Vision system for vehicle

• US 10,071,687 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ihlenburg, Joern, Koppe, Andreas, Gieseke, Achim, Mahmoud, Hossam, Diessner, Horst D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jiang, Zaihan
• Application Number:
  US14/359,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20140340510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,114 Days
• Field of Search: 348118
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 for monitoring rearward traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/14 of variable focal length
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A vision system for a vehicle includes multiple cameras disposed at a vehicle each having a field of view exterior of the vehicle. A display device is operable to display, for viewing by a driver of the vehicle, at least one of (a) video images captured by at least some of the cameras and (b) a composite image formed from image data captured by at least some of the cameras. The image data captured by at least some of the cameras is sent to a central video/image processor and the sent image data is substantially unmodified and is as captured by the respective ones of the camera or cameras. At least one of the cameras may have a tunable lens. The camera may provide almost raw image data to the display device and a graphic engine may run as a routine at the display device.

Claims

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

multiple cameras disposed at a vehicle each having a field of view exterior of the vehicle;

a display device operable to display, for viewing by a driver of the vehicle, at least one of (a) video images derived from image data captured by at least some of said cameras and (b) a composite image formed from image data captured by at least some of said cameras;

a central processing unit comprising an image processor, wherein said central processing unit is in communication with said cameras and a remote device;

wherein image data captured by at least some of said cameras is sent to said central processing unit and wherein said image data as sent is substantially unmodified and is as captured by the respective ones of said at least some of said cameras;

wherein, responsive to processing by said image processor of image data captured by at least some of said cameras, said central processing unit determines presence of an object in the field of view of at least one of said cameras;

wherein said central processing unit receives system updates from the remote device via wireless communications from the remote device, and wherein the updates include updating of image processing software used by said image processor;

wherein said system receives inputs from at least one non-permanently mounted device; and

wherein said non-permanently mounted device comprises a camera that is wirelessly linked via a non-permanent wired connected device that receives image data from said camera via a wireless port, and wherein said non-permanent wired connected device comprises a mobile phone device with a wireless interface for transferring image data captured by said camera.

2. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said display device is conjuncted to said mobile phone device, and wherein a graphic engine is running as an application on said mobile phone device.

3. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said image processor processes image data captured by a rearward viewing camera of said multiple cameras to detect an object rearward of the subject vehicle, and wherein said image processor is operable to process image data to determine movement vectors and wherein, responsive to said processing of image data, said image processor is operable to determine an object of interest in the field of view of said rearward viewing camera.

4. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said system is operable to process inputs from at least one of an ultrasound sensor, a radar sensor, an infrared sensor, a Lidar sensor and a Laser sensor.

5. The vision system of claim 1, wherein at least one of (i) said non-permanently mounted device is plugged into a port attached to a bus architecture of the vehicle, and (ii) said non-permanently mounted device is wirelessly connected to a bus architecture of the vehicle.

6. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said mobile phone device is operable to transfer a graphic engine software container from the remote device via a data channel, and wherein at least one of (i) said graphic engine software container is received by said display device and (ii) said graphic engine software container is received by said vision system.

7. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said vision system is operable, responsive to processing of said image data, to provide an alert to the driver of the vehicle.

8. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said vision system delocates computing load from said camera to at least one of said display device and said mobile phone device.

9. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said at least one camera comprises a wafer level camera.

18. The vision system of claim 1, wherein the updates received by said central processing unit from the remote device include updating of image processing software of at least one of said cameras, and wherein the updating of the image processing software of at least one of said cameras is communicated to the at least one of said cameras via a communication bus of the vehicle.

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

multiple cameras disposed at a vehicle each having a field of view exterior of the vehicle;

a display device operable to display, for viewing by a driver of the vehicle, at least one of (a) video images derived from image data captured by at least some of said cameras and (b) a composite image formed from image data captured by at least some of said cameras;

a central processing unit comprising an image processor, wherein said central processing unit is in communication with said cameras and a remote device;

wherein image data captured by at least some of said cameras is sent to said central processing unit and wherein said image data as sent is substantially unmodified and is as captured by the respective ones of said at least some of said cameras;

wherein, responsive to processing by said image processor of image data captured by at least some of said cameras, said central processing unit determines presence of an object in the field of view of at least one of said cameras;

wherein said central processing unit receives system updates from the remote device via wireless communications from the remote device, and wherein the updates include updating of image processing software used by said image processor;

wherein said system receives inputs from at least one non-permanently mounted device; and

wherein said non-permanently mounted device comprises a camera that is wirelessly linked via a non-permanent wired connected device that receives image data from said camera via a wireless port, and wherein said non-permanent wired connected device comprises a mobile phone device with a wireless interface for transferring camera image data.

11. The vision system of claim 10, wherein a control is operable to adjust a viewing direction of at least one of said cameras.

12. The vision system of claim 10, wherein said image processor processes image data to determine movement vectors and wherein, responsive to said processing of image data, said central processing unit is operable to determine an object of interest in the field of view of said one of said cameras.

13. The vision system of claim 10, wherein at least one of (i) said non-permanently mounted device is plugged into a port attached to a bus architecture of the vehicle, and (ii) said non-permanently mounted device is wirelessly connected to a bus architecture of the vehicle.

14. The vision system of claim 10, wherein said vision system delocates computing load from said camera to at least one of said display device and said mobile phone device.

15. The vision system of claim 10, wherein said at least one camera comprises a wafer level camera.

19. The vision system of claim 10, wherein the updates received by said central processing unit from the remote device include updating of image processing software of at least one of said cameras, and wherein the updating of the image processing software of at least one of said cameras is communicated to the at least one of said cameras via a communication bus of the vehicle.

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

multiple cameras disposed at a vehicle each having a field of view exterior of the vehicle;

a display device operable to display, for viewing by a driver of the vehicle, at least one of (a) video images derived from image data captured by at least some of said cameras and (b) a composite image formed from image data captured by at least some of said cameras;

a central processing unit comprising an image processor, wherein said central processing unit is in communication with said cameras and a remote device;

wherein image data captured by at least some of said cameras is sent to said central processing unit and wherein said image data as sent is substantially unmodified and is as captured by the respective ones of said at least some of said cameras;

wherein, responsive to processing by said image processor of image data captured by at least some of said cameras, said central processing unit determines presence of an object in the field of view of at least one of said cameras;

wherein said central processing unit receives system updates from the remote device via wireless communications from the remote device, and wherein the updates include updating of image processing software used by said image processor;

wherein said system receives inputs from at least one non-permanently mounted device; and

wherein said non-permanently mounted device comprises a camera that is wirelessly linked via a non-permanent wired connected device that receives image data from said camera via a wireless port, and wherein said non-permanent wired connected device comprises a mobile phone device with a wireless interface for transferring camera image data.

17. The vision system of claim 16, wherein the updates received by said central processing unit from the remote device include updating of image processing software of at least one of said cameras, and wherein the updating of the image processing software of at least one of said cameras is communicated to the at least one of said cameras via a communication bus of the vehicle.