Object position detection device, travel control system, and travel control method

A travel control system that controls traveling of a following vehicle that follows a preceding vehicle, wherein:

• the following vehicle includes a position detection device that detects a position of the preceding vehicle from images of the preceding vehicle, which are picked up by multiple image pickup units each for picking up a forward image;
• the multiple image pickup units include a first image pickup unit and a second image pickup unit;
• and
• the position detection device includes a first distance detection unit for detecting a distance of the preceding vehicle based on a parallax obtained by searching an image element in a reference image defined to be derived from the second image pickup unit, the image element corresponding to an image element in a standard image defined to be derived from the first image pickup unit, a first position detection unit that detects a position of the preceding vehicle based on the distance detected by the first distance detection unit, a processing area setting unit that sets a processing area which contains the preceding vehicle detected by the first distance detection unit in any one of images derived from the multiple image pickup units, a second position detection unit that detects a position of the preceding vehicle in the processing area, a second distance detection unit that detects a distance of the preceding vehicle based on the position of the preceding vehicle detected by the second position detection unit, an orientation detection unit that detects an orientation of the preceding vehicle based on the position of the preceding vehicle detected by the second position detection unit, a determination unit that determines the distance and the position of the preceding vehicle in accordance with the distance, the position, and the orientation, which have been detected by the first distance detection unit, the second distance detection unit, the first position detection unit, the second position detection unit, and the orientation detection unit, respectively, and a vehicle controller that controls the following vehicle based on a determination made by the determination unit.

A travel control method for controlling traveling of a following vehicle that follows a preceding vehicle, the method comprising:

• a step of detecting a first distance of the preceding vehicle based on a parallax obtained by searching an image element in a reference image defined to be derived from a second image pickup unit, the image element corresponding to an image element in a standard image defined to be derived from a first image pickup unit, the first image pickup unit and the second image pickup unit forming multiple image pickup units each for picking up a forward image of the following vehicle;
• a step of detecting a first position of the preceding vehicle based on the first distance detected by the step of detecting the first distance;
• a step of setting a processing area that contains the preceding vehicle detected by the step of detecting the first distance in any one of images derived from the multiple image pickup units;
• a step of detecting a second position of the preceding vehicle in the processing area;
• a step of detecting a second distance of the preceding vehicle based on the second position;
• a step of detecting an orientation of the preceding vehicle based on the second position;
• a step of determining a distance and a position of the preceding vehicle in accordance with the first distance, the second distance, the first position, the second position, and the orientation;
• and
• a step of controlling the following vehicle based on a determination made by the determination step.