The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 14, 1994
Filed:
Feb. 05, 1993
Tatsuji Irie, Himeji, JP;
Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An inter-vehicle distance detecting device comprising: a pair of image sensors on which an image of an object in front of a driving car is formed by a pair of optical systems; an image display means for displaying a first image information taken by one of the pair of image sensors; a window setting means for setting a plurality of windows partitioning a region of the image on the first image information; a distance detecting means for calculating respective distances from the driving car to the object surrounded by the respective windows by comparing a second image information in the respective windows set by the window setting means with a third image information taken by the other of the pair of image sensors corresponding to the second image information and by detecting a shift between the second image information and the third image information; a determining means for determining the object for measurement based on the distances to the respective windows provided by the distance detecting means; a gate setting means for setting a gate partitioning the region such that the gate approximately surrounds the object for measurement based on the distances corresponding to the object for measurement; a symmetry determining means for determining symmetry of a fourth image information surrounded by the gate and selected from the first image information and for obtaining a position of a symmetry line; and a predicting means for predicting the presence of a preceding car in front of the driving car by determining a first stability of a movement of the symmetry line provided by the symmetry determining means in the horizontal direction and by determining a second stability of the distances provided by a calculation result of the distance determining means over time.