Device, method and vehicle for providing braking level of a leading vehicle

Abstract

A device, method and vehicle for providing the braking level of a leading vehicle, which can quantify the degree of braking of the leading vehicle as a braking level and provide the braking level of the leading vehicle to a driver. The device includes: a brake light position recognition device configured to recognize the position of the brake light of the leading vehicle based on an image and relative acceleration of the leading vehicle; a braking determination device configured to determine whether the braking of the leading vehicle is performed based on a brake light image extracted from the image of the leading vehicle; a braking level determination device configured to determine the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle; and a braking level image providing device configured to provide the determined braking level of the leading vehicle through an image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a device for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle, and more particularly, to a device, method and vehicle for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle, which can quantify the braking degree of the leading vehicle as a braking level and provide the braking level of the leading vehicle to a driver. Background Art

[0002] Generally, a brake lamp is installed at the rear end of a vehicle, and is turned on whenever a driver performs a braking operation, ie, depresses a brake pedal.

[0003] Therefore, the vehicle driver can recognize whether the preceding vehicle is braking through the on / off operation of the brake light installed at the rear end of the preceding vehicle.

[0004] In some cases, in order to increase the visibility of the brake lights, auxiliary brake lights having various shapes may be additionally installed at the rear end of the vehicle in addition to the main brake lights installed at both sides of the rear end.

[0005] However, the brake light and the auxiliary brake light are only used to indicate whether a braking operation is performed, that is, whether the driver depresses the brake pedal or removes his / her foot from the brake pedal, and therefore, it may be difficult for the driver to immediately recognize the degree of deceleration of the vehicle ahead.

[0006] That is, when the brake lights of the vehicle ahead are turned on, it is difficult for the vehicle driver to immediately recognize the degree of deceleration of the vehicle ahead, so he attempts to fully brake in order to ensure safety, resulting in unnecessary traffic jams and energy waste.

[0007] Since the regulations clearly require that the brake lights be turned on at the same brightness regardless of the degree to which the brake pedal is depressed, it is impossible to apply to the brake lights a technology that divides the brightness of the brake lights into multiple levels or uses multiple light emitters to control the brightness of the brake lights.

[0008] Therefore, it is necessary to develop an apparatus for providing the braking level of a leading vehicle, which quantifies the braking degree of the leading vehicle as a braking level and displays the braking level of the leading vehicle so that the driver can directly recognize the deceleration degree of the leading vehicle.

[0009] The information disclosed in the above Background section is to assist in understanding the background of the present disclosure and should not be considered as an admission that this information forms any part of the prior art. Summary of the invention

[0010] Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to an apparatus, method, and vehicle for improving braking level of a leading vehicle that substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

[0011] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus, method and vehicle for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle, which quantifies the braking degree of the leading vehicle as a braking level and displays the braking level of the leading vehicle so that a driver can directly recognize the deceleration degree of the leading vehicle.

[0012] Other advantages, purposes and features of the present disclosure will be partially set forth in the following description, and will partially become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after studying the following, or may be learned from the practice of the present disclosure. The purposes and other advantages of the present disclosure may be realized and obtained by the structures particularly pointed out in the written description and its claims and the drawings.

[0013] To achieve these objects and other advantages, and in accordance with the purposes of the present disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, an apparatus for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle includes: a brake light position recognition device configured to recognize the position of a brake light of a leading vehicle based on an image of the leading vehicle and a relative acceleration of the leading vehicle; a braking determination device configured to determine whether the leading vehicle has performed braking based on a brake light image extracted from the image of the leading vehicle when the position of the brake light is recognized; a braking level determination device configured to determine the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle when it is determined that the leading vehicle has performed braking; and a braking level image providing device configured to provide the determined braking level of the leading vehicle through an image when the braking level is determined.

[0014] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle in an apparatus for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle, the apparatus comprising a brake light position recognition device, a braking determination device, a braking level determination device and a braking level image providing device, the method comprising: recognizing the position of a brake light of the leading vehicle based on an image of the leading vehicle and a relative acceleration of the leading vehicle by the brake light position recognition device; when the position of the brake light is recognized, determining whether braking of the leading vehicle is performed based on a brake light image extracted from the image of the leading vehicle by the braking determination device; when it is determined that braking of the leading vehicle is performed, determining the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle by the braking level determination device; and when the braking level is determined, providing the determined braking level of the leading vehicle through an image by the braking level image providing device.

[0015] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing a method for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle in an apparatus for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle, the computer-readable recording medium executing processing provided by the method for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle.

[0016] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle includes a camera configured to acquire an image of a leading vehicle, a radar configured to acquire a relative acceleration of the leading vehicle, a display configured to display a braking level image of the leading vehicle, and a device for providing the braking level of the leading vehicle, the device being configured to determine the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the image of the leading vehicle and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle, and to provide the braking level through an image, wherein the device identifies a position of a brake light of the leading vehicle based on the image of the leading vehicle and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle, determines whether braking of the leading vehicle is performed based on a brake light image extracted from the image of the leading vehicle, determines the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle, generates a braking level image based on the determined braking level of the leading vehicle, and provides the braking level image to the display.

