Importance

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Abstract

A distance detecting apparatus and method for a vehicle are disclosed which are suitable for use in making a vehicle to automatically follow a preceding vehicle, and which can not only perform accurate detection of the distance to an object in the form of a preceding vehicle, and but also accurately follow a target image with a rather simple window setting operation. An object such as a preceding vehicle is imaged by an image-sensing means at two different points to generate first and second image signals representative of the object. A specific window for one of the first and second image signals is formed on a screen of a display. A comparison is made between the first and second image signals in the specific window so as to measure the perpendicular distance from the two points to the object. The image signals are successively sampled at a predetermined time interval and compared with the last sampled image signals in the window to find the most similar ones. A provisional window is set up based on the most similar image signals thus found. In one form of the invention, the provisional window is successively shifted little by little so as to find the best position for providing the best symmetry of the image signals therein, and then a new window is set, as reference image signals, at the best position of the provisional window. In another form, the axis of symmetry of the image signals within the provisional window is determined, and a new window is set, as reference image signals, which has a prescribed center line positioned at the location of the axis of symmetry of the image signals therein.

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First Claim