To specify an obstacle even by a laser radar, by transforming superposingly the coordinates of the own car lane on the image detected by the image signal of a camera loaded on an automobile and the coordinates of a detected article detected by a laser radar, and comparing both coordinates and separating the detected articles in the own car lane and out of the own car lane.
By a laser radar 4, the distance with a preceding car and the angle with a reference position are given in an R-θ coordinates, and the lateral direction and the vertical direction are given in an H-V coordinates by an image obtained by a camera 3. The data of this R-θ coordinates system is transformed to the X-Y coordinates at first by a coordinates transforming means 52 and stored, and it is transformed to the H-V coordinates, and compared with the position data of the H-V coordinates system obtained by the image. And a preceding vehicle detecting means 53 as a separating means to separate the detecting articles in the own car lane and out of the own car lane decides that it is the preceding vehicle in the own car lane, when the position data of the preceding vehicle in the H-V coordinates system from the coordinates transforming means 52 is within the scope of the coordinates detected by an own car lane detecting means 51.
OKAMURA MOICHI
IRIE TATSUHARU