[0017] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present disclosure are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the disclosure as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application. The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 is a view showing a vehicle including an apparatus for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 3 is a view showing a process of providing a braking level of a leading vehicle;

[0022] Figure 4 is a view showing a braking level of a leading vehicle displayed on a screen of a display;

[0023] Figures 5 to 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Reference will now be made in detail to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the embodiments set forth herein, and various modifications may be made. In the accompanying drawings, in order to clearly describe the present disclosure, the description of elements not related to the present disclosure will be omitted, and even when the same or similar elements are depicted in different drawings, the same or similar elements are represented by the same reference numerals.

[0025] In the following description of the embodiments, it will be understood that when a component is referred to as "comprising" an element, the component may also include other elements and the presence of such other elements is not excluded unless otherwise stated. In addition, in the following description of the embodiments, it will be understood that the suffixes "component", "unit" and "module" represent a unit for processing at least one function or operation, and may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0026] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 9 An apparatus, method, and vehicle for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle applicable to an embodiment of the present disclosure are described in detail.

[0027] In the present disclosure, the braking level may mean a level visually indicating a degree of deceleration of a vehicle, the deceleration of the vehicle being performed by a braking operation of a driver pressing a brake pedal.

[0028] Figure 1 is a view showing a vehicle including an apparatus for improving a braking level of a preceding vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, a vehicle according to the present disclosure may include a camera 100 for acquiring an image of a leading vehicle, a radar 200 for acquiring a relative acceleration of the leading vehicle, a display 400 for displaying an image of a braking level of the leading vehicle, and a device 300 for providing the braking level of the leading vehicle, which determines the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the image and relative acceleration of the leading vehicle and provides the braking level through an image.

[0030] Here, the device 300 can identify the position of the brake lights of the leading vehicle based on the image of the leading vehicle and the relative acceleration, determine whether the braking of the leading vehicle is performed based on the brake light image extracted from the image of the leading vehicle, determine the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle, generate a braking level image based on the determined braking level of the leading vehicle, and provide the braking level image to the display 400.

[0031] For example, the display 400 may include at least one of an audio / video / navigation / telematics (AVNT) system, a head-up display (HUD), a windshield, and an instrument panel, but is not limited thereto.

[0032] In addition, the device 300 may acquire an image of a front vehicle from a front camera 100 among the plurality of cameras 100, and acquire a relative acceleration of the front vehicle from a front radar 200 among the plurality of radars 200. The front camera 100 and the front radar 200 may be communicatively connected to the device 300.

[0033] In addition, when identifying the position of the brake lights of the vehicle ahead, the device 300 can classify the image of the vehicle ahead into one of an illuminated image in which the brake lights are turned on and a non-illuminated image in which the brake lights are not turned on, store the image of the vehicle ahead as one of the illuminated image and the non-illuminated image, and identify the position of the brake lights of the vehicle ahead by comparing the classified illuminated image and the non-illuminated image with each other.

[0034] Here, when classifying the image of the vehicle ahead, when the image of the vehicle ahead is acquired, the device 300 can acquire the acceleration of the main vehicle and the relative acceleration of the vehicle ahead relative to the acceleration of the main vehicle, and classify the image of the vehicle ahead into one of an illuminated image with the brake lights on and a non-illuminated image with the brake lights not on based on the acceleration of the main vehicle and the relative acceleration of the vehicle ahead.

[0035] For example, when classifying an image of a leading vehicle, when the acceleration of the host vehicle and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle are both 0 kilometers per hour per second (kph / s) or higher, the device 300 may classify the image of the leading vehicle as a non-illuminated image with the brake lights not turned on, and when the acceleration of the host vehicle is 0 kph / s and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle is at a threshold value less than 0 kph / s or lower, classify the image of the leading vehicle as an illuminated image with the brake lights turned on.

[0036] Thereafter, the device 300 may store the position information of the brake lights of the leading vehicle, and when the position of the brake lights of the leading vehicle is stored, extract a brake light image from the image of the leading vehicle based on the position information of the brake lights of the leading vehicle, and store the extracted brake light image.

[0037] For example, when storing the position information of the brake lights of the vehicle in front, the device 300 may store information about the position of the brake lights of the vehicle in front, including the position of the brake lights arranged on the left side of the vehicle in front, the position of the brake lights arranged on the right side of the vehicle in front, and the position of the brake lights arranged on the upper part of the vehicle in front, but is not limited to this.

[0038] That is, the device 300 may pre-store position information of a plurality of brake lights corresponding to various types of vehicles through learning.

[0039] In addition, when storing the extracted brake light image, the device 300 may store the brake light image including at least one of a brake light image in an illuminated state or a brake light image in a non-illuminated state.

[0040] In addition, when determining whether braking of the vehicle ahead has been performed, the device 300 can extract a brake light image from the image of the vehicle ahead, and determine whether braking of the vehicle ahead has been performed by comparing the extracted brake light image with pre-stored brake light images in an illuminated state and brake light images in a non-illuminated state.

[0041] For example, the device 300 may compare the extracted brake light image with pre-stored brake light images in an illuminated state and a brake light image in a non-illuminated state, and as a result of the comparison, when it is identified that the brake lights of the vehicle ahead are in an illuminated state, it is determined that braking of the vehicle ahead is performed, and when it is identified that the brake lights of the vehicle ahead are in a non-illuminated state, it is determined that braking of the vehicle ahead is not performed.

