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Vehicle tracking system

  • US 20040054473A1
  • Filed: 07/31/2003
  • Published: 03/18/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A vehicle tracking system for a vehicle, comprising:

  • a first camera mounted on the vehicle;

    an image memory configured and arranged to store a first and second input images containing a remote vehicle received from the first camera;

    a vehicle detecting section configured and arranged to detect the remote vehicle based on the first input image stored in the image memory;

    a reference template creating section configured and arranged to extract an image region including the remote vehicle from the first input image to be used as a reference template;

    a reference template storing memory configured and arranged to store the reference template and a position in the first input image where the reference template was extracted;

    a vehicle tracking processing section configured and arranged to determine a position and an enlargement/reduction ratio for at least a portion of the second input image that provide a maximum correlation value between the portion of the second input image and the reference template with respect to the remote vehicle, while enlarging or reducing the portion of the second input image in consideration of a change in size of the remote vehicle in the second input image;

    a processing result outputting section configured and arranged to determine a position of the remote vehicle relative to the vehicle based on the position and the enlargement/reduction ratio of the portion of the second input image that provide the maximum correlation value;

    a vehicle image storage memory configured and arranged to consecutively store a vehicle image extracted from the portion of the second input image at the position and the enlargement/reduction ratio that provide the maximum correlation value; and

    a reference template updating section configured and arranged to normalize the vehicle image and the reference template, calculate a dispersion of at least one pixel of the reference template with respect to a pixel at a corresponding position in the vehicle image, and update the reference template by deleting the at least one pixel when the dispersion of the at least one pixel is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

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