Image acquisition system and method for distance determination using an image recording system

A method for determining the distance between an image acquisition system encompassing an image sensor and a luminous object moving relative to the image acquisition system, the method comprising:

• generating, using the image sensor, an image of surroundings of the image sensor encompassing a luminous object;
• selecting a luminous object of interest from the image generated by the image sensor;
• for the selected object, sensing a tailing of the image of the luminous object, which tailing occurs as a consequence of control properties of the image sensor and a relative velocity between the image sensor and the luminous object;
• and
• associating a magnitude of the tailing with a distance value;
• wherein from an acquisition time interval of the images of the sensor, and from a change in a relative size of the object in the image, a time to adjacency is determined according to the following equation:
• tta=Δt/(sc−1.0),
• where
• tta=time to adjacency;
• Δt=acquisition time interval of the images;
• sc=scale change (change in relative size of the object in the image).

An image acquisition system for determining the distance to a luminous object moving relative to the image acquisition system, comprising:

• an image sensor for generating an image of surroundings of the image sensor encompassing a luminous object and selecting at least one luminous object of interest from the generated image after the image has been generated;
• wherein for the selected luminous object, a tailing of the image of the selected luminous object, where tailing occurs as a consequence of control properties of the image sensor and a relative velocity between the image sensor and the luminous object is sensed, and
• wherein a magnitude of the tailing is associated with a distance value;
• wherein from an acquisition time interval of the images of the sensor, and from a change in a relative size of the object in the image, a time to adjacency is determined based on an acquisition time interval of the images and a scale change.

An image acquisition system for determining the distance to a luminous object moving relative to the image acquisition system, comprising:

• an image sensor for generating an image of surroundings of the image sensor encompassing a luminous object and selecting a luminous object of interest from the generated image;
• wherein for the selected object, a tailing of the image of the luminous object, which tailing occurs as a consequence of control properties of the image sensor and a relative velocity between the image sensor and the luminous object is sensed,
• wherein a magnitude of the tailing is associated with a distance value, and
• wherein from an acquisition time interval of the images of the sensor, and from a change in a relative size of the object in the image, a time to adjacency is determined according to the following equation:
• tta=Δt/(sc−1.0), where tta=time to adjacency, Δt=acquisition time interval of the images;
• and sc=scale change (change in relative size of the object in the image).