[0042] Thereafter, when determining the braking level of the vehicle ahead, when determining that braking of the vehicle ahead has been performed, the device 300 may obtain the relative acceleration of the vehicle ahead, and when the obtained relative acceleration of the vehicle ahead is lower than 0 kph / s, determine the braking level of the vehicle ahead based on the relative acceleration of the vehicle ahead.

[0043] Here, upon determining that braking of the leading vehicle is performed, the apparatus 300 may set the braking level of the leading vehicle to a minimum value before acquiring the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle.

[0044] For example, if the braking level is set to be within the range of 1 as the minimum value to 10 as the maximum value, the device 300 can set the braking level of the leading vehicle to 1 to the minimum level when determining that braking of the leading vehicle is performed, and then determine the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle.

[0045] Furthermore, when determining the braking level of the preceding vehicle, when a result value obtained by dividing the relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle by 10 is a maximum value of the braking level or less, the apparatus 300 may set the braking level of the preceding vehicle based on the result value.

[0046] Alternatively, when determining the braking level of the preceding vehicle, when a result value obtained by dividing the relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle by 10 is greater than the maximum value of the braking level, the apparatus 300 may set the result value as the maximum value of the braking level.

[0047] For example, if the braking level is set within a range of 1 as a minimum value to 10 as a maximum value of the braking level, even when the determined result value is 15, the device 300 can set the braking level of the preceding vehicle to the maximum value, ie, 10.

[0048] Thereafter, when providing a braking level image, the device 300 may acquire an image of a preceding vehicle, select a braking level display area from the image of the preceding vehicle, and provide an image showing the braking level of the preceding vehicle to the selected braking level display area.

[0049] Here, when selecting the brake level display area, the device 300 may select an area of ​​the image of the front vehicle that does not overlap with the brake lights as the brake level display area.

[0050] The reason for this is that both the image of the brake lights and the braking level of the preceding vehicle are provided so that the driver can easily recognize the degree of deceleration of the preceding vehicle.

[0051] For example, when selecting the brake level display area, the device 300 may select a rear body area of ​​the front vehicle that does not overlap with the brake lights from the image of the front vehicle as the brake level display area, but the brake level display area is not limited thereto.

[0052] Thereafter, when providing the braking level image, the apparatus 300 may process the image of the front vehicle including the braking level using augmented reality, and provide the processed image of the front vehicle to the display 400 .

[0053] In some cases, when providing the brake level image, if at least one brake light of the leading vehicle is not turned on due to a malfunction thereof, the device 300 may provide an image of the brake light in an illuminated state together with the brake level.

[0054] That is, when providing a braking level image, if at least one brake light of the vehicle ahead is not turned on due to its malfunction, the device 300 can use augmented reality to process the image of the vehicle ahead so that the image of the vehicle ahead includes the image of the brake lights in a lighting state and the braking level, and provide the processed image of the vehicle ahead to the display 400 of the host vehicle.

[0055] In this way, the device 300 according to the present disclosure quantifies the braking degree of the leading vehicle as a braking level and provides the braking level through an image, thereby allowing the driver to directly identify the deceleration degree of the leading vehicle, so that the host vehicle can drive effectively and improve energy efficiency in traffic jams.

[0056] Furthermore, the apparatus 300 according to the present disclosure uses augmented reality to display the braking degree of the preceding vehicle, and thus can provide information to assist the driver in driving safely to avoid unnecessary full braking.

[0057] In addition, the apparatus 300 according to the present disclosure recognizes full braking of a preceding vehicle from a long distance and then allows the driver to perform braking appropriate for the host vehicle, thereby being able to reduce the possibility of an accident.

[0058] Furthermore, the apparatus 300 according to the present disclosure recognizes a low braking level of a preceding vehicle and then allows the driver to perform braking appropriate for the host vehicle, thereby being able to reduce unnecessary energy consumption.

[0059] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0060] like Figure 2 As shown, the device 300 may include a processor 350. The processor 350 has an associated non-transitory memory storing software instructions that, when executed by the processor 350, provide the functionality of the brake light position identification device 310, the braking determination device 320, the braking level determination device 330, and the braking level image providing device 340. The processor 350 may take the form of one or more processors and associated memory storing program instructions. The processor 350 may be, for example, a computer, a microprocessor, a CPU, an ASIC, a circuit, a logic circuit, etc. In this document, the memory and the processor 350 may be implemented as separate semiconductor circuits. Alternatively, the memory and the processor 350 may be implemented as a single integrated semiconductor circuit.

[0061] Here, the brake light position recognition device 310 of the processor 350 may recognize the position of the brake light of the preceding vehicle based on the image of the preceding vehicle and the relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle.

[0062] The brake light position recognition device 310 may obtain an image of the vehicle in front from a front camera, and obtain a relative acceleration of the vehicle in front from a front radar.

