KR20180078363A - Method and apparatus of avoiding vehicle collision - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for preventing collision between vehicles, the method including the steps of: calculating a vehicle congestion in consideration of the speed of a moving vehicle or the number of surrounding vehicle; determining a minimum proximity distance between the moving vehicle and the surrounding vehicle according to the vehicle congestion; recognizing an obstacle influencing on the driving of the vehicle; re-determining a minimum proximity distance between the moving vehicle and the obstacle in consideration of the recognized obstacle; and adjusting relative distances between the moving vehicle and each of the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle in consideration of the re-determined minimum proximity distance when it is expected that the obstacle approaches within the re-determined minimum proximity distance during a predetermined estimated time. The present invention can effectively prevent a collision accident between the vehicles by adjusting the relative distance with the surrounding vehicle.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001]

The present invention relates to a method for preventing collision between vehicles, and more particularly, to a method for preventing collision between vehicles by effectively adjusting a relative distance to a nearby vehicle in accordance with a vehicle congestion, an obstacle recognition in a traveling direction, And more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for preventing collision between vehicles.

In the past, safety measures after a vehicle collision such as a seatbelt or an airbag have been proposed in order to minimize the damage of the driver from various accidents occurring while driving the vehicle. However, in recent years, studies are being conducted to prevent a vehicle collision by predicting a vehicle collision while the vehicle is running. As one of such attempts, devices have been developed which transmit a radar signal or a laser signal to the front side, receive a reflected signal, and determine a collision situation with the preceding vehicle. However, in these methods, the accuracy of the collision determination is different when traveling on a straight road or a curved road, and only the distance information between the vehicles is judged.

On the other hand, there is a problem that it is difficult to effectively cope with various situations such as sudden change of lane of a nearby vehicle and a case where a faulty vehicle is stopped, when the distance between the vehicles is kept constant to prevent collision regardless of the surrounding situation.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle-to-vehicle collision avoidance method capable of effectively preventing collision between vehicles while driving.

A second problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus capable of outputting a warning message corresponding to a situation in consideration of a vehicle congestion and a dynamic situation (a faulty vehicle, a lane-changing vehicle).

It is another object of the present invention to provide a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described method.

In order to achieve the first object of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a vehicle, comprising the steps of: calculating a vehicle congestion degree considering a speed of a traveling vehicle or a number of surrounding vehicles; Determining a minimum proximity distance between the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle according to the vehicle congestion; Recognizing an obstacle affecting the running of the vehicle; Recalculating a minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle in consideration of the recognized obstacle; And adjusting the relative distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle in consideration of the recalculated minimum proximity distance when the obstacle is expected to come within the recalculated minimum proximity distance for a predetermined estimated time, Thereby providing a method of preventing collision between the two.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the step of recognizing the obstacle may include capturing an image of the obstacle during a short exposure time, emphasizing only an area having brightness of a predetermined value or more in the photographed image, can do.

In addition, the step of determining the minimum proximity distance may further determine the minimum proximity distance or the predetermined estimated time by further considering an operation pattern of the driver of the vehicle.

According to another embodiment, it is preferable to output a collision warning message to the driver when the obstacle is expected to be within the recalculated minimum proximity distance for the predetermined estimated time.

In more detail, the step of adjusting the relative distance may include controlling the traveling vehicle such that a relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle is greater than the recalculated minimum proximity distance, And when the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle can not be adjusted so as to be greater than the adjusted minimum proximity distance, the relative distance of the direction in which the obstacle is recognized is maximized It is preferable to adjust the relative distance.

In order to achieve the first object of the present invention, there is provided a method of driving a traveling vehicle, comprising the steps of: recognizing an obstacle affecting traveling of the traveling vehicle; Calculating an expected collision time in consideration of the obstacle and a predicted path of the traveling vehicle; And outputting a collision warning message to the driver when a collision is expected within a predetermined critical collision time as a result of the determination based on the collision expected time.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of calculating a vehicle congestion degree, comprising: calculating a vehicle congestion degree considering a speed of a traveling vehicle or a number of nearby vehicles; Determining a minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the surrounding vehicle according to the vehicle congestion, the predetermined critical collision time, or a predetermined expected time; Recalculating a minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle, the predetermined critical collision time, or a predetermined expected time in consideration of the recognized obstacle; And adjusting the relative distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle in consideration of the recalculated minimum proximity distance when the obstacle is expected to come within the recalculated minimum adjacent distance for the predetermined recalculated estimated time .

The step of recognizing the obstacle may include capturing an image of the obstacle during a short exposure time and recognizing the obstacle by emphasizing only an area having brightness of a predetermined value or more in the photographed image.

In another embodiment, the method may further include outputting a collision warning message to the driver when the obstacle comes within the recalculated minimum proximity distance within the recalculated predetermined expected time.

