Automatic fog identification method using front camera image and emergency fog led high beam system using the same

Abstract

An automatic fog identification method using a front camera image and a emergency fog red LED high beam system using the same are proposed. The emergency fog red LED high beam system is configured such that a red LED module is applied to a high beam light source, thus providing a clear and wide view for a driver without diffused reflection even in a foggy situation.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An emergency fog LED high beam system comprising:
 a red LED high beam light-source unit provided at a position corresponding to a high beam light-source unit of a vehicle, and configured to irradiate light of a red wavelength ranging from 630 nm to 700 nm in foggy conditions.   
     
     
         2 . The emergency fog LED high beam system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a camera unit configured to photograph a situation outside the vehicle; and   an automatic fog detector configured to determine the presence of fog or a fog standard deviation level value, wherein the automatic fog detector determines the presence of fog by comparing a luminosity-value standard deviation of a plurality of coordinates in a reference image showing an external foggy situation in front of the vehicle, which is set by a user, with a luminosity-value standard deviation of a plurality of coordinates in an image showing an external current situation in front of the vehicle, which is acquired through the camera unit, while the vehicle is running.   
     
     
         3 . The emergency fog LED high beam system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a near-infrared irradiator configured to irradiate a near-infrared ray of 700 nm to 970 nm according to a user's selection, wherein the camera unit is formed of a CCD camera, so the situation in front of the vehicle to which the near-infrared ray is irradiated by the near-infrared irradiator is photographed by the CCD camera, and then the photographed image is guided to a driver through a head-up display (HUD) provided in the vehicle.   
     
     
         4 . The emergency fog LED high beam system of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a controller configured to control the emergency fog red LED high beam system;   wherein the red LED high beam light-source unit comprises at least one red LED module, and the controller controls the red LED module according to the standard deviation fog level value determined by the automatic fog detector to control the light quantity, light width, and pattern of a red-wavelength high beam irradiated upwards and forwards from the vehicle.   
     
     
         5 . The emergency fog LED high beam system of  claim 4 , wherein the emergency fog red LED high beam system further comprises a fog occurrence prediction unit to predict the occurrence of fog, and the controller controls the red LED high beam light-source unit to irradiate the red-wavelength high beam upwards and forwards from the vehicle, before the vehicle enters a fog occurrence road zone predicted by the fog occurrence prediction unit. 
     
     
         6 . The emergency fog LED high beam system of  claim 5 , wherein the red LED high beam light-source unit and the near-infrared irradiator configured to irradiate irradiate the red-wavelength ray of 630 nm to 700 nm or the near-infrared ray of 700 nm to 970 nm are provided in a rotatable rotary unit to an outside in front of the vehicle, individually or in combination, according to a user's selection, and
 the camera unit guides the image photographed by the front camera through the head-up display (HUD) provided in the vehicle to the driver.   
     
     
         7 . An automatic fog detection method using a front camera image comprising:
 a reference image acquisition step of acquiring a reference image of an external situation in front of a vehicle at the first time when a fog encounters, wherein the reference image is defined as the image obtained at the first time when a fog encounters.   a reference-image luminosity detection step of detecting the luminosity of each of any one or more coordinates in the reference image;   a reference-image standard deviation value detection step of obtaining a standard deviation value for the luminosity of each of the coordinates detected through the reference-image luminosity detection step;   a current-image acquisition step of acquiring an image of a current situation outside the vehicle using a camera provided in the vehicle;   a current-image luminosity detection step of detecting the luminosity of each of any one or more coordinates in the current image;   a current-image standard deviation value detection step of obtaining the standard deviation value for the luminosity of each of the coordinates detected through the current-image luminosity detection step; and   a fog determination step of determining the occurrence of fog by comparing the reference-image standard deviation value (σ o ) and the current-image standard deviation value (σ) according to the algorithmic flow chart shown in  FIG. 5 ,   wherein a foggy situation shall be declared if σ is less than or equal to α o .