SOFTWARE FOR AN AUTOMOTIVE HAZARDOUS DETECTION AND INFORMATION SYSTEM

• US 20110010041A1
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SMR Patents Sarl (SMR Patents)
• Original Assignee: SMR Patents Sarl (SMR Patents)
• Inventors: Steffel, Hans-Clemens, Schaeffer, Heinz-Erwin, Wagner, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/884,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010041A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/32 Vehicle surroundings
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/34 Blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 on the side of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93275 in the bumper area
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/06 Cathode-ray tube displays or other two dimensional or three-dimensional displays

Abstract

The invention is related to a software for an automotive hazard detection and information system for vehicles running on at least one controller, wherein the software uses data of at least one optical sensor or a sensor group including an optical sensor, and comprises at least one analysis and interpretation unit per sensor or sensor group to determine geometry data and motion data of vehicle equipped with the software and/or of objects that arise hazardous situation and/or information requiring situation in the surrounding of the vehicle. The software provides the analysed data for at least one display unit and/or warning indicator for each sensor or sensor group. The software comprises software modules for different detection and information functions that use the same optical sensor data parallel for analysing and providing the different functions and that at least two modules are activated the same time.

Claims

1. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system for vehicles running on at least one controller, wherein the software uses data of at least one optical sensor or a sensor group including an optical sensor, and comprises at least one analysis and interpretation unit per sensor or sensor group to determine geometry data and motion data of vehicle equipped with the software and/or of objects that arise hazardous situation and/or information requiring situation in the surrounding of the vehicle, the software provides the analysed data for at least one display unit and/or warning indicator for each sensor or sensor group;

characterized in that the software comprises software modules for different detection and information functions that use the same optical sensor data parallel for analysing and providing the different functions and that at least two modules are activated the same time.

2. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system according to claim 1, wherein at least the module dirt detection or the module auto calibration is running with another software module in parallel.

3. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system according to claim 1, wherein the modules that are implemented in the software are activated in the vehicle according user'"'"'s requirements.

4. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system according to claim 1, wherein the modules are coming out of a group of:

blind spot detection, bird view, side view assistant, rear view assistant, front view assistant, rear driving control, lane change assistant, lane departure control, parking assistant, approaching control, traffic sign detection, collision control, auto calibration, dirt detection, shadow detection, image rotation, shadow detection, traffic sign detection, night vision.

5. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system according to claim 4, wherein the module shadow detection runs parallel to other modules in day mode.

6. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system according to claim 2, wherein the field of view of the at least one optical sensor is adapted automatically after mounting the optical sensor at vehicle or after loading vehicle, by using auto calibration function module of the software using vanishing point detection to adapt field of view.

7. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system according to claim 4, wherein the software uses the direction of motion, the speed of motion, and changes therein, and the motion data of the object or objects detected, to calculate a possible collision between the vehicle and at least one object.

8. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system according to claim 2, wherein two sensors or sensor groups are used and the software is able to detect distortions on the optical lens by comparing sensor data of at least two optical sensors.

9. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system according to claims 7 and 8, wherein the software is adapted to detect a hazardous situation by an object recalculating the data of the sensor after detecting a distortion on the optical lens.

10. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system according to claim 4, wherein the software for image rotation recalculates data of at least one sensor or sensor group that are displayed as a bird'"'"'s view image.

11. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system according to claim 1, wherein the software starts an indication to the driver, wherein the indication is an optical or an acoustical or a tactical signal.

12. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system according to claim 1 that includes at least one interface to the vehicle internal bus system.

13. Software for an automotive hazard detection and information system according to claim 12, wherein the software influences vehicle parameters via the bus system.