Forward collision detection using a Stereo Vision System

It is known that 93% of accidents occur because of the driver behavioral errors. Many of these can be prevented. Therefore a driver assistance system must include a collision detection component that is capable of generating warnings to prevent an imminent impact and to advise the driver in the traffic scenarios. This paper presents a forward collision warning approach based on a 3D Elevation Map provided by a Dense Stereo Vision System. We detect the obstacle delimiters and taking into account the car parameters evaluate the car trajectory and associate to it a driving tunnel. A warning is generated when the obstacle delimiters intersect the current driving tunnel at an unsafe distance. Our system is robust and works in real-time.