the screen of the front image information and the lengths of the intervals between the dotted lines are measured on the screen, and the corresponding measurement Correction for the changed length and interval can be performed by obtaining the average of the values.

This may be a case in which the length of the dotted line or the interval between the dotted lines is changed, such as when the currently boarded vehicle is traveling on a curved road. In this case, since one dotted line is short and the other dotted line is long, the average value of the measured lengths of the two dotted lines can be used to calculate the inter-vehicle distance.

As a result, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform an inter-vehicle distance calculation with high accuracy even when the length of the dotted line and the interval between the dotted lines are changed.

In addition, in the method of measuring the inter-vehicle distance using an image according to the present embodiment, the step of calculating the inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle according to whether two road lines includes a plurality of dotted lines ( S140 ) is a front image It may include storing the screen of information, and correcting the inter-vehicle distance on the shaking screen by pre-measuring each distance of a plurality of dotted lines and each distance between the plurality of dotted lines based on the stored screen. .

Here, according to the present embodiment, when it is difficult to accurately obtain information on a road line or a preceding vehicle because the screen of the front image information is shaken due to external factors such as road conditions or weather, The screen is stored in the storage unit at regular time intervals, and the average value of each length of the plurality of dotted lines and the interval information between the plurality of dotted lines is measured in advance from the plurality of stored screens, and the correction value when calculating the inter-vehicle distance on a shaking screen can be used as

Accordingly, according to the method for measuring the inter-vehicle distance using an image according to the present embodiment, even when the screen of the front image information obtained from the image acquisition unit is uneven, the accuracy of the inter-vehicle distance calculation is improved by performing correction through the pre-stored screens. can

Meanwhile, the method for measuring the inter-vehicle distance using an image according to the present embodiment can be used to calculate the inter-vehicle distance with another preceding vehicle by using the inter-vehicle distance information measured above when the location information of the driving road is the same. .

That is, when driving on the same road, even if time passes, the front image information acquired through the image acquisition unit of the currently boarded vehicle becomes a screen shot by the same lens. Accordingly, the k value in Equations 1 and 2 above appears as the same value, and accordingly, the ratio between the length measured on the screen and the actual length may be the same. Calculation of the inter-vehicle distance with the second preceding vehicle may be performed using the k value calculated above as it is.

Accordingly, according to the method for measuring the inter-vehicle distance using an image according to the present embodiment, if the vehicle is traveling on the same road, it is possible to quickly calculate the inter-vehicle distance with several preceding vehicles in succession.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image by an apparatus for measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , in step S210 , the device for measuring the inter-vehicle distance may acquire location information of the road on which the vehicle is currently driving through the location acquisition unit installed in the vehicle.

And, in step S220 , the inter-vehicle distance measuring apparatus may acquire front image information in which the front of the currently boarded vehicle is photographed through an image acquisition unit installed in the currently boarded vehicle.

Next, in step S230 , the inter-vehicle distance measuring apparatus may determine whether two road lines are a dotted line or a solid line. That is, the inter-vehicle distance may be calculated in different ways depending on whether the two road lines include a plurality of dotted lines.

In this case, in step S231 , when at least one of the two road lines is a dotted line, it may be determined whether the dotted line is constant. That is, it may be determined whether each length of the plurality of dotted lines and each interval between the plurality of dotted lines are constant, and the inter-vehicle distance may be calculated in different ways depending on whether the determination is made.

Accordingly, in step S241, when a plurality of dotted lines are included in at least one of the two road lines and the dotted line spacing of the dotted road lines is constant, the inter-vehicle distance is calculated as follows. That is, as in step S141 in the first embodiment, one of the two road lines is selected with a dotted line, and the inter-vehicle distance between the current boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is determined by the length of the dotted line according to the location information and The inter-vehicle distance may be calculated using length information between the dotted lines.

