Technology enables accurate detection of irregularities in road surfaces

Hitachi Automotive Systems has developed a technology for its in-vehicle stereo cameras that allows highly accurate detection of small road surface irregularities while driving, including holes and small debris. Connecting this detection technology with vehicle suspension systems, the company aims to produce a drive control system that can adjust vehicle stability in response to road surface conditions. This will add to improved driving safety and comfort. The company's in-vehicle stereo cameras can sense the location and distance of people and objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles to a large degree of accuracy by determining parallax information – the difference between the images obtained by the two left and right cameras – with high precision. However, to identify irregularities and small debris on the road, the company had to surmount the challenges of stopping false positives caused by dirt and shadows on the road surface and reduction of detection processing time.