SYSTEM AND METHOD OF AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO VEHICLES

• US 20130013163A1
• Filed: 11/28/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Hong, Wang Gi
• Application Number:
  US13/305,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013163A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions

Abstract

Disclosed is a technology for a system and a method of automatically controlling a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle travelling in front of the first vehicle is provided. The technology includes a camera which captures an image of a road in front of a vehicle, and a control unit which performs predetermined image processing for original image data captured by the camera, determines road conditions using resulting image data, and controls a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle travelling in front of the first vehicle based on a determination result.

Claims

1. A system of automatically controlling a vehicle distance, the system comprising:

a camera configured to capture an image of a road in front of a first vehicle; and

a control unit configured to perform predetermined image processing for original image data captured by the camera, determine road conditions using resulting image data, and control a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle travelling in front of the first vehicle based on a determination result.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to determine that the road is wet when a band of rainwater or a white component is detected from the resulting image data.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the camera is embedded in a lane departure warning system (LDWS).

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the camera is embedded in a LDWS.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether the road conditions are wet or dry and sets a predetermined distance to be maintained between the first vehicle and the second vehicle in wet conditions to be further than that in dry conditions.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit determines whether the road conditions are wet or dry and sets a predetermined distance to be maintained between the first vehicle and the second vehicle in wet conditions to be further than that in dry conditions.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined image processing includes converting and filtering the original image data.

8. A method of automatically controlling a vehicle distance, the method comprising:

capturing an image of a road in front of a first vehicle while the vehicle is travelling;

determining road conditions using resulting image data after predetermined image processing for captured original image data is performed in advance; and

adjusting a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle travelling in front of the first vehicle according to a determination result.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein determining further comprises:

determining the road is wet when a band of rainwater or a white component is detected from the resulting image data; and

determining the road is dry when there is no singularity in the resulting image data obtained by performing the predetermined image processing.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein adjusting further comprises setting the distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle travelling in front of the first vehicle on a wet road to be further than that on a dry road.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined image processing further comprises converting and filtering the original image data.

12. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a controller to automatically controlling a vehicle distance, the method comprising:

program instructions that control a camera to capture an image of a road in front of a first vehicle while the vehicle is travelling;

program instructions that determine road conditions using resulting image data after predetermined image processing for captured original image data is performed in advance; and

program instructions that adjust a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle travelling in front of the first vehicle according to a determination result.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the program instructions further comprises:

program instructions that determine the road is wet when a band of rainwater or a white component is detected from the resulting image data; and

program instructions that determine the road is dry when there is no singularity in the resulting image data obtained by performing the predetermined image processing.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 12, program instructions that adjust further comprise program instructions that set the distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle travelling in front of the first vehicle on a wet road to be further than that on a dry road.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined image processing further comprises program instructions that determine convert and filter the original image data.