In more detail, the step of adjusting the relative distance may include controlling the traveling vehicle such that a relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle is greater than the recalculated minimum proximity distance, And when the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle can not be adjusted so as to be maintained larger than the recalculated minimum proximity distance, the relative distance of the direction in which the obstacle is recognized is maximized And adjusting the relative distance so as to be maintained.

On the other hand, the step of determining the minimum proximity distance, the predetermined criticality collision time, or the predetermined estimated time may further include calculating the minimum proximity distance, the predetermined estimated time, It is preferable to determine a predetermined critical collision time.

The obstacle may include an emergency light signal of a nearby vehicle, a stopped vehicle, a nearby vehicle that attempts to change lanes, or a lane departure sign, etc., which are grasped on the traveling route of the traveling vehicle.

In order to achieve the second object, the present invention provides a vehicle congestion estimating apparatus, comprising: a vehicle congestion calculating unit for calculating a congestion degree of a vehicle based on a speed of a traveling vehicle or a number of nearby vehicles; A threshold value determiner for determining a minimum proximity distance between the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle according to the vehicle congestion; An obstacle recognition unit for recognizing an obstacle affecting the running of the vehicle; And a relative distance adjustment unit for adjusting a relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle in consideration of the recalculated minimum proximity distance when the obstacle is expected to come within the recalculated minimum adjacent distance for a predetermined estimated time And the threshold value determiner recalculates the minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle in consideration of the recognized obstacle.

The obstacle recognizing unit may capture an image of the obstacle during a short exposure time, and may recognize the obstacle by emphasizing only an area having brightness of a predetermined value or more in the photographed image.

The threshold value determining unit may determine the minimum proximity distance or the predetermined estimated time by further considering an operation pattern of the driver of the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the collision probability determination unit determines whether the obstacle is within the recalculated minimum proximity distance during the predetermined expected time. And a collision warning unit for outputting a collision warning message to the driver when the obstacle is within the recalculated minimum proximity distance during the predetermined expected time.

In another embodiment, the relative distance adjustment unit controls the driving vehicle so that the relative distance between the driving vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle is greater than the recalculated minimum proximity distance, And when it is not possible to adjust the distance so that the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle is kept larger than the adjusted minimum proximity distance, You can adjust the distance.

In order to achieve the second object of the present invention, there is provided an obstacle recognition apparatus comprising: an obstacle recognition unit for recognizing an obstacle affecting the running of a driving vehicle; A collision possibility determination unit for determining a collision possibility within a predetermined critical collision time after calculating a collision expected time in consideration of the recognized obstacle and a predicted path of the driving vehicle; And a collision warning unit for outputting a collision warning message to the driver when a collision is expected within the predetermined critical collision time.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle congestion degree calculation unit calculates a congestion degree of a vehicle in consideration of the speed of the traveling vehicle or the number of nearby vehicles. And a threshold value determiner for determining a minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the surrounding vehicle according to the vehicle congestion, the predetermined critical collision time, or a predetermined expected time. And a relative distance adjusting unit for adjusting a relative distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle in consideration of the recalculated minimum proximity distance when the obstacle is expected to be within the recalculated minimum adjacent distance for the predetermined recalculation time, And the threshold value determiner may re-determine the minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle, the predetermined critical collision time, or a predetermined estimated time in consideration of the recognized obstacle.

The obstacle recognizing unit may capture an image of the obstacle during a short exposure time, and may recognize the obstacle by emphasizing only an area having brightness of a predetermined value or more in the photographed image.

In one embodiment, the collision probability determination unit determines the possibility of collision in consideration of whether the obstacle falls within the recalculated minimum proximity distance during the recalculated predetermined expected time period, and the collision warning unit notifies the collision warning unit during the recalculated predetermined estimated time And may output a collision warning message to the driver when the vehicle is within the recalculated minimum proximity distance.

In more detail, the relative distance adjustment unit controls the driving vehicle so that a relative distance between the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle is greater than the recalculated minimum proximity distance, thereby adjusting a relative distance between the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle, When the relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle can not be adjusted so as to be kept larger than the recalculated minimum proximity distance, the relative distance is adjusted so that the relative distance in the direction in which the obstacle is recognized is maximized desirable.

The threshold value determiner may further determine the minimum proximity distance, the predetermined estimated time, or the predetermined critical collision time by further considering an operation pattern of the driver of the vehicle.

The obstacle may include an emergency light signal of a nearby vehicle, a stopped vehicle, a nearby vehicle that attempts to change lanes, or a lane departure sign, etc., which are grasped on the traveling route of the traveling vehicle.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute the method for preventing collision between vehicles.

