High accuracy estimation of vehicle trajectory using a real time stereo tracking system

In this paper, we present the automatic real time stereo tracking algorithm we devised to derive the 3D orientation of the longitudinal axis of a vehicle by recovering its trajectory during a motion sequence. An accurate identification of vehicle's longitudinal axis is required in automotive applications where measurements achieved by testing apparatus must be in compliance with regulations. Usually, these systems are made of ensembles of sensors or are invasive, needing fiducial markers placed on the vehicle being tracked. Our method is fully automatic, non invasive and employs common CCD technology to recover 3D vehicle axis information by exploiting patterns natively present on vehicles. The experiments carried out using different orientation angles show an extremely high accuracy that is even compliant with regulations. Accordingly, we can state that this is the first fully automatic system that uses stereo technology to achieve in real time such an accuracy regarding vehicle's 3D orientation without exploiting any prior model. ©2009 IEEE.