Process for examining a loss of media of a motor vehicle as well as motor vehicle and system for implementing such a process

• US 10,331,955 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Liebau, Daniel, Langner, Claudia
• Primary Examiner(s): Nakhjavan, Shervin K
• Application Number:
  US15/624,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20170364756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A process is provided for examining a loss of media of a motor vehicle. By use of a first camera arranged on a motor vehicle, a driving route in the area in front of a motor vehicle that is driving in the travel direction and is to be monitored is scanned. The route behind the motor vehicle to be monitored is scanned by way of a second camera arranged on a motor vehicle. When scanning the driving route, a forward image and a rearward image are acquired. The two images are compared for detecting a medium lost by the motor vehicle to be monitored. The corresponding medium can be classified. Appropriate actions can be automatically carried out corresponding to the classification of the medium.

Claims

1. A process for examining a loss of media of a motor vehicle, the process comprising the acts of:

scanning, via a first camera, a route in an area in front of the motor vehicle that driving in a travel direction and is to be monitored;

scanning, via a second camera, the route behind the motor vehicle to be monitored, wherein

at least a forward image and a rearward image are acquired via the scanning of the route;

comparing the forward and the rearward images in order to detect the loss of media by the motor vehicle being monitored,

wherein comparing the forward and the rearward images comprises aligning the forward and rearward images, via a characteristic analysis, to coincide with one another.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein

before the forward and rearward images are compared with one another, the forward and rearward images are mutually adapted with respect to one or more of:

resolution,

contrast,

color representation, and/or

perspective.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein

a time and/or location stamp, respectively, is added to each individual image, which stamp indicates when the respective image was acquired and/or the location where the respective image was acquired.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein

the forward and rearward images are acquired by at least two cameras, which are arranged at the same motor vehicle.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein

the forward and rearward images are acquired by at least two cameras, which are arranged at different motor vehicles, the images being transmitted to a server, on which they are compared.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein

each of the first camera and second camera comprises an optical camera, an infrared camera, a laser scanner, or a radar sensor.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein

before the comparison of the forward and rearward images, in each case, a rearward image or a forward image consisting of a quantity of several rear or forward images are assigned to a forward image or a rearward image.

8. A motor vehicle, comprising at least one front camera and one rear camera for scanning of a driving route, and a control device which is configured to implement the process according to claim 1.

9. The motor vehicle according to claim 8, wherein each of the at least one front camera and one rear camera comprises an optical camera, an infrared camera, a laser scanner, or a radar sensor.

10. A system for implementing the process according to claim 1, comprising:

at least two cameras, which are arranged on a motor vehicle, wherein the motor vehicle has a data connection to a server situated outside the motor vehicle, which server compares the forward and rearward images.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein

the two cameras are arranged on two different motor vehicles.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein each of the at least two cameras comprises an optical camera, an infrared camera, a laser scanner, or a radar sensor.

13. The process according to claim 1, wherein in response to detecting a predefined medium, the method further comprises at least one of:

informing a vehicle driver of the monitored vehicle;

informing a public authority;

informing traffic participants by car-to-car information, light signals and/or honking signals.

14. A process for examining a loss of media of a motor vehicle, the process comprising the acts of:

scanning, via a first camera, a route in an area in front of the motor vehicle that driving in a travel direction and is to be monitored;

scanning, via a second camera, the route behind the motor vehicle to be monitored, wherein

at least a forward image and a rearward image are acquired via the scanning of the route;

comparing the forward and the rearward images in order to detect the loss of media by the motor vehicle being monitored; and

producing a differential image for the comparison, wherein objects in the differential image and/or corresponding objects in the rearward image are analyzed.

15. The process according to claim 14, wherein

when analyzing the objects, a shape and/or spectral analysis is carried out.

16. The process according to claim 14, wherein

several rearward images, which each show the object to be analyzed, are analyzed jointly via triangulation, so that a three-dimensional description of a surface of the object is produced.

17. The process according to claim 14, wherein each of the first camera and second camera comprises an optical camera, an infrared camera, a laser scanner, or a radar sensor.