HITACHI : Environment Recognition Technologies for Supporting Safe Driving

Volume 53 Number 4 November 2004

AUTHORS

Kazuaki Takano	1st Electronic Device Design Dept., Engine Management System Div., Automotive Systems, Hitachi, Ltd.
Tatsuhiko Monji	Advanced Technical Center, Automotive Systems, Hitachi, Ltd.
Hiroshi Kondo, Dr. Eng.	Communication Devices Research Dept., Central Research Lab., Hitachi, Ltd.
Yuji Otsuka	2nd Dept. of Systems Research, Hitachi Research Lab., Hitachi, Ltd.

OVERVIEW

Safe driving support systems are already starting to appear on vehicles including ACC (adaptive cruise control) systems that maintain safe distance between you and the vehicle ahead, LKS (lane keep support) systems that prevent drivers from departing lane, and pre-crash brake systems that automatically tighten seat belts and apply brakes if a collision cannot be avoided. Radars and image processing cameras are the environment sensors with the key roles of recognizing and deciding what action to take in these safe driving support systems. These sensors must incorporate intelligent recognition technologies considering various complex external factors they might encounter in the real world: pedestrians darting out into the road, other vehicles cutting-in in front of you, poor visibility due to adverse weather conditions, etc. With its strong commitment to safety, Hitachi Group has focused its environment recognition sensor related R&D (research and development) on millimeter wave radar that provides stable recognition under the adverse weather conditions and image processing cameras that substitute for human vision where drivers have a hard time seeing. Indeed, these technologies have already been incorporated into products: millimeter wave radar provides the distance sensor in inter-vehicle distance warning and ACC systems, while image processing cameras are employed as lane recognition sensors in LKS systems. We are now working on a new generation of environment recognition sensors that will make safe driving systems even smarter in the years ahead.

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RELEVANT SITES

	Automotive Systems
	The Hitachi Hyoron (Japanese Only)

KEYWORDS

environment recognition sensor, safe driving support, radar, image processing camera

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