Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for estimating inter-vehicle distance using radar and camera

US6990216B2 · kind B2 · utility

10Cited by
10References
25Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateSep 21, 2001
Grant dateJan 24, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 8, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S2013/93271
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

In method and apparatus for estimating an inter-vehicle distance of an automotive vehicle to a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance is detected using a radar, a video image of a vehicular forwarding zone is photographed, a plurality of edges including at least a part of the preceding vehicle are detected from the photographed vide image, an inter-edge spacing of mutually opposing edges from the detected image is detected, and a present inter-vehicle distance of the vehicle to the preceding vehicle at a present time point is calculated from a previous inter-vehicle distance calculated thereby at a previous time point at which the inter-edge spacing of the mutually opposing edges has previously been detected and the inter-edge spacings at the previous time point and at the present time point.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.