[0063] When identifying the position of the brake lights of the vehicle ahead, when an image of the vehicle ahead is acquired, the brake light position identification device 310 can classify the image of the vehicle ahead into one of an illuminated image in which the brake lights are turned on and a non-illuminated image in which the brake lights are not turned on, store the image of the vehicle ahead as one of the illuminated image and the non-illuminated image, and identify the position of the brake lights of the vehicle ahead by comparing the classified illuminated image and the non-illuminated image with each other.

[0064] When classifying the image of the vehicle in front, when the image of the vehicle in front is acquired, the brake light position recognition device 310 acquires the acceleration of the main vehicle and the relative acceleration of the vehicle in front, and classifies the image of the vehicle in front into one of an illuminated image with the brake lights on and a non-illuminated image with the brake lights not on based on the acceleration of the main vehicle and the relative acceleration of the vehicle in front.

[0065] For example, when classifying an image of a leading vehicle, the brake light position recognition device 310 may classify the image of the leading vehicle as a non-illuminated image with the brake lights not turned on when the acceleration of the main vehicle and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle are both 0 kilometers per hour (kph / s) or higher, and classify the image of the leading vehicle as an illuminated image with the brake lights turned on when the acceleration of the main vehicle is 0 kph / s and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle is at a threshold value less than 0 kph / s or lower.

[0066] Here, the threshold value may be about -10 kph / s or lower, but is not limited thereto.

[0067] In addition, when the position of the brake lights of the preceding vehicle is stored, the brake light position recognition device 310 may store the position information of the brake lights of the preceding vehicle, extract a brake light image from the image of the preceding vehicle based on the position information of the brake lights of the preceding vehicle, and store the extracted brake light image.

[0068] Here, when storing the position information of the brake lights of the vehicle in front, the brake light position identification device 310 can store information about the position of the brake lights of the vehicle in front, including the position of the brake lights arranged on the left side of the vehicle in front, the position of the brake lights arranged on the right side of the vehicle in front, and the position of the brake lights arranged on the upper part of the vehicle in front.

[0069] In addition, when storing the extracted brake light image, the brake light position recognition device 310 may store a brake light image including at least one of a brake light image in an illuminated state and a brake light image in a non-illuminated state.

[0070] Thereafter, when the position of the brake light is identified, the braking determination device 320 of the processor 350 may determine whether braking of the preceding vehicle is performed based on the brake light image extracted from the image of the preceding vehicle.

[0071] Here, when determining whether to perform braking of the vehicle ahead, the braking determination device 320 can extract a brake light image from the image of the vehicle ahead, and determine whether braking of the vehicle ahead is performed by comparing the extracted brake light image with a pre-stored brake light image in an illuminated state or a brake light image in a non-illuminated state.

[0072] That is, when determining whether braking of the vehicle ahead has been performed, the braking determination device 320 may compare the extracted brake light image with the brake light image in an illuminated state and the brake light image in a non-illuminated state, and as a result of the comparison, when the brake lights of the vehicle ahead are identified as being in an illuminated state, it is determined that braking of the vehicle ahead has been performed, and when the brake lights of the vehicle ahead are identified as being in a non-illuminated state, it is determined that braking of the vehicle ahead has not been performed.

[0073] Thereafter, upon determining that braking of the leading vehicle is performed, the braking level determination device 330 of the processor 350 may determine the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle.

[0074] Here, when determining the braking level of the vehicle in front, when determining that braking of the vehicle in front is performed, the braking level determination device 330 can obtain the relative acceleration of the vehicle in front, and when the obtained relative acceleration of the vehicle in front is lower than 0 kph / s, determine the braking level of the vehicle in front based on the relative acceleration of the vehicle in front.

[0075] Furthermore, upon determining that braking of the leading vehicle is performed, the braking level determination device 330 may set the braking level of the leading vehicle to a minimum value before acquiring the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle.

[0076] Thereafter, when determining the braking level of the preceding vehicle, when a result value obtained by dividing the relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle by 10 is the maximum value of the braking level or less, the braking level determination device 330 may set the braking level of the preceding vehicle based on the result value.

[0077] That is, when the braking level of the preceding vehicle is set, the braking level determination device 330 may use the obtained value as the braking level of the preceding vehicle.

[0078] For example, the braking level of the preceding vehicle may be the same as a result value obtained by dividing the relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle by 10.

[0079] For example, if the braking level is set within a range of 1 as a minimum value to 10 as a maximum value, when the determined result value is 8, the braking level determination device 330 may set the braking level of the preceding vehicle to 8.

[0080] Alternatively, when determining the braking level of the preceding vehicle, when a result value obtained by dividing the relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle by 10 is greater than the maximum value of the braking level, the braking level determination device 330 may set the result value to the maximum value of the braking level.

[0081] For example, the maximum value of the braking level may be smaller than a resultant value obtained by dividing the relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle by ten.

[0082] For example, if the braking level is set within a range of 1 as a minimum value to 10 as a maximum value, when the determined result value is 15, the braking level determination device 330 may set the braking level of the preceding vehicle to the maximum value, ie, 10.

[0083] Thereafter, when the braking level is determined, the braking level image providing device 340 of the processor 350 may provide the determined braking level of the preceding vehicle through an image.

[0084] Here, when providing the braking level through an image, the braking level image providing device 340 can obtain an image of the front vehicle, select a braking level display area from the image of the front vehicle, and provide an image showing the braking level of the front vehicle to the selected braking level display area.