According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively prevent the vehicle-to-vehicle collision by adjusting the relative distance with respect to the surrounding vehicle according to the vehicle congestion, the obstacle recognition in the traveling direction, or the expected collision time with the surrounding vehicle. Also, according to the present invention, it is possible to output a warning message in accordance with the situation while considering a vehicle congestion and a dynamic situation (a broken vehicle, a lane changing vehicle) while providing a function for preventing collision between vehicles with only a camera. Further, according to the present invention, the relative distance between the vehicles can be adjusted in consideration of the pattern of the driver, thereby providing comfort to the driver.

1 is a configuration diagram of an inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart of a method for preventing collision between vehicles according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart of a method for preventing collision between vehicles according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 shows an example of a vehicle recognized as an obstacle on the road.
5 is a diagram for explaining a method of recognizing a nearby vehicle using a short time exposure image when a nearby vehicle sends a failure signal or a lane change signal.
6 shows the left lane change signal a, the right lane change signal b, the failure signal or the stop signal c.
7 is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting the relative distance between the driving vehicle and the lane-changing vehicle when the lane-changing vehicle attempts to enter the lane of the driving vehicle.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention, and the manner of achieving them, will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein, It is to be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but may be modified in various ways.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of illustrating embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. In the present specification, the singular form includes plural forms unless otherwise specified in the specification. The terms " comprises "and / or" comprising "used in the specification do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements in addition to the stated element. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in a sense commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. In addition, commonly used predefined terms are not ideally or excessively interpreted unless explicitly defined otherwise.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a configuration diagram of an inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1, an apparatus for preventing collision between vehicles according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a vehicle congestion calculation unit 110, a threshold determination unit 120, an obstacle recognition unit 130, a collision probability determination unit 140, An adjustment unit 150, and a crash warning unit 160. [

The vehicle congestion degree calculation unit 110 calculates the vehicle congestion degree based on the speed of the traveling vehicle or the number of nearby vehicles. At this time, the vehicle congestion can be calculated according to the speed of the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicles, the number of nearby vehicles, the number of overtaking vehicles, and the presence or absence of a fault vehicle existing in the predetermined traveling direction, but is not limited thereto.

For example, as the speed of the traveling vehicle increases, as the number of surrounding vehicles increases, the degree of congestion increases. In the presence of a faulty vehicle, the congestion degree of the vehicle may be further increased.

The threshold value determination unit 120 determines a minimum proximity distance between the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle, a predetermined critical collision time, or a predetermined estimation time according to the vehicle congestion degree.

The minimum proximity distance means the minimum distance that can be tolerated between the vehicle in operation and the surrounding vehicle. It is determined whether to output a collision warning message to the driver or whether or not to adjust the relative distance when the estimated collision time calculated in consideration of the expected path of the vehicle being driven and the surrounding vehicle is less than a predetermined threshold value, The value is called critical collision time. The predetermined estimated time is a time for determining whether or not the vehicle is within the minimum proximity distance by calculating the relative distance between the vehicle being driven and the surrounding vehicle. The collision probability determination unit 140 and the relative distance adjustment unit 150 will now be described in more detail.

Meanwhile, the threshold value determiner 120 may determine or re-determine the minimum proximity distance by considering the operation pattern of the driver of the vehicle. At this time, it is preferable that the driver's operation pattern (rapid acceleration and average of distances from the surrounding vehicle during driving, wheel movement pattern, etc.) is detected and reflected at the time of adjustment of the minimum proximity distance. When the driver's driving pattern is not taken into consideration, the driver may feel the feeling of driving difficulty and, in some cases, feel anxiety at the time of driving. Therefore, .

In addition, the threshold value determiner 120 may determine the minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle, the predetermined minimum collision distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle in consideration of the obstacle recognized by the obstacle recognition unit 130, the updated vehicle congestion, Time, or a predetermined estimated time can be re-determined. In another embodiment, the collision probability determination unit 140 may determine or re-determine the minimum proximity distance, the predetermined critical collision time, or the predetermined expected time.

For example, when a lane change signal recognized as an obstacle is recognized, the threshold value determiner 120 may notify the driver of the danger situation in advance by increasing the minimum proximity distance. Thus, when the obstacle is recognized, the predetermined minimum proximity distance is increased. In a similar manner, the threshold determining unit 120 may adjust the minimum proximity distance by further considering the vehicle congestion or the driving pattern of the driver of the vehicle.

The obstacle recognition unit 130 recognizes obstacles that affect the running of the vehicle.

The obstacle includes an emergency light signal of a nearby vehicle, a stopped vehicle, a nearby vehicle that attempts to change lanes, or a lane departure sign that is grasped on the traveling route of the traveling vehicle. In addition, the obstacle includes an object .

The collision probability determination unit 140 determines whether the obstacle is within the minimum proximity determined or recalculated during the predetermined expected time.

