Vision-based vehicle tracking using image alignment with symmetrical function

Abstract

The large number of rear end collisions due to driver inattention has been identified as a major automotive safety issue. Even a short advance warning can significantly reduce the number and severity of the collisions. In this paper, we describe an image alignment based vehicle tracking method that employs only a single moving camera mounted on the driver's automobile as input, for use in detecting rear vehicles on highways and city streets. We also present a method to compute the relative distances between the rear vehicles and the driver's car. With the aid of symmetrical function and simplified image alignment tracking methodology, our methodology becomes relatively simple to implement using embedded system technology in the automobile environment with real-time multiple vehicles tracking and successful rate over 97%.