PURPOSE: To recognize the object information to be a target from external visual field information, and provide highly precise distance information by recognizing the image information obtained by a pick-up means, and emitting the reflected light of the light beam projected toward an object.
CONSTITUTION: The vehicle longitudinal image information by an optical system 1 is imaged on a pick-up element 2, and a subject extracting circuit 4 recognizes determined image information of the pick-up signal of the element 2. A coordinate detecting circuit 5 detects the positional coordinate of the image information recognized by the circuit 4. A laser head 6 emits a near infrared laser beam toward a vehicle front and receives the reflected light from the reflecting plate of the vehicle to measure the vehicle-to-vehicle distance on the basis of the time from the emission of the light beam to the receipt. A control circuit 9 conducts angle regulation such as the emitting direction of laser beam of the head 6 and the receiving direction of the reflected light from the vehicle ahead on the basis of the positional coordinate information detected by the circuit 5, and also outputs distance, speed and alarm information on the basis of the vehicle-to-vehicle distance information from the head 6 and the speed information from a vehicle speed sensor 10.
OGINO SHIGERU
KAWABATA TAKASHI
HIGASHIHARA MASAKI
WADA HIROYUKI
OMORI KOICHI
ARAI HIDEYUKI
