Subaru Technology: walked along with the road stereo camera to the eyesight, aloof of 20 years
The road to EYESIGHT
SUBARU walked along with the stereo camera, aloof of 20 years
So far, the car of the safety technology has been developed based on two ideas roughly.
One is able to firmly secure the control at the time of exercise performance and limitations, the car so as not to fall into a dangerous situation “active safety”. If the other is had met with any chance of an accident, to absorb the energy at the time of collision, which is protect the cabin “passive safety”. And a third of the safety technology that has attracted recent attention, it is “active safety” is between the “passive safety”, “pre-crash safety”. It supports the driver of cognitive ability, the car if necessary in order to avoid a collision is carried out its own braking operation, it is safe before technology and collision which aims to reduce the accident damage.
Legacy was released in May (2010 model) was set the SUBARU is a unique pre-crash safety system “eye site” to all of the models.
Moreover, equipped price that is a plus 100,000 yen, a pretty reasonable set in the equipment of the same type. It already means that the system is becoming not a special safety equipment. In the near future, eye site will also be to be set as a matter of course safety equipment such as ABS and airbags.
However, in the background the SUBARU was able to give to the world this system quickly ahead of the competition at this price at the moment there is a reason. It is because there has been a study of using the two CCD camera proprietary operation support system, has continued plugging away for 20 years accumulation. In this paper, along with the unique technology called “stereo camera”, will introduce the history of safety technology development of the new era that has come is SUBARU.
It captures the front of the road conditions and obstacles in several of the CCD camera, for the system to reduce the burden of drivers SUBARU has been published, dating back to 1991 of 19 years ago. Subaru booth this year was held in the fall, “the 29th Tokyo Motor Show”, HID headlamps and a head-up display, “ADA (Active Driving Assist as advanced technology of” active safety “in conjunction with, such as tire pressure monitor ) “area to introduce is provided a.
The SUBARU had already started from 88 years of the stereo camera research, the screen of 400 × 200 pixels as the results announced the real-time stereo camera to be processed by 0.1 seconds, keeping the distance to the car ahead in certain “safety interval running “, recognizes the traveling lane run so as not to deviate” lane follow-up running “, avoiding a collision, or automatically stop” obstacle avoidance “(none of the notation at the time) showed the possibility of such . Vision of the driving support system by SUBARU own stereo camera that leads to eye site, was a moment that raised the first cry.
Why stereo cameras for?
From the image information is one camera capturing, can be obtained white lines or signs, and the like relative velocity that is reflected object. However, we analyze the information obtained from a camera on the computer, to perform a high-level control which does not give an uncomfortable feeling to a driver’s requires accurate distance information to the object. Stereo camera, based on information obtained from the two cameras, to measure the distance to an object on the principle of triangulation.
Initially, the engineers chose the stereo camera why, who was involved in the development
“The driver was thought that it would be a stereo camera equipment suitable to support the operation with the closest structure is. So in the eyes of the people rely on the information from the eye for nearly 90% of the information necessary for the operation.”
He said. In addition eye site of Eiji Shibata, which has been leading the development project up to now (Subaru technology headquarters electronic technology part) speak the characteristics of the stereo camera unique in the following manner.
That it is possible to capture an object in three dimensions by looking at the “human eye nor stereo camera of the two eyes is the same, in addition to the stereo camera, if you do not quantify the distance between the” object not not feature called “will be asked. This is the part that can not be to people.”
cost is high
The fact that the development of others do not do the system from scratch, everything from development to test must be done by themselves, was that the inevitable cost increases. Particularly in the case of a stereo camera, a lot amount of calculation for processing the information from the two cameras, to the video processing in real time requires a high degree of software and dedicated hardware, the initial development I had to carry around a device that was packed to the cargo room to.
In addition, a stereo camera that only the information from the camera to rely on is, before, etc. same as backlight and fog with the human eye was weak and become invisible. “Good to each of the system, there is a weak part. Of course, but we I was developing on that to fully understand the value of having a stereo camera, not do honest other manufacturers, labor nor cost take this new technology, and really what can be in mono? and there is also it time to troubled “, Shibata recalls the trouble that had to be faced due to the initial development of the pioneer.