[0085] Here, when selecting the brake level display area, the brake level image providing device 340 may select an area of ​​the image of the front vehicle that does not overlap with the brake lights as the brake level display area.

[0086] For example, when selecting the brake level display area, the brake level image providing device 340 may select a rear vehicle body area of ​​the front vehicle that does not overlap with the brake lights from the image of the front vehicle as the brake level display area.

[0087] The reason for this is to provide an image of the brake lights and braking level of the vehicle ahead so that the driver can easily recognize the degree of deceleration of the vehicle ahead.

[0088] In addition, when the braking level display area is selected, the braking level image providing device 340 can generate a braking level image including the braking level, combine the braking level image with the braking level display area of ​​the image of the front vehicle, and provide a combined image including the braking level.

[0089] For example, the braking level image providing device 340 may process a combined image including the braking level using augmented reality and provide the processed image, but is not limited thereto.

[0090] When the braking level is provided through an image, the braking level image providing device 340 may process an image of the leading vehicle including the braking level using augmented reality and provide the processed image to the display 400 of the host vehicle.

[0091] Here, the display 400 of the host vehicle may include at least one of a windshield, an instrument panel, a head-up display (HUD), and an audio / video / navigation / telematics (AVNT) system, but is not limited thereto.

[0092] In some cases, when providing the braking level through an image, if at least one brake light of a leading vehicle is not turned on due to a malfunction thereof, the braking level image providing device 340 may provide an illumination image of the brake light together with the braking level.

[0093] That is, when providing the braking level through an image, if at least one brake light of the vehicle in front is not turned on, the braking level image providing device 340 can use augmented reality to process the image of the vehicle in front so that the image of the vehicle in front includes the lighting image of the brake light and the braking level, and provide the processed image of the vehicle in front to the display 400 of the host vehicle.

[0094] Figure 3 is a view showing a process of providing a braking level of a leading vehicle.

[0095] like Figure 3 As shown, in the present disclosure, an image of the front vehicle 20 may be acquired from a front camera 100 of the host vehicle 10 , and a relative acceleration of the front vehicle 20 may be acquired from a front radar (not shown) of the host vehicle 10 .

[0096] In addition, in the present disclosure, the image of the front vehicle 20 can be classified into one of an illuminated image in which the brake lights 530 are turned on and a non-illuminated image in which the brake lights 530 are not turned on based on the acceleration of the main vehicle 10 and the relative acceleration of the front vehicle 20, the image of the front vehicle 20 is stored as one of the illuminated image and the non-illuminated image, and the position of the brake lights 530 of the front vehicle 20 is identified by comparing the classified illuminated image and the non-illuminated image with each other.

[0097] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, a brake light image may be extracted from the image of the leading vehicle 20, and whether braking of the leading vehicle 20 is performed may be determined by comparing the extracted brake light image with pre-stored images of the brake lights 530 in an illuminated state and a non-illuminated state.

[0098] Subsequently, in the present disclosure, when it is determined that braking of the front vehicle 20 is performed, the relative acceleration of the front vehicle 20 can be obtained, and when the obtained relative acceleration of the front vehicle 20 is lower than 0 kph / s, the braking level 512 of the front vehicle 20 can be determined based on the relative acceleration of the front vehicle 20.

[0099] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, an image of the front vehicle 20 may be acquired, a braking level display area 520 may be selected from the image of the front vehicle 20 , and a braking level image 510 displaying a braking level 512 may be provided to the selected braking level display area 520 .

[0100] Here, in the present disclosure, a rear body area of ​​the front vehicle 20 that does not overlap the brake light 530 may be selected from the image of the front vehicle 20 as the brake level display area 520 , but the brake level display area 520 is not limited thereto.

[0101] The reason for this is that both the image of the brake lights 530 of the front vehicle 20 and the braking level 520 of the front vehicle 20 are provided so that the driver can easily recognize the degree of deceleration of the front vehicle 20 .

[0102] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, the image of the leading vehicle 20 including the brake level image 510 may be processed using augmented reality, and the processed image may be provided to the display of the host vehicle 10 .

[0103] Figure 4 is a view showing the braking level of a leading vehicle displayed on the screen of the display.

[0104] like Figure 4 As shown, in the present disclosure, when the braking level display area is selected, a braking level image 510 including a braking level 512 can be generated, the braking level image 510 can be combined with the braking level display area of ​​the image 22 of the front vehicle 20, the combined image including the braking level 512 can be processed using augmented reality, and the processed image can be displayed on the screen 410 of the display.

[0105] Here, in the present disclosure, the rear vehicle body area of ​​the front vehicle 20 that does not overlap with the brake light area 532 may be selected as the brake level display area 520 from the image 22 of the front vehicle 20 .

[0106] Furthermore, in the present disclosure, a braking level image 510 may be provided, in which the braking level may be distinguished using a difference in color, shape, sound, or color density.

[0107] In addition, in the present disclosure, a point in time at which a brake lamp of a preceding vehicle is turned on or a relative acceleration of a preceding vehicle becomes a negative threshold or lower may be determined as a braking level display time.

