Claims
- 1. An image processing apparatus, comprising:traffic signal characteristics obtaining means for obtaining traffic signal characteristics, said traffic signal characteristics obtaining means including traffic signal characteristics measuring means; and wherein the traffic signal characteristics measuring means is mountable on a vehicle and measures characteristics of the traffic signal including at least one of: a red light period, a green light period, a yellow light period, and an elapsed time T from a beginning of a signal condition cycle to a current time.
- 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the traffic signal characteristics measuring means comprises:an image pick-up device supplying an image of a traffic signal; and an image processor for processing the supplied image to recognize the traffic signal and measure the characteristics thereof.
- 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image pick-up device includes a zoom device, and further wherein the image processor provides a zoom control signal to the zoom device.
- 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the traffic signal measuring means includes a communication device which receives the characteristics of the traffic signal from the traffic signal installed on a road or a control unit of the traffic signal.
- 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the traffic signal characteristics obtaining means further includes a learning device, said learning device storing the traffic signal characteristics from the traffic signal characteristics measuring means.
- 6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the traffic signal characteristics obtaining means further includes a learning device, said learning device storing the traffic signal characteristics from the traffic signal characteristics measuring means.
- 7. A cruise control system for a vehicle, comprising:an image processing apparatus including traffic signal characteristics obtaining means for obtaining traffic signal characteristics, said traffic signal characteristics obtaining means including traffic signal characteristics measuring means; wherein the traffic signal characteristics measuring means is mountable on a vehicle and measures characteristics of the traffic signal including at least one of: a red light period, a green light period, a yellow light period, and an elapsed time T from a beginning of a signal condition cycle to a current time; and an adaptive cruise controller receiving the traffic signal characteristics, the cruise controller operating to control cruising of the vehicle in accordance with the traffic signal characteristics.
- 8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the traffic signal characteristics measuring means comprises:an image pick-up device supplying an image of a traffic signal; and an image processor for processing the supplied image to recognize the traffic signal and measure the characteristics thereof.
- 9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the image pick-up device includes a zoom device, and further wherein the image processor provides a zoom control signal to the zoom device.
- 10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the traffic signal measuring means includes a communication device which receives the characteristics of the traffic signal from the traffic signal installed on a road or a control unit of the traffic signal.
- 11. The system according to claim 7, wherein the traffic signal characteristics obtaining means further includes a learning device, said learning device storing the traffic signal characteristics from the traffic signal characteristics measuring means.
- 12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the traffic signal characteristics obtaining means further includes a learning device, said learning device storing the traffic signal characteristics from the traffic signal characteristics measuring means.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2000-52179 |
Feb 2000 |
JP |
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Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/790,555, filed Feb. 23, 2001.
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/790555 |
Feb 2001 |
US |
Child |
10/287550 |
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US |