Meanwhile, in step S242, when at least one of the two road lines includes a plurality of dotted lines and the dotted line spacing of the dotted road lines is not constant, information on one of the two road lines is retrieved. It is possible to calculate the inter-vehicle distance between the currently occupied vehicle and the preceding vehicle using the

In other words, in step S242, by using dotted line information of the first lane among the two road lines according to the location information of the boarding vehicle, that is, the length of each of the plurality of dotted lines and each interval between the plurality of dotted lines, can calculate the first inter-vehicle distance of .

In addition, the second inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle may be calculated using information on the first lane of the two road lines and the second lane spaced apart from the first lane by a predetermined interval.

In this case, by calculating the separation distance between the first and second lanes, the second inter-vehicle distance may be calculated according to the ratio of the lane width to the length of the lane. explained.

By reflecting the calculated difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance, each length of the plurality of dotted lines of the first lane and each interval between the plurality of dotted lines are corrected, and this is reflected in the first lane information. can

As a result, the inter-vehicle distance can be calculated by calculating the third inter-vehicle distance between the occupant vehicle and the preceding vehicle using the corrected first lane information.

Such a calculation method may be utilized when, for example, the length of the dotted line of the two road lines or the length of the interval between the dotted lines is not constant, such as poor painting or partial damage to the road while driving.

Meanwhile, in step S243, after determining whether at least one of the two road lines includes a plurality of dotted lines, if at least one of the two road lines does not include a plurality of dotted lines, both sides of the preceding vehicle in the front image information It is possible to calculate the inter-vehicle distance through the two road lines of

That is, in step S243, the first lane width is determined by recognizing two road lines on both sides of the preceding vehicle, calculating the horizontal separation distance of the two road lines at an arbitrary first position in the screen of the front image information, The second lane width is determined by calculating the horizontal separation distance of two road lines from the second position where the preceding vehicle is located on the screen of the front image information, and based on the ratio of the first lane width to the second lane width, the vehicle and the preceding vehicle The distance between the vehicle and the vehicle can be calculated.

In general, the lane spacing of the same lane on a road is constant unless the type of road is changed. Accordingly, the apparatus for measuring the inter-vehicle distance according to the present embodiment includes reference lane spacing information determined through lane spacing information corresponding to a predetermined location and spacing information of two lanes on both sides obtained in response to a vehicle appearing in the front image information. Based on the ratio, an inter-vehicle distance between the current occupant vehicle and the preceding vehicle may be measured.

In this case, the actual distance between the current vehicle and the predetermined location may be measured in advance, and based on the ratio of the pre-measured actual distance to the reference lane spacing information and lane spacing information obtained in response to the preceding vehicle included in the front image information Distance information between the currently boarded vehicle and the preceding vehicle included in the front image information may be determined.

As a result, according to the present embodiment, since the inter-vehicle distance can be measured through the ratio of the width intervals of the two road lines on both sides, the inter-vehicle distance can be calculated even when the lane is not a dotted line.

7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus for measuring an inter-vehicle distance using an image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the inter-vehicle distance measuring apparatus 300 using an image acquires a position acquisition unit 310 for acquiring location information of a vehicle, and an image acquisition for acquiring front image information of a vehicle including two road lines. The unit 320, a lane determination unit 330 that determines whether there are dotted or solid lines of two road lines using the front image information, and a distance measurement unit 340 that measures the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the boarding vehicle from the front image information ) and a correction determination unit 350 for determining whether the inter-vehicle distance needs to be corrected.

According to an embodiment, as described above, the inter-vehicle distance measuring apparatus 300 using an image may calculate the inter-vehicle distance according to whether two road lines included in the front image information are a dotted line or a solid line.

That is, when the two road lines are dotted lines, the distance measuring unit 340 selects one of the two road lines to determine the inter-vehicle distance between the current boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle. can be calculated using

As a result, the inter-vehicle distance measuring apparatus 300 using the image determines the type of road currently being driven based on the location information, and acquires information on the length of the dotted line or the length of the interval between the dotted lines according to the type of the identified road, The inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle is calculated based on the dotted line information obtained based on the location information.

