In this paper the authors propose a new approach for a vehicle accurate position detection. Specially designed pattern on road surface will be scanned as a two dimensional image using an on-board slit camera. This pattern consists of a couple of white bars for the purpose of accurate position detection. On the slit image, the aspect ratio of a bounding (circumscribed) rectangle is inversely proportional to the slit (vehicle) speed. The specific positional data related to this point could be coded as a bar code which can be included inside of the bounding rectangle. The authors showed the effectiveness of this proposed approach using scale model experiment. This approach is simple, easy to implement and well suited for real time application. When combined with a detailed road map, this will serve as a good tool not only for navigation but also for vehicle control.
Abstract