US4987357A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Adaptive motor vehicle cruise control
Assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
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Filing: 1989-12-18
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Granted: 1991-01-22
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Expires: 2009-12-18
Abstract
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.
Inventors
- 👤 Ichiro Masaki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 17:12
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60K; B60K31/00; B60K31/0008; G; G01; G01S; G01S11/00; G01S11/12; G05; G05D; G05D1/00; G05D1/02; G05D1/021; G05D1/0231; G05D1/0246; G05D1/0287; G05D1/0289; G08; G08G; G08G1/00; G08G1/16; G08G1/166
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 34
Claim 1
Independent Claim
147 words
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.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
147 words
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.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The adaptive cruise control system of claim 1 in which the steering modification is delayed in the time domain to permit vehicle operation around curves in the highway.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
109 words
An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant distance behind 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 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.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
109 words
An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant distance behind 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 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.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
111 words
An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant directional bearing behind 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 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.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
111 words
An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant directional bearing behind 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 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.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
The adaptive cruise control system of claim 4 in which the steering modification is delayed in the time domain to permit vehicle operation around curves in the highway.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
124 words
A control mechanism for determining the position of a following vehicle 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; 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.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
124 words
A control mechanism for determining the position of a following vehicle 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; 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.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
91 words
A control mechanism for determining the distance of a following vehicle from 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 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.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
91 words
A control mechanism for determining the distance of a following vehicle from 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 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.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
88 words
A control mechanism for determining the directional bearing of a following vehicle 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 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.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
88 words
A control mechanism for determining the directional bearing of a following vehicle 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 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.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
149 words
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 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.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
149 words
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 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.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
The adaptive cruise control system of claim 9 in which both the digitized reference image stored in memory and the digitized live images comprise, selectively, either edge or binary images.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
The adaptive cruise control system of claim 9 in which the steering modification is delayed in the time domain to permit vehicle operation around curves in the highway.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
113 words
An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant distance behind a followed vehicle comprising: 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.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
113 words
An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant distance behind a followed vehicle comprising: 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.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
30 words
The adaptive cruise control system of claim 12 in which both the digitized reference image stored in memory and the digitized live images comprise, selectively, either edge or binary images.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
108 words
An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant directional bearing from followed vehicle comprising: 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.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
108 words
An adaptive cruise control system for enabling a following vehicle to maintain a substantially constant directional bearing from followed vehicle comprising: 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.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
30 words
The adaptive cruise control system of claim 14 in which both the digitized reference image stored in memory and the digitized live images comprise, selectively, either edge or binary images.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
28 words
The adaptive cruise control system of claim 14 in which the steering modification is delayed in the time domain to permit vehicle operation around curves in the highway.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
126 words
A control mechanism for determining the position of a following vehicle with respect to a followed vehicle comprising: 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.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
126 words
A control mechanism for determining the position of a following vehicle with respect to a followed vehicle comprising: 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.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
28 words
The control mechanism of claim 17 in which both the digitized reference image stored in memory and the digitized live images comprise, selectively, either edge or binary images.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
92 words
A control mechanism for determining the distance of a following vehicle from a followed vehicle comprising: 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.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
92 words
A control mechanism for determining the distance of a following vehicle from a followed vehicle comprising: 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.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
28 words
The control mechanism of claim 19 in which both the digitized reference image stored in memory and the digitized live images comprise, selectively, either edge or binary images.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
90 words
A control mechanism for determining the directional bearing of a following vehicle with respect to a followed vehicle comprising: 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.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
90 words
A control mechanism for determining the directional bearing of a following vehicle with respect to a followed vehicle comprising: 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.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
28 words
The control mechanism of claim 21 in which both the digitized reference image stored in memory and the digitized live images comprise, selectively, either edge or binary images.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-01-21 | 1994-07-23 | 1995-01-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-01-21 | 1998-07-23 | 1999-01-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-01-21 | 2002-07-23 | 2003-01-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |