Vision system for vehicle

• US 10,071,676 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2016
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schofield, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): BRUCE, DAVID VERNON
• Application Number:
  US15/262,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20160375821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/122 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/126 Hysteresis behavior based on steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/322 Road curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/60 characterised by a variable light distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors

Abstract

A vision system for a vehicle includes a camera having a field of view in a forward direction of travel of the vehicle. Image data captured by the camera is processed by an image processor of a control to determine location of objects present within a scene external the vehicle within the field of view of the camera. The image processor processes captured image data to detect lane markers on a road being driven by the vehicle and located within the field of view of the camera. The control receives vehicle data via a communication bus of the vehicle. The vehicle data includes at least (i) data indicative of speed of the vehicle and (ii) data indicative of trajectory of the vehicle. Responsive to processing by the image processor of captured image data, the control may control, at least in part, a pedestrian detection system of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:

a camera having a field of view in a forward direction of travel of a vehicle equipped with said vision system;

wherein said camera comprises a lens and a CMOS imaging array comprising a two-dimensional array of photosensing elements;

wherein said two-dimensional array of photosensing elements comprises at least 307,200 photosensing elements arranged in a matrix array of rows and columns;

wherein image data is captured by said camera as sequential frames of image data and is captured at a frame rate in the range of from 5 image frames per second to 120 image frames per second;

a control comprising an image processor;

wherein image data captured by said camera is processed by said image processor to determine location of objects present within a scene external the equipped vehicle within the field of view of said camera that is monitored by said camera;

wherein said image processor processes image data captured by said camera to detect lane markers on a road being driven by the equipped vehicle and located within the field of view of said camera;

wherein said control receives vehicle data via a communication bus of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said vehicle data comprises at least (i) data indicative of speed of the equipped vehicle and (ii) data indicative of trajectory of the equipped vehicle; and

wherein, responsive to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls, at least in part, a pedestrian detection system of the equipped vehicle.

2. The vision system of claim 1, wherein image data captured by said camera is processed by said image processor to determine a characteristic of the monitored scene.

3. The vision system of claim 2, wherein the determined characteristic of the monitored scene comprises an illumination level.

4. The vision system of claim 1, wherein image data captured by said camera from particular regions of the monitored scene is processed by said image processor for particular purposes.

5. The vision system of claim 1, wherein image data captured by said camera from a region of the monitored scene that generally corresponds to a region of influence of a light beam pattern emanating from a headlamp of the equipped vehicle is processed by said image processor to determine a need to adjust the light beam pattern if, responsive to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, other road users are detected within that region.

6. The vision system of claim 5, wherein said light beam pattern comprises a high beam pattern.

7. The vision system of claim 1, wherein image data captured by said camera from a first region of the monitored scene is processed by said image processor and image data captured by said camera from regions to the left and right of the first region of the monitored scene is processed by said image processor, and based at least in part on processing by said image processor of image data captured from the first region and the left and right regions, upcoming entry of other road users into the first region is anticipated in order to facilitate a rapid and appropriate response upon entry or just prior to entry of other road users into the first region.

8. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said control tracks detected objects across multiple frames of image data captured by said camera and compares the detected objects tracked across multiple frames of image data to their expected locations through the multiple frames as the equipped vehicle moves along the road.

9. The vision system of claim 8, wherein the equipped vehicle moves in a substantially straight path during said tracking and comparison.

10. The vision system of claim 8, wherein, responsive at least in part to said tracking and comparison, the viewing angle of said camera is adjusted.

11. The vision system of claim 1, wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said vision system aligns image data according to road topology of the road ahead of the equipped vehicle and in the field of view of said camera.

12. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said detected objects comprise at least one of headlights of other vehicles and taillights of other vehicles.

13. The vision system of claim 12, wherein said control adjusts beam light emitted by a vehicle headlamp of the equipped vehicle at least in part responsive to detection of objects via processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera.

14. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said vision system, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, automatically recognizes whether the equipped vehicle is being driven on a road of a left hand drive road system or on a road of a right hand drive road system, and wherein a driver assistance system of the equipped vehicle is automatically configured according to the recognized left or right hand drive road system.

15. The vision system of claim 1, wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls an automatic headlamp control system of the equipped vehicle.

16. The vision system of claim 15, wherein said automatic headlamp control system comprises an adaptive front lighting system.

17. The vision system of claim 16, wherein a light beam emitted by a vehicle headlamp of the equipped vehicle is adjusted at least in part responsive to (i) processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera and (ii) said control receiving vehicle data via said communication bus of the equipped vehicle.

18. The vision system of claim 1, wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls, at least in part, a traffic sign recognition system of the equipped vehicle.

19. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said control, responsive to processing of captured image data by said image processor, controls, at least in part, an adaptive cruise control system of the equipped vehicle.

20. The vision system of claim 19, wherein said camera is accommodated in a housing assembly that detachably attaches to an attachment plate that is attached at an upper central region of an inner surface of a windshield of the equipped vehicle, and wherein, with the housing assembly attached to the attachment plate, said camera views through a portion of the windshield swept by the vehicle'"'"'s windshield wiper system.

21. The vision system of claim 19, wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls an automatic headlamp control system of the equipped vehicle, and wherein said control adjusts beam light emitted by a vehicle headlamp of the equipped vehicle at least in part responsive to detection of objects via processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera.

22. The vision system of claim 21, wherein said automatic headlamp control system comprises an adaptive front lighting system, and wherein beam light emitted by the vehicle headlamp of the equipped vehicle is adjusted at least in part responsive to (i) processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera and (ii) said control receiving vehicle data via said communication bus of the equipped vehicle.

23. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:

a camera having a field of view in a forward direction of travel of a vehicle equipped with said vision system;

wherein said camera comprises a lens and an imaging array comprising a two-dimensional array of photosensing elements;

wherein said two-dimensional array of photosensing elements comprises at least 307,200 photosensing elements arranged in a matrix array of rows and columns;

wherein image data is captured by said camera as sequential frames of image data and is captured at a frame rate in the range of from 5 image frames per second to 120 image frames per second;

a control comprising an image processor;

wherein image data captured by said camera is processed by said image processor to determine location of objects present within a scene external the equipped vehicle within the field of view of said camera that is monitored by said camera;

wherein said image processor processes image data captured by said camera to detect lane markers on a road being driven by the equipped vehicle and located within the field of view of said camera;

wherein said control receives vehicle data via a communication bus of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said vehicle data comprises at least (i) data indicative of speed of the equipped vehicle and (ii) data indicative of trajectory of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said camera is accommodated in a housing assembly that detachably attaches at a windshield of the equipped vehicle, and wherein, with the housing assembly attached at the windshield of the equipped vehicle, said camera views through a portion of the windshield swept by the vehicle'"'"'s windshield wiper system; and

wherein said control tracks detected objects across multiple frames of image data captured by said camera and compares the detected objects tracked across multiple frames of image data to at least one of (i) their expected locations through the multiple frames as the equipped vehicle moves along the road and (ii) their expected paths through the multiple frames as the equipped vehicle moves along the road.

24. The vision system of claim 23, wherein the equipped vehicle moves in a substantially straight path during said tracking and comparison.

25. The vision system of claim 23, wherein, responsive at least in part to said tracking and comparison, the viewing angle of said camera is adjusted.

26. The vision system of claim 23, wherein image data captured by said camera from a first region of the monitored scene is processed by said image processor and image data captured by said camera from regions to the left and right of the first region of the monitored scene is processed by said image processor, and based at least in part on processing by said image processor of image data captured from the first region and the left and right regions, upcoming entry of other road users into the first region is anticipated in order to facilitate a rapid and appropriate response upon entry or just prior to entry of other road users into the first region.

27. The vision system of claim 23, wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said vision system aligns image data according to road topology of the road ahead of the equipped vehicle and in the field of view of said camera.