In addition, distance information between the currently boarded vehicle and the vehicle included in the front image information may be calculated through Equations 1 and 2. The length information of the dotted line used in the equation may be lane information obtained from road information being driven according to the location information, and the road information and lane information according to the location information are converted into a database and stored in the storage unit 360 or separate Data may be provided through a stored server unit (not shown).

At this time, the correction determination unit 350 determines whether one or more of the two road lines is a dotted line, when the length of the dotted line or the length of the interval between the dotted lines is not constant, the length of the dotted line or between the dotted lines It is possible to calculate the inter-vehicle distance in various ways as needed by determining cases in which correction is required when calculating the inter-vehicle distance using a dotted line, such as a case in which the length of the interval of .

Accordingly, since the inter-vehicle distance measuring apparatus using an image according to the present embodiment calculates the inter-vehicle distance using only information on at least one of the two road lines, the amount of memory used and the calculation time can be reduced, and information on the length of the dotted line Based on the location information, the actual inter-vehicle distance is calculated through the length information of the dotted line obtained from the lane information on the actual driving road. You can measure the distance between vehicles.

Components described in the embodiments include one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), processors, controllers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other electronic devices, and their It may be implemented by a hardware component comprising one or more of the combinations. At least some of the processes or functions described in the embodiments may be implemented by software, and the software may be recorded on a recording medium. Components, functions and processes described in the embodiments may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention can be written as a program that can be executed on a computer, and can be implemented in a general-purpose computer that operates the program using a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is implemented in the form of a magnetic medium such as a ROM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical medium such as a CD or DVD, and a carrier wave such as transmission through the Internet. In addition, the computer-readable recording medium is distributed in a computer system connected to a network, so that the computer-readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

And, the component or '~ unit' used in the embodiment of the present invention is a task, class, subroutine, process, object, execution thread, software such as a program or FPGA ( It may be implemented in hardware such as a field-programmable gate array or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or may be implemented in a combination of software and hardware. The component or '~ unit' may be included in a computer-readable storage medium, or a part thereof may be distributed and distributed among a plurality of computers.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical spirit of the present invention, and various modifications and variations will be possible without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are for explanation rather than limiting the technical spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments.

Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims rather than being limited by the above-described embodiments, and all technical ideas within an equivalent range should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

10: front image information screen 11: preceding vehicle
12: road line 13: lens

Claims (13)

obtaining location information by using a location obtaining unit of the boarding vehicle;
acquiring front image information of the boarding vehicle including two road lines using an image acquisition unit;
determining whether the two road lines are a dotted line or a solid line using the front image information; and
calculating an inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle according to whether the two road lines include a plurality of dotted lines;
Calculating the inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle according to whether the two road lines include a plurality of dotted lines,
determining whether the plurality of dotted lines are included in at least one of the two road lines;
determining whether lengths of each of the plurality of dotted lines of a first lane including the plurality of dotted lines among the two road lines and intervals between the plurality of dotted lines are constant;
When the lengths of each of the plurality of dotted lines of the first lane of the two road lines and the respective intervals between the plurality of dotted lines are not constant, the first inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is the position calculating using each length of the plurality of dotted lines of the first lane according to the information and each interval between the plurality of dotted lines;
calculating a second inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle using information on the first lane of the two road lines and a second lane spaced apart from the first lane at a regular interval;
By reflecting the difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance, each length of the plurality of dotted lines of the first lane is equally corrected, and each interval between the plurality of dotted lines is equally corrected, reflecting the first lane information; and
calculating a third inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle by using each length of each of the corrected plurality of dotted lines of the first lane and information on each interval between the corrected plurality of dotted lines; A method of measuring the inter-vehicle distance using the included image. delete delete According to claim 1,
In the step of calculating the inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle according to whether a plurality of dotted lines are included in the two road lines,
The actual inter-vehicle distance Lx between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is calculated by Equation 1 below,
<Equation 1>

