TERRAIN VISUALIZATION FOR A VEHICLE AND VEHICLE DRIVER

• US 20140247328A1
• Filed: 09/04/2012
• Published: 09/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Popham, Thomas, Gaszczak, Anna
• Granted Patent: US 10,063,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01259 Brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/60 characterised by monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior scenes from a transformed perspective
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/211 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A visualization technique for a vehicle and a vehicle driver combines a forward facing video camera and a forward facing time of flight camera. The outputs of the camera are combined to provide the vehicle driver with an augmented reality display, whereby topographical features can be identified in relation to the vehicle even if out of line of sight of the driver.

Claims

1. A vehicle having a color camera for capturing a scene ahead of the vehicle, a visual display device for showing information from said scene to the driver, and a time of flight camera system adapted to repeatedly capture an electronic image of said scene for generating a three-dimensional model of the scene, wherein the color image of the scene is combined with said three-dimensional model and displayed on said display device,

wherein a region of interest in said scene is visually enhanced on said display according to pre-determined criteria relating to one or more of size, shape and position within the image of said region of interest.

2. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said scene is displayed in plan.

3. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the point of view of said scene is variable.

4. A vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the point of view is selectable by the vehicle driver.

5. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a region of interest in said scene is visually enhanced on said display according to pre-determined criteria relating to the proximity of said region of interest.

6. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein one or more of said criteria are driver selectable.

7. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein attitude of said vehicle is determined for three-dimensional application of said criteria.

8. A vehicle according to claim 1, and having an electronically enabled braking system adapted to be activated automatically by a collision calculator.

9. A vehicle according to claim 8, wherein said calculator is adapted to be disabled by the vehicle driver.

15. A vehicle or method according to claim 1, wherein the region of interest is an obstacle.

10. A method of visualizing the scene in front of a moving vehicle having a visual display device for the vehicle driver, the method comprising:

capturing from the vehicle a substantially continuous color representation of said scene;

capturing repeating image data of said scene from a vehicle mounted time of flight camera system;

generating a three-dimensional model of said scene from said repeating image data;

combining said model and image to give an augmented representation of said scene on said display; and

visually enhancing a region of interest in said scene on said display according to pre-determined criteria relating to one or more of size, shape and position within the image of said region of interest.

11. A method according to claim 10, and including the step of displaying said augmented representation in plan.

12. A method according to claim 10, and including the step of providing a selectable point of view of said augmented representation.

13. A method according to claim 10, and including the step of zooming said augmented representation to a selected enlargement.

14. A method according to claim 10, and including the step of determining the attitude of the vehicle in selecting region of interest.

16. (canceled)