28. The vision system of claim 23, wherein, responsive to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls, at least in part, a pedestrian detection system of the equipped vehicle and controls, at least in part, an adaptive cruise control system of the equipped vehicle.

29. The vision system of claim 28, wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls, at least in part, a traffic sign recognition system of the equipped vehicle.

30. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:

a camera having a field of view in a forward direction of travel of a vehicle equipped with said vision system;

wherein said camera comprises a lens and an imaging array comprising a two-dimensional array of photosensing elements;

wherein said two-dimensional array of photosensing elements comprises at least 307,200 photosensing elements arranged in a matrix array of rows and columns;

wherein image data is captured by said camera as sequential frames of image data and is captured at a frame rate in the range of from 5 image frames per second to 120 image frames per second;

a control comprising an image processor;

wherein image data captured by said camera is processed by said image processor to determine location of objects present within a scene external the equipped vehicle within the field of view of said camera that is monitored by said camera;

wherein said image processor processes image data captured by said camera to detect lane markers on a road being driven by the equipped vehicle and located within the field of view of said camera;

wherein said control receives vehicle data via a communication bus of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said vehicle data comprises at least (i) data indicative of speed of the equipped vehicle and (ii) data indicative of trajectory of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said camera is accommodated in a housing assembly that detachably attaches at a windshield of the equipped vehicle, and wherein, with the housing assembly attached at the windshield of the equipped vehicle, said camera views through a portion of the windshield swept by the vehicle'"'"'s windshield wiper system; and

wherein image data captured by said camera from a first region of the monitored scene is processed by said image processor and image data captured by said camera from regions to the left and right of the first region of the monitored scene is processed by said image processor, and based at least in part on processing by said image processor of image data captured from the first region and the left and right regions, upcoming entry of other road users into the first region is anticipated in order to facilitate a rapid and appropriate response upon entry or just prior to entry of other road users into the first region.

31. The vision system of claim 30, wherein said control tracks detected objects across multiple frames of image data captured by said camera and compares the detected objects tracked across multiple frames of image data to at least one of (i) their expected locations through the multiple frames as the equipped vehicle moves along the road and (ii) their expected paths through the multiple frames as the equipped vehicle moves along the road.

32. The vision system of claim 30, wherein, responsive to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls, at least in part, a pedestrian detection system of the equipped vehicle and controls, at least in part, an adaptive cruise control system of the equipped vehicle.

33. The vision system of claim 30, wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls, at least in part, a traffic sign recognition system of the equipped vehicle.

34. The vision system of claim 33, wherein said housing assembly detachably attaches to an attachment plate that is attached at an upper central region of an inner surface of the windshield of the equipped vehicle.

35. The vision system of claim 34, wherein said control tracks detected objects across multiple frames of image data captured by said camera and compares the detected objects tracked across multiple frames of image data to at least one of (i) their expected locations through the multiple frames as the equipped vehicle moves along the road and (ii) their expected paths through the multiple frames as the equipped vehicle moves along the road.

36. The vision system of claim 30, wherein said vision system, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, automatically recognizes whether the equipped vehicle is being driven on a road of a left hand drive road system or on a road of a right hand drive road system, and wherein a driver assistance system of the equipped vehicle is automatically configured according to the recognized left or right hand drive road system.

37. The vision system of claim 30, wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls an automatic headlamp control system of the equipped vehicle, and wherein said control adjusts beam light emitted by a vehicle headlamp of the equipped vehicle at least in part responsive to detection of objects via processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, and wherein said automatic headlamp control system comprises an adaptive front lighting system, and wherein beam light emitted by the vehicle headlamp of the equipped vehicle is adjusted at least in part responsive to (i) processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera and (ii) said control receiving vehicle data via said communication bus of the equipped vehicle.

38. The vision system of claim 30, wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said vision system aligns image data according to road topology of the road ahead of the equipped vehicle and in the field of view of said camera.