Abstract: A method of estimating a time to collision (TTC) of a vehicle with an object comprising: acquiring a plurality of images of the object; and determining a TTC from the images that is responsive to a relative velocity and relative acceleration between the vehicle and the object.

Abstract: A storage buffer attached to an image processor for stereo image processing. The processor compares a first image and a second image. The storage buffer stores image data of the second image. The storage buffer includes: a data-shifting-hardware mechanism which while the processor compares a patch of the first image to a swath of the second image, the data shifting mechanism using hardware within the storage buffer shifts at least a portion of the swath within the storage buffer. The data-shifting hardware mechanism includes preferably digital multiplexers with respective selectable inputs from adjacent and non-adjacent columns of data within the storage buffer and selectable inputs from adjacent rows of data within the storage buffer.

Abstract: A method for detecting and identifying a traffic sign in a computerized system mounted on a moving vehicle. The system includes a camera mounted on the moving vehicle. The camera captures in real time multiple image frames of the environment in the field of view of the camera and transfers the image frames to an image processor. The processor is programmed for performing the detection of the traffic sign and for performing another driver assistance function. The image frames are partitioned into the image processor into a first portion of the image frames for the detection of the traffic sign and into a second portion of the image frames for the other driver assistance function. Upon detecting an image suspected to be of the traffic sign in at least one of said image frames of the first portion, the image is tracked in at least one of the image frames of the second portion.

Abstract: A system mounted on a vehicle for performing vehicle control applications and driver warning applications, the system including a camera configured to acquire a plurality of images of the environment in front of the camera. The camera includes a filter wherein the filter is installed at the focal plane of the camera and wherein designated portions of the filter transmit selective light wavelength. The preferred filter has a checkerboard pattern. The system further including an image processor capable of analyzing in real time a plurality of respective image sequences acquired from at least one of the portions of the filter and is capable of detecting yellow lane markings on a concrete road surface.

Abstract: A method in computerized system mounted on a vehicle including a cabin and an engine. The system including a visible (VIS) camera sensitive to visible light, the VIS camera mounted inside the cabin, wherein the VIS camera acquires consecutively in real time multiple image frames including VIS images of an object within a field of view of the VIS camera and in the environment of the vehicle. The system also including a FIR camera mounted on the vehicle in front of the engine, wherein the FIR camera acquires consecutively in real time multiple FIR image frames including FIR images of the object within a field of view of the FIR camera and in the environment of the vehicle. The FIR images and VIS images are processed simultaneously, thereby producing a detected object when the object is present in the environment.

Abstract: A classifier for determining whether an instance belongs to a particular class of instances of a plurality of classes, the classifier comprising: a plurality of first classifiers that operate on an instance to provide an indication as to which class the instance belongs, each of which classifiers is trained on a different subset of training instances from a same set of training instances wherein each training subset comprises a group of training instances that share at least one characteristic trait and different subsets have a different at least one characteristic trait; and a second classifier that operates on the indications provided by the first classifiers to provide an indication as to which class the instance belongs.

Abstract: A system mounted on a powered industrial vehicle for detecting classifying and tracking in real time at least one obstruction in the scene around the vehicle. The vehicle is capable of moving in multiple directions. The system includes a multiple cameras mounted on the vehicle, wherein the viewing zones viewed respectively by the cameras preferably encompass 360° horizontally around the vehicle. Each of the cameras is operatively attached to an image processor, which processes the image frames acquired respectively by the camera.

Abstract: A method in a computerized system including an image sensor mounted in a moving vehicle. The image sensor captures image frames consecutively in real time. In one of the image flames, a spot is detected of measurable brightness; the spot is matched in subsequent image frames. The image frames are available for sharing between the computerized system and another vehicle control system. The spot and the corresponding spot are images of the same object. The object is typically one or more of headlights from an oncoming vehicle, taillights of a leading vehicle, streetlights, street signs and/or traffic signs. Data is acquired from the spot and from the corresponding spot. By processing the data, the object (or spot) is classified. producing an object classification. The vehicle control system controls preferably headlights of the moving vehicle based on the object classification.

Abstract: In a computerized system including a camera mounted in a moving vehicle. The camera acquires consecutively in real time image frames including images of an object within the field of view of the camera. Range to the object from the moving vehicle is determined in real time. A dimension, e.g. a width, is measured in the respective images of two or more image frames, thereby producing measurements of the dimension. The measurements are processed to produce a smoothed measurement of the dimension. The dimension is measured subsequently in one or more subsequent frames. The range from the vehicle to the object is calculated in real time based on the smoothed measurement and the subsequent measurements. The processing preferably includes calculating recursively the smoothed dimension using a Kalman filter.

Abstract: A system mounted on a vehicle for detecting an obstruction on a surface of a window of the vehicle, a primary camera is mounted inside the vehicle behind the window. The primary camera is configured to acquire images of the environment through the window. A secondary camera is focused on an external surface of the window, and operates to image the obstruction. A portion of the window, i.e. window region is subtended respectively by the field of view of the primary camera and the field of view of the secondary camera. A processor processes respective sequences of image data from both the primary camera and the secondary camera.

Abstract: A gain control method for setting the gain control channels of a camera such that it enables the support of multiple conflicting applications which camera is performing concurrently, including using one channel, for example the Green channel, for B&W image applications, and the other two channels for color image applications or any other multiple application. The gain control method of the present invention is also applicable to color cameras and also to B&W cameras that have more than one gain control channel.