Here, Vx is the vertical distance from the upper part of the screen on which the front image information of the boarding vehicle is displayed to the part where the preceding vehicle is displayed on the screen, and k is calculated by Equation 2 below,
<Equation 2>

Here, L _i is each length of the plurality of dotted lines of one road line including the plurality of dotted lines among the two road lines according to the location information and each interval between the dotted lines. is a first distance from to a first virtual point, and L _i+1 is greater than the L _i by a predetermined magnification, and the plurality of The second distance to the second virtual point with the boarding vehicle is determined by the length of each dotted line and each interval between the dotted lines, and V _i is the portion where the first virtual point is displayed on the upper part of the screen. is the first vertical distance to , V _i+1 is the second vertical distance from the upper part of the screen to the portion where the second virtual point is displayed, and Δl is the difference between the first distance and the second distance. A method of measuring the distance between vehicles using delete According to claim 1,
In the step of calculating the inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle according to whether a plurality of dotted lines are included in the two road lines,
When the length of the plurality of dotted lines and the interval between the plurality of dotted lines change, the distance between the plurality of dotted lines and the dotted lines captured on the screen of the front image information is measured on the screen to obtain the average value of the values. How to measure. According to claim 1,
Calculating the inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle according to whether the two road lines include a plurality of dotted lines,
storing a screen of the front image information; and
Measuring the inter-vehicle distance using an image comprising: measuring each distance of the plurality of dotted lines and information on each interval between the plurality of dotted lines in advance on the basis of the stored screen to correct the inter-vehicle distance on a shaking screen; Way. According to claim 1,
The inter-vehicle distance measuring method further comprising the step of determining the type of the road line. 9. The method of claim 8,
The road line is an inter-vehicle distance measuring method including a center line, a lane, and a road edge zone line. a location acquisition unit for acquiring location information of the vehicle;
an image acquisition unit for acquiring front image information of the boarding vehicle including two road lines;
a lane determination unit for determining whether the two road lines are a dotted line or a solid line using the front image information;
a distance measuring unit measuring an inter-vehicle distance between a preceding vehicle and the boarding vehicle from the front image information according to whether the two road lines include a plurality of dotted lines; and
and a correction or not determining unit that determines whether the inter-vehicle distance needs to be corrected.
The distance measuring unit,
Calculating the actual inter-vehicle distance (L _x ) between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle by Equation 1 below,
<Equation 1>

Here, V _x is the vertical distance from the upper part of the screen on which the front image information of the boarding vehicle is displayed to the part where the preceding vehicle is displayed on the screen, and k is calculated by Equation 2 below,
<Equation 2>

Here, L _i is each length of the plurality of dotted lines of one road line including the plurality of dotted lines among the two road lines according to the location information and each interval between the dotted lines. is a first distance from to a first virtual point, and L _i+1 is greater than the L _i by a predetermined magnification, and the plurality of The second distance to the second virtual point from the boarding vehicle is determined by the length of each dotted line and each interval between the dotted lines, and V _i is the portion where the first virtual point is displayed on the upper part of the screen. is the first vertical distance to , V _i+1 is the second vertical distance from the upper part of the screen to the portion where the second virtual point is displayed, and Δl is the difference between the first distance and the second distance. A device for measuring the distance between vehicles. 11. The method of claim 10,
The distance measuring unit,
When the two road lines include the plurality of dotted lines, one of the two road lines is selected to determine the inter-vehicle distance between the boarding vehicle and the preceding vehicle using the length of the dotted line and the distance between the dotted lines according to the location information. A vehicle-to-vehicle distance measurement device using the calculated image. delete 11. The method of claim 10,
The correction determination unit,
When the length of the dotted line of the two road lines and the interval between the dotted lines are not constant, the length of the dotted line and the length between the dotted lines change, or the screen of the image information shakes, it is determined whether the inter-vehicle distance needs to be corrected A device for measuring the distance between vehicles using an image.

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