Vehicle Distance Determination Using Camera and Database Dimensions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current driver assistance systems face challenges in accurately measuring distances to neighboring vehicles with high precision while maintaining reasonable costs and computing power, as existing sensors like radar, stereo cameras, and Lidar have limitations in accuracy and cost-effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A device and method utilizing a camera to capture images of vehicles, recognize identification tags, and obtain vehicle dimensions from a database to determine distances, which includes a sensor unit, recognizing unit, information-obtaining unit, and distance-determining unit, allowing for precise distance calculation using existing camera hardware without additional sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If radar sensors are used to measure distance, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple antennas being needed for good angular localization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a camera to capture images of vehicles and obtains vehicle dimension information from a database based on recognition of identification tags (such as license plates). This creates a virtual copy of the vehicle's physical dimensions from database records, eliminating the need for complex radar antenna arrays while maintaining distance measurement precision through the relationship between image dimensions, database dimensions, and focal length.
2Measurement precision
If stereo cameras are used to calculate distance, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and computing power requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using stereo cameras to capture two different views for triangulation, the patent uses a single camera to capture one view and obtains the second dimension from a database copy of vehicle information. This replaces the complex stereo vision system with a simpler single-camera system that queries external database records for dimensional information, reducing both hardware complexity and computing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a database as an intermediary component that stores vehicle dimension information. This database acts as a mediator between the camera system and the distance calculation, providing the necessary dimensional data without requiring the camera system to capture or process complex stereo information itself.
3Device complexity
If Laser sensors are used to measure distance, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a camera to capture images and obtains vehicle dimension information from a database based on recognition of identification tags. This approach provides precise distance measurements by combining image data with accurate database records of vehicle dimensions, achieving both simplicity and precision without relying on complex laser sensing systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention provides a device (1; 1a; 1b; 1c) for determining a distance to a vehicle (V), comprising a sensor unit (2), adapted to capture a camera image (CI) of the vehicle (V). The device further comprises a recognizing unit (3), adapted to recognizing an identification tag of the vehicle (V), and an information-obtaining unit (4), adapted to obtain vehicle information about the vehicle (V) from a database (DB), based on the recognized identification tag of the vehicle (V), wherein the vehicle information comprises a dimension of the vehicle (V). The device comprises a distance-determining unit (5), adapted to determine a current distance to the vehicle (V), based on the dimension of the vehicle (V) comprised in the vehicle information and on a vehicle image dimension of the vehicle (V) within the captured camera image (CI).