As another example, the collision probability determination unit 140 may calculate the collision expected time in consideration of the estimated path of the obstacle and the traveling vehicle, and then determine the possibility of collision within a predetermined critical collision time. In addition, the collision probability determination unit 140 may determine the predetermined critical collision time in consideration of the recognized obstacle, the vehicle congestion, or an operation pattern of the driver of the vehicle, and may re-determine the predetermined critical collision time according to the change. Increasing the critical collision time can adjust the relative distance more quickly and give the driver a quicker warning, but if you increase too much, you may feel uncomfortable with frequent alerts.

If the obstacle is expected to come within the recalculated minimum proximity distance during the recalculated predetermined estimated time, the relative distance adjusting unit 150 may calculate the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle in consideration of the recalculated minimum proximity distance. Adjust the distance.

The relative distance may be changed according to the vehicle congestion. That is, when the vehicle congestion is high, the relative distance is reduced, and when the vehicle congestion is low, the relative distance can be increased. Further, the relative distance adjustment unit 150 may consider the driver pattern to make the relative distance adjusted for each driver different even if the same situation exists.

In one embodiment, the relative distance adjustment unit 150 controls the driving vehicle so that the relative distance between the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle is greater than the recalculated minimum proximity distance, thereby adjusting the relative distance to the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle And adjusting the relative distance so that the relative distance of the direction in which the obstacle is recognized is maximized when the relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle can not be adjusted to be greater than the recalculated minimum proximity distance .

Fig. 4 shows an example of a vehicle recognized as an obstacle on the road.

Referring to FIG. 4, a method for adjusting the relative distance according to circumstances will be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 4, the traveling vehicle 1 equipped with the inter-vehicle collision avoiding device according to the present invention is running in a two-lane line, and the lane-changing vehicle is about to enter from the three lanes to the two lanes.

When the lane-changing vehicle tries to change lanes in the lane on which the lane 1 runs, the distance between the lane changing vehicle 1 and the lane-changing vehicle becomes narrow with time. Therefore, the relative distance adjusting unit 150 adjusts the relative distance It is preferable to move the traveling vehicle to the left of the traveling direction which is the direction of the increase.

On the other hand, in the first lane, the stopping vehicle is stopped due to a failure or the like, and the driving vehicle 2 approaches the stopping vehicle. In this case, since the relative distance between the traveling vehicle 2 and the stopped vehicle is rapidly reduced, the relative distance adjusting unit 150 can change the lane or reduce the speed of the traveling vehicle 2 if the speed at which the relative distance decreases is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed .

If the collision warning unit 160 determines that there is a possibility of collision as a result of the determination by the collision probability determination unit 140, the collision warning unit 160 may output the collision expected time together with the collision warning message to the driver. That is, the collision warning message may be outputted to the driver when the collision is expected within the recalculated minimum proximity distance during the recalculated predetermined anticipated time and within the predetermined collision time.

2 is a flowchart of a method for preventing collision between vehicles according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the method for preventing vehicle-to-vehicle collision according to the embodiment of the present invention is comprised of the steps of time-series processing in the inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus shown in FIG. Therefore, the contents described above with respect to the inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus shown in Fig. 1 also apply to the inter-vehicle collision avoidance method according to the present embodiment even if omitted below.

An inter-vehicle collision avoidance method according to an embodiment of the present invention recognizes an object using an AVM system, and recognizes an object within a predetermined recognition distance from the vehicle. Preferably, the predetermined recognition distance is a maximum distance at which the traveling vehicle recognizes the surrounding object through a camera or the like, and is variably determined using the vehicle traffic density. At this time, the vehicle congestion can be calculated according to the speed of the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle, the number of nearby vehicles, or the presence or absence of a fault vehicle present in the predetermined traveling direction, but is not limited thereto.

The inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus calculates the congestion degree of the vehicle in consideration of the speed of the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicles, the number of nearby vehicles, the number of overtaking vehicles, and the presence or absence of a fault vehicle present in the predetermined traveling direction.

In step 220, the inter-vehicle collision avoidance device determines a minimum proximity distance between the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle according to the degree of congestion of the vehicle. The minimum proximity distance means the minimum distance that can be tolerated between the vehicle in operation and the surrounding vehicle. The minimum proximity distance may be determined by further considering the driving pattern of the driver of the vehicle or the type of obstacle vehicle such as whether the obstacle is a lane change vehicle or a failure vehicle.

In addition to the vehicle congestion, the minimum proximity distance can be adjusted according to the type of influence of the obstacle vehicle (lane changing signal, stop signal, etc.) and the driving pattern of the driver. Depending on the type of influence of the obstacle vehicle, The obstacle can be recognized quickly.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, if the vehicle congestion is changed while the vehicle congestion is continuously monitored, the minimum proximity distance to the surrounding vehicles can also be changed for the front, rear, and side. You can also change the minimum proximity for a longer period of time if you have poor visibility, such as snow or rain. Meanwhile, it is preferable that the AVM camera recognizes nearby vehicles within a predetermined recognition distance to calculate a traffic density, and determines the minimum proximity distance according to the calculated vehicle congestion.