1.ADA
1999 which has passed through the eight years from the announcement of the ADA, “Legacy Lancaster ADA” will debut as a commercial vehicle with a driving support system by the world’s first stereo camera. System in this case, recognizes the forward situation stereo camera, comprehensively determine surrounding conditions together with maps and data of the navigation system, “lane departure warning,” “inter-vehicle distance warning”, “inter-vehicle distance control cruise control “” curve alarm / down-shifting control “were those performing like.
Furthermore 2003 was set in the fourth generation Legacy “3.0R ADA” is newly millimeter wave radar in addition to the conventional stereo cameras employed, and cooperative control information from both. This situation, such as at night or fog stereo camera had been a weak even he was trying to cover. It was what was excellent as a “mechanism, but the selling price has gotten expensive.
Major shift development policy
No matter how excellent mechanism, your purchase to the customer, meaning does not have to be Itadakanai using “from the bitter experience of at this time, Shibata was converted large development policy. To balance the features and price, it was aimed at the development of so many of our customers useful mechanism.
In 2006 stereo camera is not used, the fourth generation Legacy, which was equipped with the “SI-Cruise” to carry out the entire vehicle speed adaptive cruise control with only laser radar is debut. And “follow-up cruise control” “leading vehicle start monitoring”, although support content was limited, by cost reduction, promotes not spread so far, to give a certain rating and customers. However, the laser radar was not possible to make accurate situational awareness about the stereo camera.
To not give up and believe in the possibilities have continued to develop, it arrived finally up here. Finally eye site was born
2007, SUBARU in collaboration with Hitachi, Ltd., has developed a stereo camera dedicated image processing LSI that can get the distance information of each pixel in a cycle of 30 times per second. At the same time processor and downsized by integrating the camera body, it has enabled the cost reduction.
In 2008, Legacy eye site equipped with the new stereo camera system will debut. Selling price also becomes plus 200,000 yen, the number of users to buy for the sake of safety and comfortable drive also increased dramatically.
From the driver was the first to experience the eye site with test-ride event, to listen to the reaction, such as “there is no feeling that they intervene in the driving machine,” “emergency there is a sense of security of the term,” “fun car like ride.” it was possible.
Listening to these comments, Shibata smiled contentedly.
A safe and comfortable drive to all of the people
ア2 years from the eye site is to debut. Staff of the electronic engineering department, including Shibata, attracting demand from a number of users during this time, was carried out a new software development in order to more precisely control close to the intention of the driver. In addition, increasing the braking force of the pre-crash brake, such as in the following speed range 30 km / h and can also avoid the collision, the range of the driving support was also greatly expanded.
Thus aims to version up, “incorporating the limits of performance at the moment,” says Shibata Ai site (ver.2) is the is mounted on the fifth generation of the Legacy.
How to put out the eye site (ver.2) the warning display and audible alarm also becomes more conservative, and has a equipped with even higher generality than the conventional. In addition, the price of plus 100,000 yen, something to feel strongly the enthusiasm of SUBARU to consider the full-scale spread of eye site (ver.2).
If this price, considering the cost to repair the front bumper and got hit with Kotsun inadvertently, I think we’ll be mounted. Anyway, and it has continued to develop without giving up believing the possibility of a stereo camera, is finally feeling that arrived up to here. But our development does not end here. The SUBARU is aiming for is “to provide a safe and comfortable drive in any situation to any person.” Technology is evolving at a faster speed than ever before. Not only the car alone now, technologies, such as exchange of information with the infrastructure and other vehicles also will be continue to develop further. Among them, the thing is there’s still a lot to be SUBARU is do as a car manufacturer. ”
Believe in the potential of the new technology, twists and turns also of engineers that has been nurtured as equipped with a new value to not give up while through, refreshing facial expression was there.
