Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Mitsubishi Denki K.k.

Hiroko Maekawa

Kenji Ogawa

Hiroyoshi Suzuki

Yoshiaki Asayama

Seiya Kominami

An image tracking device comprising: an image taking means for taking an image in front of a vehicle and outputting an image signal; a memory for memorizing the image signal from the image taking means; and a tracking means for tracking a plurality of vehicles by discerning the plurality of vehicles in a monitoring region which is set with respect to the image signal memorized in the memory.

Image tracking device and image tracking method

A distance detecting apparatus can not only measure the distance to a target preceding vehicle but also detect obstacles such as an intervening vehicle, other vehicles running around or adjacent the target vehicle without any movement of the apparatus itself. The apparatus includes a window setting device 13 for setting a plurality of distance-measuring windows 21 through 25 on a screen 20 on the basis of one of two image signals generated by a pair of video cameras 5, 6, a switch 14 for setting an image-following window 26 enclosing the preceding vehicle to be followed, and a CPU 12 for measuring the distance to an object in each distance-measuring window as well as the distance to an object in the image-following window.

Distance detecting apparatus for a vehicle

The present invention provides a distance-measuring equipment for measuring the distance from a moving target on the principle of triangulation by electrically detecting the relative dislocations of first and second images focused on the image sensors of paired first and second optical systems through the comparison of image signals respectively provided by the image sensors comprising: a windowing unit for forming a window by selecting specific image signal from either of the image signals stored in the respective memory means, and storing it as a reference image signal in a window memory; and also having a window reforming function for reforming the window at predetermined time intervals, characterized in that a microprocessor compares the reference image signal and another image signal by shifting the latter signal each time for one or more than one bit in accordance with a predetermined shift pattern, and having an interpolation calculating function so as to improve the resolution for detecting the dislocation of the two image signals more precisely and calculating the distance from the moving target. By use of the equipment as constructed above, the time required for calculation can be greatly reduced, yet precision of the distance measurement is improved and thereby reliability thereof can also be improved.

Distance-measuring equipment

A distance measuring apparatus includes a pair of first and second image sensors, and a pair of first and second memories for successively storing a pair of first and second image signals output from the first and second image sensors. A CPU sets a window for the first image signal and compares a reference image signal within the window with the second image signal while shifting these signals relative to each other to thereby arithmetically measure a distance to the object. A window memory stores the reference image signal within the window. The CPU further compares the reference image signal within the window memory with first image signals stored in the first memory after a predetermined time, so as to find the most similar first image signal and set a provisional window enclosing it. Displacing the provisional window around it initially set position, the position of the window is updated only when the image signal within the provisional window as displaced exhibits a horizontal symmetry. Thus, the process and hence time for distance measurement can significantly be simplified and reduced while ensuring high accuracy and reliability.

Distance measuring apparatus

The present invention is directed to a device for detecting alcoholic content in a fuel by finding its refractive index, which is of such a construction that a refractive interface for the fuel is formed on the half way of a light transmission body; a light emitting element is provided at one end of the light transmission body, from which incident light is introduced into said refractive interface; and a single dimensional light position sensing detector is provided at the other end of the light transmitting body, into which the light refracted at the refractive interface is introduced; or it is of such a construction that a light emitting element and a single dimensional light position sensing detector are provided at one end of a light transmission body; a refractive interface and a reflecting surface are provided at the other end of the light transmission body, wherein an incident light from the light emitting element, which has entered into the refractive interface and has been refracted there, is reflected at the reflecting surface, after which the reflected light is again caused to enter into the refractive interface, and is subsequently caused to enter into the single dimensional light position sensing detector.

Device for detecting alcoholic content

An apparatus for detecting the distance between one's car and the car ahead, together with the angle between the axes of the two cars. The apparatus has a pair of driving optical systems disposed at a predetermined distance from each other, each driving optical system comprising an optical system having a light projector which projects pulse light having a specific code toward the car which is ahead of the one's car and a light receiver which receives the reflected pulse light from the car ahead, the light projector and receiver being disposed in so close proximity to each other that the respective optical axes can be considered to be on substantially the same axis, and a driving system for adjusting the angle of projection of the light projector on the basis of a signal from the light receiver. The apparatus further has a central processing unit which measures the angle of projection of the pulse light from the light projector when the light receiver of each of the driving optical systems detects the reflected pulse light, thereby detecting the distance between the one's car and the car ahead, together with the angle between the axes of the two cars.

Optical transceiver apparatus for detecting distance between two cars

In an automobile radar apparatus according to the present invention, a light-receiving optical system is rotated in response to an output from an image formation position calculation unit in such a manner that light source is focused on a vertical plane containing an optical axis of the light-receiving optical system; a direction up to the preceding vehicle is calculated from a turning angle in response to an output derived from an angular detecting unit; and a distance up to the preceding vehicle is calculated from an image position of the light source based upon an output derived from the image formation calculation unit.

Vehicle tracking control for continuously detecting the distance and

The present invention is directed to a device for detecting alcoholic content in a fuel by finding its refractive index, which is of such a construction that a refractive interface for the fuel is formed at an intermediate portion of a light transmission body; a light emitting element is provided at one end of the light transmission body, from which incident light is introduced into said refractive interface; and a single dimensional light position sensing detector is provided at the other end of the light transmitting body, into which the light refracted at the refractive interface is introduced. Alternatively, the device is of such a construction that a light emitting element and a single dimensional light position sensing detector are provided at one end of a light transmission body; a refractive interface and a reflecting surface are provided at the other end of the light transmission body, wherein an incident light from the light emitting element, which has entered into the refractive interface and has been refracted there, is reflected at the reflecting surface, after which the reflected light is again caused to enter into the refractive interface, and is subsequently caused to enter into the single dimensional light position sensing detector.

A speed control apparatus for an automotive vehicle performs creep control and suppresses wheel slipping. At low vehicle speeds, a control unit calculates a target vehicle speed based on the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal and controls a throttle actuator to maintain the target speed. The driver can change the target speed by adjusting the amount of accelerator pedal depression. The brakes of the vehicle are automatically applied when the accelerator pedal is released. A vehicle separation sensor measures the separation from a preceding vehicle. When the vehicle separation falls below a prescribed level, the control unit automatically applies the brakes of the vehicle. The control unit detects wheel slip by monitoring the speed difference between the front and rear wheels. When wheel slip occurs, the control unit decreases the throttle valve opening and applied the brakes until wheel slip is suppressed.

Speed control apparatus for an automotive vehicle with creep control

A fuel injector assembly for an internal combustion engine of an automobile including an alcohol sensor is disclosed. The assembly comprises a hollow cylindrical fuel delivery pipe having nozzles formed on the circumferential side wall thereof. A pair of hollow cylindrical metallic plates having a plurality of radially extending throughholes are dispsed coaxially in the fuel delivery pipe to form a small gap therebetween, through which the fuel supplied from the fuel tank by a fuel bump flows before being injected from the valves of the nozzles into the intake manifold of the engine. The throughholes in the two metallic plates are axially displaced and some of the throughholes in the metallic plate of the larger diameter are axially and circumferentially aligned with the nozzles. The change of the capacitance of the capacitor formed by the pair of metallic plates and the fuel flowing therebetween is measured to determine the variation of the dielectric constant of the fuel. The alcohol content of the fuel mainly consisting of gasoline is computed from the dielectric constant thereof. Further, the amount of the fuel injected from the valves are controlled in accordance with the alcohol content.

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Himeji, Japan

Hiroko Maekawa