In step 230, the inter-vehicle collision avoidance device recognizes an obstacle affecting the running of the vehicle.

The obstacle means a vehicle to be considered for avoiding collision when the traveling vehicle is running. Vehicles that can be viewed as obstacles include vehicles that send fault signals, vehicles that send turn signals to change lanes, vehicles that are stationary on the roads, vehicles whose lights are turned off in low light conditions at night, Or the surrounding vehicles in a situation where the vehicle is in a state where the vehicle is not in the vehicle. At this time, it is desirable to recognize a failure signal such as an emergency light or a lane change signal using a short time exposure image.

It is also preferable that an image of the obstacle is photographed during a short exposure time, and the obstacle is recognized by emphasizing only an area having a brightness of a predetermined value or more in the photographed image. Hereinafter, a more detailed description will be given with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG.

5 is a diagram for explaining a method of recognizing a nearby vehicle using a short time exposure image when a nearby vehicle sends a failure signal or a lane change signal.

6 shows the left lane change signal a, the right lane change signal b, the failure signal or the stop signal c.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a method of recognizing using a short time exposure image will be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 5, when an input image signal corresponding to one of the frames is input and the input brightness value of the pixel is lower (dark) than the reference value, the corresponding pixel of the next frame is an image signal If the input brightness value is higher (brighter) than the reference value, saturation due to overexposure may occur. Therefore, the corresponding pixel of the next frame may be an image signal that shortens the exposure time (An improved long time image signal) obtained by multiplying the gain value G corresponding to the ratio of the long exposure time and the short exposure time to the luminance value G (i.e.

5, since the input brightness value and the slope of the output brightness envelope are gentler than the long time exposure image signal, the output brightness value obtained by multiplying the short time exposure image signal by the gain value is smaller than the reference value Applying to a large input brightness value prevents the image sensor from saturating the output value relative to the input value at each pixel, thus allowing the entire image to be more clearly identified.

Accordingly, in order to recognize the lane change signal or the failure signal shown in FIG. 6 in a low light condition such as nighttime, the saturation due to overexposure may occur when the input brightness value is higher than the reference value. Accordingly, the corresponding pixel of the next frame outputs a brightness value multiplied by the gain value G corresponding to the ratio of the long exposure time and the short exposure time to the image signal in which the exposure time is shortened.

In another embodiment of the present invention, since the lane change signal or the failure signal periodically flashes, the image is photographed for a short exposure time, and only the area having a brightness of a predetermined value or more in the photographed image is emphasized, And so on.

Referring to FIG. 6, if an image is photographed during a short exposure time and the region having a brightness higher than the predetermined value is emphasized, an image as shown in FIG. 6 is obtained. The device can recognize the situation of the obstacle.

In step 240, the inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus recalculates the minimum proximity distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle in consideration of the recognized obstacle.

If the obstacle is recognized in step 230, the minimum proximity distance determined in step 220 is increased in accordance with the type of effect (lane change signal, stop signal, etc.) of the obstacle vehicle in step 240, thereby notifying the driver of the existence of the obstacle more quickly . For example, when the obstacle recognition unit 130 recognizes the lane change signal, if the previously set minimum proximity distance is increased, the driver can receive the collision warning signal even if the warning signal has not been generated in the past, have. On the other hand, when the stop signal is recognized, the driver can recognize the dangerous situation more quickly by increasing the minimum proximity distance more than when recognizing the lane change signal. In particular, .

In step 250, when the obstacle is expected to be within the recalculated minimum proximity distance for a predetermined estimated time, the inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus determines the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle in consideration of the recalculated minimum proximity distance .

The relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle is adjusted in the forward, backward, left or right direction in consideration of the emergency signal of the stopped faulty vehicle or the lane change signal of the nearby vehicle. At this time, it is desirable that the relative distance between the adjacent vehicles to be adjusted is always larger than the minimum proximity distance determined in step 220. [ At this time, the adjusted relative distance may be changed according to the degree of vehicle congestion. That is, when the vehicle congestion is high, the relative distance is reduced, and when the vehicle congestion is low, the relative distance can be increased.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the operation pattern of the driver of the vehicle may be further taken into consideration and reflected in the relative distance adjustment. It is desirable to grasp the driving pattern of the driver (such as the rapid acceleration and the average distance between the vehicle and the surrounding vehicle during the running, the wheel movement pattern, etc.) and reflect the difference in the relative distance adjustment. If the driver's driving pattern is not taken into consideration, the driver may feel a sense of driving difficulty and, in some cases, feel anxiety at the time of driving. Therefore, have.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the traveling vehicle is controlled so that the relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle is greater than the recalculated minimum proximity distance, When the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle can not be adjusted so as to be maintained larger than the adjusted minimum proximity distance, Can be adjusted.

