Patent ID: 7512252

Claim:
An image processing system comprising an imaging means mounted on a vehicle, and an image analysis means that acquires images photographed by the imaging means and analyzes the images; wherein the image analysis means acquires plural sheets of images with different exposures that the imaging means photographed, and analyzes the plural images with different exposures to detect positions of other vehicles; wherein the image analysis means detects light spots emitted from the other vehicles from the plural images with different exposures, and detects positions of the other vehicles; wherein the plural images with different exposures are an image photographed with a first exposure, and an image photographed with a second exposure greater than the first exposure; the image analysis means analyzes the image photographed with the first exposure to detect the positions of the light spots emitted from the other vehicles, searches a light spot area originated in the same light source as the light spot detected with the first exposure from the image photographed with the second exposure, and masks the light spot area originated in the same light source in the image photographed with the second exposure; wherein the image analysis means; calculates the nositions of the other vehicles, when there are more than two light spots in the horizontal direction of the image photographed by the imaging means, on the basis of a spacing of the two light spots; calculates the positions of the other vehicles, when there is one light spot in the horizontal direction of the image photographed by the imaging means, on the basis of depression angle information from the imaging means; wherein, when there are more than two light spots in the horizontal direction of the image photographed by the imaging means, the position of the other vehicle calculated from the spacing of the two light spots is compared with the position of the other vehicle calculated from the depression angle information of one light spot; and the position of the other vehicle being in a shorter distance from the own vehicle is control information for controlling the own vehicle.