Systems and methods for detecting an object

A vehicle, comprising:

• a body;
• at least one image capture device configured to acquire a plurality of images of an area in front of the vehicle;
• a data interface;
• and
• at least one processing device programmed to:
• receive the plurality of images via the data interface;
• compare a first image to a second image, and based on the comparison, determine a focus of expansion of a crossing object moving in a direction that crosses a travel direction of the vehicle;
• determine whether a horizontal coordinate of the focus of expansion stays around a center in the horizontal dimension of the crossing object during a period of time;
• and
• cause the vehicle to brake based on the determination that the horizontal coordinate of the focus of expansion stays around a center in the horizontal dimension of the crossing object during the period of time.

A method for detecting an object in front of a vehicle, comprising:

• acquiring, via at least one image capture device, a plurality of images of an area in front of the vehicle;
• receiving, via a processing device, the plurality of images;
• comparing, via the processing device, a first image to a second image, and based on the comparison, determining a focus of expansion of a crossing object moving in a direction that crosses a travel direction of the vehicle;
• determining, via the processing device, whether a horizontal coordinate of the focus of expansion stays around a center in the horizontal dimension of the crossing object during a period of time;
• and
• causing, via the processing device, the vehicle to brake based on the determination that the horizontal coordinate of the focus of expansion stays around a center in the horizontal dimension of the crossing object during the period of time.