In step 260, the inter-vehicle collision avoidance device outputs a collision warning message to the driver when the obstacle is expected to be within the recalculated minimum proximity distance for the predetermined estimated time.

3 is a flowchart of a method for preventing collision between vehicles according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the method for preventing vehicle-to-vehicle collision according to the present embodiment is comprised of the steps of time-series processing in the inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus shown in FIG. Therefore, the contents described above with respect to the inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus shown in Fig. 1 also apply to the inter-vehicle collision avoidance method according to the present embodiment even if omitted below.

In step 310, the inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus calculates the vehicle congestion degree based on the speed of the traveling vehicle or the number of nearby vehicles.

In step 320, the inter-vehicle collision avoidance device determines a minimum proximity distance between the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle, the predetermined critical collision time, or a predetermined estimated time according to the vehicle congestion degree.

The predetermined threshold collision time is a threshold value of a collision warning time for outputting a collision warning message in step 370. If the collision expected time is shorter than the threshold collision time, a collision warning message may be output.

At this time, the minimum proximity distance, the predetermined estimated time, or the predetermined critical collision time may be determined by further considering an operation pattern of the driver of the vehicle.

In step 330, the inter-vehicle collision avoidance device recognizes obstacles that affect the traveling of the traveling vehicle. At this time, an image of the obstacle may be photographed during a short exposure time, and the obstacle may be recognized by emphasizing only an area having a brightness of a predetermined value or more in the photographed image.

Preferably, the obstacle includes an emergency light signal of a nearby vehicle, a stopping vehicle, a neighboring vehicle that attempts to change lanes, or a lane departure warning sign, etc., which are grasped on the traveling route of the traveling vehicle.

In step 340, the inter-vehicle collision avoidance device recalculates the minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle, the predetermined critical collision time, or a predetermined estimated time in consideration of the recognized obstacle.

In step 350, the inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus calculates an expected collision time in consideration of the obstacle and the expected path of the traveling vehicle.

In step 360, when the obstacle is expected to be within the recalculated minimum proximity distance during the recalculated predetermined anticipated time, the inter-vehicle collision avoidance device may determine the recalculated minimum proximity distance, The relative distance between them can be adjusted.

In more detail, the traveling vehicle is controlled such that a relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the neighboring vehicle is greater than the recalculated minimum proximity distance, thereby adjusting a relative distance between the obstacle and the neighboring vehicle, The relative distance can be adjusted such that the relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle is kept at a maximum relative to the recognized direction of the obstacle when the relative distance can not be adjusted so as to be maintained larger than the recalculated minimum approach distance.

Meanwhile, the relative distance may be changed according to the degree of vehicle congestion. That is, when the vehicle congestion is high, the relative distance is reduced, and when the vehicle congestion is low, the relative distance can be increased.

The relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle is adjusted in the forward, backward, left or right direction in consideration of the emergency signal of the stopped faulty vehicle or the lane change signal of the nearby vehicle. At this time, the relative distance between the adjacent vehicles to be adjusted may be always larger than the minimum proximity distance determined in step 320. [

7 is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting the relative distance between the driving vehicle and the lane-changing vehicle when the lane-changing vehicle attempts to enter the lane of the driving vehicle.

7, DT1 represents the current relative distance from the driving vehicle to the lane changing vehicle, D-DV is the predicted traveling distance that the driving vehicle will travel for a predetermined estimated time, D- Is a predicted distance to travel during the predetermined estimated time. At this time, the shortest relative distance between the driving vehicle and the lane changing vehicle is a D-TS for a predetermined expected time. The predetermined expected time may be set to the same time as the critical collision time, but may be determined differently depending on the congestion of the vehicle, the obstacle recognized, or the driving pattern of the driver.

In one embodiment, the expected travel distance for the predetermined estimated time may be estimated for each vehicle. The driver can be warned about the possibility of collision if it is determined that the relative distance between the vehicles is within the minimum proximity distance while each vehicle moves by the expected travel distance during the predetermined estimated time.

On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 7, even when two vehicles are traveling in different lanes and are located at the same position in the horizontal direction, the relative distance between the two vehicles may be smaller than the minimum proximity distance. If the relative distance is maintained at a value smaller than the shortest proximity distance for a predetermined time or more, the minimum proximity distance is reduced to a value smaller than the relative distance, , The driver may not be warned about the possibility of collision.

The relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the lane-changing vehicle means the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle. For convenience of calculation, the relative distance is calculated by calculating the shortest distance between the ellipse including the traveling vehicle and the ellipse including the lane changing vehicle It is possible. The elliptical shape including the vehicle may be replaced with another shape including a vehicle such as a rectangle.

