A practical nighttime vehicle distance alarm system

This paper presents a practical nighttime vehicle distance measuring method based on a single CCD image. The method combines an image-based distance measuring system (IBDMS) with a nighttime vehicle distance measuring system. To solve the nighttime feature extraction problem, the proposed method uses two taillights as the feature. Based on the proportionality of similar triangles, distance between a CCD camera and the taillights of the vehicle ahead can be measured. The method focuses on detecting the taillights and differentiating the targeted vehicle from others on the basis of partial image analysis instead of whole image processing. The system is both fast and simple. The accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated in this paper through experiences