[0108] Figures 5 to 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0109] like Figure 5As shown, in the present disclosure, the position of the brake lights of the leading vehicle may be identified based on the image of the leading vehicle and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle ( S100 ).

[0110] In the present disclosure, when the position of the brake light of the front vehicle is recognized, it may be determined whether braking of the front vehicle is performed based on a brake light image extracted from an image of the front vehicle ( S200 ).

[0111] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, when it is determined that braking of the leading vehicle is performed, the braking level of the leading vehicle may be determined based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle ( S300 ).

[0112] Next, in the present disclosure, when the braking level of the leading vehicle is determined, the determined braking level of the leading vehicle may be provided through an image ( S400 ).

[0113] Thereafter, whether there is a request to terminate the process for providing the braking level of the leading vehicle may be confirmed (S500), and the process for providing the braking level of the leading vehicle may be terminated when it is confirmed that there is a request to terminate the process for providing the braking level of the leading vehicle.

[0114] Figure 6 is shown in more detail Figure 5 Flowchart of recognizing the position of the brake lights of the preceding vehicle (S100).

[0115] like Figure 6 As shown, in the present disclosure, an image of a front vehicle may be acquired ( S110 ).

[0116] In the present disclosure, when the image of the front vehicle is acquired, the acceleration of the host vehicle may be acquired ( S120 ).

[0117] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, when the acceleration of the host vehicle is acquired, the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle may be acquired ( S130 ).

[0118] Next, in the present disclosure, when the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle is acquired, it may be confirmed whether the acceleration of the host vehicle and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle satisfy a first condition ( S140 ).

[0119] Here, the first condition may be a condition that both the acceleration of the host vehicle and the relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle are 0 kph / s or higher.

[0120] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, when the first condition is met, the image of the vehicle in front can be classified as a non-illuminated image with the brake lights not turned on, and the image can be stored (S150), and when the first condition is not met, it can be confirmed whether the acceleration of the main vehicle and the relative acceleration of the vehicle in front meet the second condition (S160).

[0121] Here, the second condition may be a condition that the acceleration of the host vehicle is 0 kph / s and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle is at a threshold value less than 0 kph / s or lower.

[0122] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, when the second condition is satisfied, the image of the front vehicle may be classified as an illumination image with the brake lights turned on, and the image may be stored ( S170 ).

[0123] Next, in the present disclosure, the position of the brake lights of the preceding vehicle may be recognized by comparing the classified and stored illumination image and non-illumination image with each other ( S180 ).

[0124] Here, when the position of the brake light of the leading vehicle is recognized, the position information of the brake light of the leading vehicle may be stored, a brake light image may be extracted from the image of the leading vehicle based on the brake light position information, and the extracted brake light image may be stored.

[0125] Figure 7 is shown in more detail Figure 5 Flowchart of determining whether braking of a leading vehicle is performed (S200) in FIG.

[0126] like Figure 7 As shown, in the present disclosure, an image of a front vehicle may be acquired ( S210 ).

[0127] In the present disclosure, when an image of a front vehicle is acquired, a brake light image may be extracted from the image of the front vehicle ( S220 ).

[0128] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, the extracted brake light image may be compared with pre-stored images of the brake light 530 in an illuminated state and a non-illuminated state ( S230 ).

[0129] Next, in the present disclosure, it may be confirmed whether the brake lights of the preceding vehicle are in a lighting state ( S240 ).

[0130] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, when it is confirmed that the brake lights of the preceding vehicle are in the illuminated state, it can be recognized that the braking of the preceding vehicle is performed (S250), and when it is confirmed that the brake lights of the preceding vehicle are not in the illuminated state, it can be recognized that the braking of the preceding vehicle is not performed (S260).

[0131] Figure 8 is shown in more detail Figure 5 Flow chart of determining the braking level of the leading vehicle (S300).

[0132] like Figure 8As shown, in the present disclosure, when braking of the leading vehicle is performed, the braking level of the leading vehicle may be set to a minimum value ( S310 ).

[0133] Then, in the present disclosure, the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle may be acquired ( S320 ).

[0134] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, it may be confirmed whether the relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle is lower than 0 kph / s ( S330 ).

[0135] Next, in the present disclosure, when the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle is lower than 0 kph / s, the braking level of the leading vehicle may be determined based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle ( S340 ).

[0136] Here, in the present disclosure, the braking level of the preceding vehicle may be determined based on a result value obtained by dividing the relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle by 10.

[0137] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, it may be confirmed whether the determined braking level is greater than a maximum value ( S350 ).

[0138] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, when the determined braking level is greater than the maximum value of the braking level, the determined braking level can be set to the maximum value of the braking level (S360), and when the determined braking level is not greater than the maximum value, the determined braking level can be set to the braking level of the vehicle ahead (S370).

[0139] Fig. 9 is shown in more detail Figure 5 Flow chart of providing the braking level through an image (S400).

[0140] like Fig. 9 As shown, in the present disclosure, an image of a front vehicle may be acquired (S410).

[0141] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, when an image of a front vehicle is acquired, a brake level display area may be selected from the image of the front vehicle ( S420 ).

[0142] Here, in the present disclosure, a region of the image of the front vehicle that does not overlap with the brake lights may be selected as the brake level display region.