In another embodiment, the relative distance between the vehicle and the vehicle may be a distance from the traveling vehicle to a point where the traveling vehicle meets a line perpendicular to the traveling path of the lane changing vehicle.

On the other hand, as the lane-changing vehicle changes the lane, the relative distance is continuously reduced and approaches the minimum proximity distance. Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable to control the traveling vehicle such that the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the lane-changing vehicle becomes larger than the minimum proximity distance.

7, in order to make the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the lane-changing vehicle larger than the minimum proximity distance, the traveling vehicle may move to the left lane or reduce the speed.

 Referring again to FIG. 3, in step 370, the inter-vehicle collision avoidance apparatus outputs a collision warning message to the driver when a collision is expected within a predetermined critical collision time as a result of the determination based on the collision expected time. In addition, when the obstacle comes within the recalculated minimum proximity distance within the recalculated predetermined expected time, the driver can output a collision warning message.

As used in this embodiment, the term " portion " refers to a hardware component such as software or an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or ASIC, and 'part' performs certain roles. However, 'part' is not meant to be limited to software or hardware. &Quot; to " may be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium and may be configured to play one or more processors. Thus, by way of example, 'parts' may refer to components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, and processes, functions, , Subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions provided in the components and components may be further combined with a smaller number of components and components or further components and components. In addition, the components and components may be implemented to play back one or more CPUs in a device or a secure multimedia card.

All of the functions described above may be performed by a processor such as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. according to software or program code or the like coded to perform the function. The design, development and implementation of the above code will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the description of the present invention.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. You will understand. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention covers all embodiments falling within the scope of the following claims, rather than being limited to the above-described embodiments.

Claims (25)

