Adaptive motor vehicle cruise control
First Claim
1. An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant position with respect to a followed vehicle comprising:
- means for storing a reference image of the followed vehicle in memory;
means for storing periodic repetitive live images of the followed vehicle in memory;
means for shifting the scale of each of said stored live images in discrete steps over predetermined ranges to obtain a plurality of scaled images;
means for shifting the horizontal and vertical positions of said stored reference image in discrete steps over a predetermined range to obtain a plurality of shifted images;
correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said scaled images and the one of said shifted images which best match one another; and
means to modify the speed and steering of the following vehicle under the control of said correlation means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An adaptive cruise control system for motor vehicles uses a video camera and digital processing techniques to enable one vehicle to follow another at a substantially constant or safe distance on a highway under favorable weather conditions. Video detection apparatus is located aboard the following vehicle, along with means for storing in memory a reference image of the followed vehicle, means for storing in memory periodic repetitive live images of the followed vehicle, means for shifting the scale of each of the stored images in discrete steps over a predetermined range to obtain a plurality of scaled images, means for shifting the horizontal and vertical positions of the stored reference image over a predetermined range to obtain a plurality of shifted images, a correlation detector for selecting, for each of the live images, the one of the scaled images and the one of the shifted images which best match one another, and means for modifying either the speed or the steering or both of the following vehicle under the control of the correlation detector. Steering control modifications are, advantageously, delayed in the time domain to permit vehicle operation around highway curves.
474 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant position with respect to a followed vehicle comprising:
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means for storing a reference image of the followed vehicle in memory; means for storing periodic repetitive live images of the followed vehicle in memory; means for shifting the scale of each of said stored live images in discrete steps over predetermined ranges to obtain a plurality of scaled images; means for shifting the horizontal and vertical positions of said stored reference image in discrete steps over a predetermined range to obtain a plurality of shifted images; correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said scaled images and the one of said shifted images which best match one another; and means to modify the speed and steering of the following vehicle under the control of said correlation means. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant distance behind a followed vehicle comprising:
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means for storing a reference image of the followed vehicle in memory; means for storing periodic repetitive live images of the followed vehicle in memory; means for shifting the scale of said stored live images in discrete steps over predetermined ranges to obtain a plurality of scaled images; correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said scaled images which best matches said stored reference image; and means for modifying the speed of the following vehicle under the control of said correlation means.
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4. An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant directional bearing behind a followed vehicle comprising:
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means for storing a reference image of the followed vehicle in memory; means for storing periodic repetitive live images of the followed vehicle in memory; means for shifting the horizontal and vertical positions of said stored reference image over a predetermined range to obtain a plurality of shifted images; correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said shifted images which best matches said stored live image; and means for modifying the steering of the following vehicle under the control of said correlation means. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. A control mechanism for determining the position of a following vehicle with respect to a followed vehicle comprising:
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means for storing a reference image of the followed vehicle in memory; means for storing periodic repetitive live images of the followed vehicle in memory; means for shifting the scale of each of said stored live images in discrete steps over predetermined ranges to obtain a plurality of scaled images; means for shifting the horizontal and vertical positions of said stored reference image in discrete steps over a predetermined range to obtain a plurality of shifted images; and correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said scaled images and the one of said live images which best match one another.
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7. A control mechanism for determining the distance of a following vehicle from a followed vehicle comprising:
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means for storing a reference image of the followed vehicle in memory; means for storing periodic repetitive live images of the followed vehicle in memory; means for shifting the scale of each of said stored reference images in discrete steps over a predetermined range to obtain a plurality of scaled images; and correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said scaled images which best matches said stored reference image.
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8. A control mechanism for determining the directional bearing of a following vehicle with respect to a followed vehicle comprising:
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means for storing a reference image of the followed vehicle in memory; means for storing periodic repetitive live images of the followed vehicle in memory; means for shifting the horizontal and vertical positions of said stored reference image to obtain a plurality of shifted images, and correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said shifted images which best matches said stored live image.
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9. An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant position with respect to a followed vehicle comprising:
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means for storing a digitized reference image of the followed vehicle in memory; means for storing digitized periodic repetitive live images of the followed vehicle in memory; means for shifting the scale of each of said stored live images in discrete steps over predetermined ranges to obtain a plurality of scaled images; means for shifting the horizontal and vertical positions of said stored reference image in discrete steps over a predetermined range to obtain a plurality of shifted images; correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said scaled images and the one of said shifted images which best match one another; and means for modifying the speed and steering of the following vehicle under the control of said correlation means. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant distance behind a followed vehicle comprising:
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means for storing a digitized reference image of the followed vehicle in memory; means for storing periodic repetitive digitized live images of the followed vehicle in memory; means for shifting the scale of each of said stored live images in discrete steps over predetermined ranges to obtain a plurality of scaled images; correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said scaled images which best matches said stored reference image; and means for modifying the speed of the following vehicle under the control of said correlation means. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant directional bearing from followed vehicle comprising:
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means for storing a digitized reference image of the followed vehicle in memory; means for storing periodic repetitive digitized live images of the followed vehicle in memory; means for shifting the horizontal and vertical positions of said stored reference image to obtain a plurality of shifted images; correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said shifted images which best matches said stored live image; and means for modifying the steering of the following vehicle under the control of said correlation means. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A control mechanism for determining the position of a following vehicle with respect to a followed vehicle comprising:
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means for storing a digitized reference image of the followed vehicle in memory; means for storing periodic repetitive digitized live images of the followed vehicle in memory; means for shifting the scale of each of said stored live images in discrete steps over predetermined ranges to obtain a plurality of scaled images; means for shifting the horizontal and vertical positions of said stored reference image in discrete steps over a predetermined range to obtain a plurality of shifted images; and correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said scaled images and the one of said live images which best match one another. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A control mechanism for determining the distance of a following vehicle from a followed vehicle comprising:
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means for storing a digitized reference image of the followed vehicle in memory; means for storing periodic repetitive digitized live images of the followed vehicle in memory; means for shifting the scale of each of said stored live images in discrete steps over predetermined ranges to obtain a plurality of scaled images; and correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said scaled images which best matches said stored reference image. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A control mechanism for determining the directional bearing of a following vehicle with respect to a followed vehicle comprising:
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means for storing a digitized reference image of the followed vehicle in memory; means for storing periodic repetitive digitized live images of the followed vehicle in memory; means for shifting the horizontal and vertical positions of said stored reference image to obtain a plurality of shifted images; and correlation means for selecting, for each of said live images, the one of said shifted images which best matches said stored live image. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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Specification