[0143] Thereafter, in the present disclosure, the braking level may be combined with the selected braking level display area ( S430 ).

[0144] Next, in the present disclosure, a combined image including a braking level may be provided ( S440 ).

[0145] Here, in the present disclosure, a combined image of a leading vehicle including a braking level may be processed using augmented reality, and the processed image may be provided to a display of a host vehicle.

[0146] Thus, in the present disclosure, the degree of braking of the leading vehicle is quantified as a braking level based on an image of the leading vehicle and the acceleration of the leading vehicle, and the braking level of the leading vehicle is provided through an image, thereby allowing the driver to directly identify the degree of deceleration of the leading vehicle, so as to enable the main vehicle to be effectively driven in traffic jams and improve energy efficiency.

[0147] Furthermore, in the present disclosure, augmented reality is used to display the braking degree of the preceding vehicle, and thus information that helps the driver to drive safely to avoid unnecessary full braking can be provided.

[0148] In addition, in the present disclosure, full braking of a preceding vehicle is recognized from a long distance, thus allowing the driver to perform braking appropriate for the host vehicle, thereby being able to reduce the possibility of an accident.

[0149] Furthermore, in the present disclosure, a low braking level of a preceding vehicle is recognized, thus allowing the driver to perform braking appropriate for the host vehicle, thereby being able to reduce unnecessary energy consumption.

[0150] In addition, in the present disclosure, a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing a method for providing the braking level of a leading vehicle in an apparatus for providing the braking level of a leading vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can execute the processing provided by the method for providing the braking level of a leading vehicle.

[0151] The present disclosure may be implemented as a computer-readable code in a computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon. Such a computer-readable recording medium may include all types of recording media in which data readable by a computer system is stored. For example, a computer-readable recording medium may include a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a silicon disk drive (SDD), a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, etc.

[0152] As is apparent from the above description, in an apparatus, method, and vehicle for providing the braking level of a leading vehicle according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the degree of braking of the leading vehicle is quantified as a braking level based on an image of the leading vehicle and the acceleration of the leading vehicle, and the braking level of the leading vehicle is provided through an image, thereby allowing the driver to directly identify the degree of deceleration of the leading vehicle, so as to enable the main vehicle to be effectively driven in traffic jams and improve energy efficiency.

[0153] Furthermore, in the present disclosure, augmented reality is used to display the braking degree of the vehicle ahead, and thus information that helps the driver drive safely to avoid unnecessary full braking can be provided.

[0154] In addition, in the present disclosure, full braking of a preceding vehicle is recognized from a long distance, thus allowing the driver to perform braking appropriate for the host vehicle, thereby being able to reduce the possibility of an accident.

[0155] Furthermore, in the present disclosure, a low braking level of a preceding vehicle is recognized, thus allowing the driver to perform braking appropriate for the host vehicle, thereby being able to reduce unnecessary energy consumption.

[0156] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A device for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle, comprising: a brake light position recognition device configured to recognize the position of the brake light of the leading vehicle based on the image of the leading vehicle and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle; a brake determination device configured to determine whether the preceding vehicle has performed braking based on a brake light image extracted from the image of the preceding vehicle when the position of the brake light is identified; a braking level determination device configured to determine a braking level of the leading vehicle based on a relative acceleration of the leading vehicle when it is determined that braking of the leading vehicle is performed; as well as The braking level image providing device is configured to provide the determined braking level of the leading vehicle through an image when the braking level is determined.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The brake light position recognition device obtains the image of the front vehicle from a front camera and obtains the relative acceleration of the front vehicle from a front radar.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: When the position of the brake light of the leading vehicle is identified, when an image of the leading vehicle is acquired, the brake light position identification device classifies the image of the leading vehicle into one of an illuminated image in which the brake light is turned on and a non-illuminated image in which the brake light is not turned on, stores the image of the leading vehicle as one of the illuminated image and the non-illuminated image, and identifies the position of the brake light of the leading vehicle by comparing the classified illuminated image and the non-illuminated image with each other.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein: In classifying the image of the leading vehicle, when the image of the leading vehicle is acquired, the brake light position recognition device acquires the acceleration of the main vehicle and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle, and classifies the acquired image of the leading vehicle into one of the illuminated image with the brake light turned on and the non-illuminated image with the brake light not turned on based on the acceleration of the main vehicle and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle.