Calculating a vehicle congestion in consideration of the speed of the traveling vehicle or the number of nearby vehicles;
Determining a minimum proximity distance between the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle according to the vehicle congestion;
Recognizing an obstacle affecting the running of the vehicle;
Recalculating a minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle in consideration of the recognized obstacle; And
And adjusting the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle in consideration of the recalculated minimum proximity distance when the obstacle is expected to come within the recalculated minimum proximity distance for a predetermined estimated time period How to prevent collisions. The method according to claim 1,
The step of recognizing the obstacle includes:
Wherein an image of the obstacle is photographed during a short exposure time, and the obstacle is recognized by emphasizing only an area having brightness of a predetermined value or more in the photographed image. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein determining the minimum proximity distance comprises:
Wherein the minimum proximity distance or the predetermined estimated time is determined by further considering an operation pattern of a driver of the vehicle. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising: outputting a collision warning message to the driver when the obstacle is expected to be within the recalculated minimum proximity distance during the predetermined estimated time. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the step of adjusting the relative distance comprises:
Controlling the traveling vehicle such that a relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle is greater than the recalculated minimum proximity distance, adjusting a relative distance between the obstacle and the nearby vehicle,
When the relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle can not be adjusted so as to be kept larger than the adjusted minimum proximity distance, the relative distance is adjusted so that the relative distance in the direction in which the obstacle is recognized is maximized Characterized in that the vehicle collision avoidance method. Recognizing an obstacle affecting traveling of the traveling vehicle;
Calculating an expected collision time in consideration of the obstacle and a predicted path of the traveling vehicle; And
And outputting a collision warning message to the driver when a collision is expected within a predetermined critical collision time as a result of the determination based on the collision expected time. The method according to claim 6,
Calculating a vehicle congestion in consideration of the speed of the traveling vehicle or the number of nearby vehicles;
Determining a minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the surrounding vehicle according to the vehicle congestion, the predetermined critical collision time, or a predetermined expected time;
Recalculating a minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle, the predetermined critical collision time, or a predetermined expected time in consideration of the recognized obstacle; And
Adjusting the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle in consideration of the recalculated minimum proximity distance when the obstacle is expected to be within the recalculated minimum proximity distance during the recalculated predetermined expected time Wherein the vehicle-to-vehicle collision avoidance method comprises: The method according to claim 6,
The step of recognizing the obstacle includes:
Wherein an image of the obstacle is photographed during a short exposure time, and the obstacle is recognized by emphasizing only an area having brightness of a predetermined value or more in the photographed image. 8. The method of claim 7,
And outputting a crash warning message to the driver if the obstacle is within the recalculated minimum proximity distance within the recalculated predetermined anticipated time. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the step of adjusting the relative distance comprises:
Controlling the traveling vehicle such that a relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle is greater than the recalculated minimum proximity distance, adjusting a relative distance between the obstacle and the nearby vehicle,
Adjusting a relative distance such that the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle is kept at a maximum relative to a direction in which the obstacle is recognized when the relative distance can not be adjusted so as to be maintained larger than the recalculated minimum approach distance Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 1, < / RTI >
8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the obstacle includes an emergency light signal of a nearby vehicle, a stopping vehicle, a nearby vehicle attempting to change lanes, or a lane departure warning sign, etc., which are grasped on the traveling route of the traveling vehicle.
8. The method of claim 7,
The step of determining the minimum proximity distance, the predetermined criticality collision time, or the predetermined expected time,
Wherein the minimum proximity distance, the predetermined estimated time, or the predetermined critical collision time is determined by further considering an operation pattern of the driver of the vehicle.
A vehicle congestion degree calculation unit for calculating a congestion degree of the vehicle in consideration of the speed of the traveling vehicle or the number of nearby vehicles;
A threshold value determiner for determining a minimum proximity distance between the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle according to the vehicle congestion;
An obstacle recognition unit for recognizing an obstacle affecting the running of the vehicle; And
And a relative distance adjustment unit adjusting the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle in consideration of the recalculated minimum proximity distance when the obstacle is expected to be within the recalculated minimum adjacent distance for a predetermined estimated time , The threshold value determination unit
And determines the minimum proximity distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle in consideration of the recognized obstacle. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the obstacle recognition unit captures an image of the obstacle during a short exposure time and emphasizes only an area having brightness of a predetermined value or more in the photographed image to recognize the obstacle. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the threshold value determiner determines the minimum proximity distance or the predetermined estimated time by further considering an operation pattern of the driver of the vehicle. 14. The method of claim 13,
A collision possibility determination unit for determining whether the obstacle is within the recalculated minimum proximity distance for the predetermined expected time; And
Further comprising a crash warning section for outputting a crash warning message to the driver when the obstacle comes within the recalculated minimum proximity distance during the predetermined expected time. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the relative distance adjustment unit adjusts the relative distance between the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle by controlling the traveling vehicle so that the relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle is greater than the recalculated minimum proximity distance,
When the relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle can not be adjusted so as to be kept larger than the adjusted minimum proximity distance, the relative distance is adjusted so that the relative distance in the direction in which the obstacle is recognized is maximized Wherein the vehicle collision avoidance device is characterized by: An obstacle recognition unit for recognizing an obstacle affecting the running of the driving vehicle;
A collision possibility determination unit for determining a collision possibility within a predetermined critical collision time after calculating a collision expected time in consideration of the recognized obstacle and a predicted path of the driving vehicle; And
And a collision warning unit for outputting a collision warning message to the driver when a collision is expected within the predetermined critical collision time. 19. The method of claim 18,
A vehicle congestion degree calculation unit for calculating a congestion degree of the vehicle in consideration of the speed of the traveling vehicle or the number of nearby vehicles; And
A threshold value determiner for determining a minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the surrounding vehicle according to the vehicle congestion, the predetermined critical collision time, or a predetermined expected time; And
Wherein the threshold value determiner recalculates a minimum proximity distance between the driving vehicle and the obstacle, the predetermined critical collision time, or a predetermined estimated time in consideration of the recognized obstacle,
And a relative distance adjustment unit adjusting the relative distance between the traveling vehicle and the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle in consideration of the recalculated minimum proximity distance when the obstacle is expected to be within the recalculated minimum adjacent distance for the predetermined recalculated estimated time, Further comprising: an inter-vehicle collision avoidance device (10) 19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the obstacle recognition unit captures an image of the obstacle during a short exposure time and emphasizes only an area having brightness of a predetermined value or more in the photographed image to recognize the obstacle. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the collision probability determination unit determines the possibility of collision in consideration of whether the obstacle falls within the recalculated minimum proximity distance during the recalculated predetermined expected time,
Wherein the collision warning unit outputs a collision warning message to the driver when the collision warning unit comes within the recalculated minimum proximity distance during the recalculated predetermined time period. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the relative distance adjustment unit adjusts the relative distance between the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle by controlling the traveling vehicle so that the relative distance between the obstacle and the surrounding vehicle is greater than the recalculated minimum adjacent distance,
When the relative distance between the traveling vehicle, the obstacle, and the surrounding vehicle can not be adjusted so as to be maintained larger than the recalculated minimum proximity distance, the relative distance is adjusted so that the relative distance in the direction in which the obstacle is recognized is kept at the maximum Wherein the vehicle collision avoidance device is characterized by: 19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the obstacle includes an emergency light signal of a nearby vehicle, a stopped fault vehicle, a neighboring vehicle that attempts to change lanes, or a lane departure warning sign, etc., which are grasped on the traveling route of the traveling vehicle. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the threshold value determination unit determines,
Wherein the controller determines the minimum proximity distance, the predetermined estimated time, or the predetermined criticality collision time by further considering an operation pattern of the driver of the vehicle. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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