5. The device according to claim 3, wherein: When the brake light position recognition device recognizes the position of the brake light of the leading vehicle, the brake light position recognition device stores the position information of the brake light of the leading vehicle, extracts a brake light image from an image of the leading vehicle based on the position information of the brake light, and stores the extracted brake light image.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: When determining whether the leading vehicle has braked, the brake determination device extracts the brake light image from the image of the leading vehicle and determines whether the leading vehicle has braked by comparing the extracted brake light image with pre-stored brake light images in an illuminated state and a non-illuminated state.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein: When determining the braking level of the leading vehicle, when determining that the leading vehicle has performed braking, the braking level determination device obtains the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle, and when the obtained relative acceleration of the leading vehicle is lower than 0 kph / s, determines the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: Upon determining that the leading vehicle has performed braking, the braking level determination device sets the braking level of the leading vehicle to a minimum value before acquiring the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein: In determining the braking level of the leading vehicle, when a result value obtained by dividing the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle by 10 is a maximum value of the braking level or less, the braking level determination device sets the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the result value.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein: In determining the braking level of the leading vehicle, when a resultant value obtained by dividing the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle by 10 is greater than a maximum value of the braking level, the braking level determination device sets the resultant value to the maximum value of the braking level.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein: When providing the braking level through an image, the braking level image providing device acquires an image of the leading vehicle, selects a braking level display area from the image of the leading vehicle, and provides an image showing the braking level of the leading vehicle to the selected braking level display area.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein: When the braking level is provided through an image, the braking level image providing device processes the image of the leading vehicle including the braking level using augmented reality, and provides the processed image of the leading vehicle to a display of a host vehicle.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: When providing the braking level through an image, when at least one brake light of the leading vehicle is in a non-illuminated state, the braking level image providing device uses augmented reality to process the image of the leading vehicle so that the image of the leading vehicle includes the image of the brake light in an illuminated state and the braking level, and provides the processed image of the leading vehicle to a display of the host vehicle.

14. A method for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle in an apparatus for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle, the apparatus comprising a brake light position recognition device, a braking determination device, a braking level determination device and a braking level image providing device, the method comprising: recognizing the position of the brake lights of the preceding vehicle based on the image of the preceding vehicle and the relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle by the brake light position recognition device; When the position of the brake light is identified, determining by the brake determination device whether the leading vehicle has performed braking based on a brake light image extracted from the image of the leading vehicle; When it is determined that the leading vehicle has performed braking, determining the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle by the braking level determining device; as well as When the braking level is determined, the determined braking level of the leading vehicle is provided through an image by the braking level image providing device.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: Identifying the position of the brake light of the vehicle ahead includes: Acquire an image of the vehicle ahead; Get the acceleration of the host vehicle; Obtaining the relative acceleration of the front vehicle; confirming whether the acceleration of the host vehicle and the relative acceleration of the front vehicle satisfy a first condition; When the first condition is satisfied, classifying the image of the front vehicle as a non-illuminated image in which the brake light is not turned on, and storing the image of the front vehicle as the non-illuminated image, and when the first condition is not satisfied, confirming whether the acceleration of the host vehicle and the relative acceleration of the front vehicle satisfy a second condition; When the second condition is satisfied, classifying the image of the leading vehicle as an illumination image with the brake light turned on, and storing the image of the leading vehicle as the illumination image; and The position of the brake light of the preceding vehicle is recognized by comparing the illumination image and the non-illumination image with each other.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein: The first condition is a condition in which the acceleration of the host vehicle and the relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle are both 0 kph / s or higher; and The second condition may be a condition that the acceleration of the host vehicle is 0 kph / s and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle is at a threshold value configured to be less than 0 kph / s or lower.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein: Determining whether the leading vehicle has braked includes: Acquire an image of the vehicle ahead; extracting the brake light image from the image of the preceding vehicle; comparing the extracted brake light image with pre-stored brake light images in an illuminated state and a non-illuminated state; confirming, as a result of the comparison of the extracted brake light images, whether the brake lights of the preceding vehicle are in the lighting state; and When it is confirmed that the brake lights of the preceding vehicle are in the illuminated state, it is recognized that the preceding vehicle has performed braking; and when it is confirmed that the brake lights of the preceding vehicle are not in the illuminated state, it is recognized that the preceding vehicle has not performed braking.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein: Determining the braking level of the leading vehicle includes: When the leading vehicle has braked, setting the braking level of the leading vehicle to a minimum value; Obtaining the relative acceleration of the front vehicle; confirming whether the relative acceleration of the vehicle ahead is less than 0 kph / s; When it is confirmed that the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle is lower than 0 kph / s, determining a braking level of the leading vehicle based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle; confirming whether the determined braking level is greater than the maximum braking level; and When the determined braking level is greater than the maximum value, the determined braking level is set to the maximum value of the braking level, and when the determined braking level is not greater than the maximum value, the determined braking level is set to the braking level of the leading vehicle.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The braking levels provided by the image include: Acquire an image of the vehicle ahead; selecting a brake level display area from the image of the preceding vehicle; combining the braking level with a selected braking level display area; An image of the leading vehicle is provided, the image of the leading vehicle including the braking level combined with the image of the leading vehicle.

20. A vehicle comprising: a camera configured to acquire an image of a vehicle ahead; A radar configured to obtain a relative acceleration of the preceding vehicle; a display configured to display a braking level image of the leading vehicle; as well as a device for providing a braking level of a leading vehicle, the device being configured to determine the braking level of the leading vehicle based on an image of the leading vehicle and a relative acceleration of the leading vehicle, and to provide the braking level through an image, The device identifies the position of the brake lights of the leading vehicle based on the image of the leading vehicle and the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle, determines whether the leading vehicle has performed braking based on the brake light image extracted from the image of the leading vehicle, determines the braking level of the leading vehicle based on the relative acceleration of the leading vehicle, generates the braking level image based on the determined braking level of the leading vehicle, and provides the braking level image to the display.

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