Camera System for Vehicles

• US 20160112624A1
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: KROEKEL, Dieter, FEY, Wolfgang, MUELLER, Gerhard, MIEL, Eva, GRUBER, Andreas, HABICHER, Juergen
• Application Number:
  US14/893,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20160112624A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/406 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/408 using a data bus
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/50 characterised by the display information being shared, e.g. external display, data transfer to other traffic participants or centralised traffic controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

The invention relates to a camera system (10) for vehicles that includes multiple cameras (12, 14, 16, 18) which are interconnected via a network (20, 22, 24, 26) with a ring topology, wherein each camera is configured to perform image processing of captured images and wherein each camera is further configured to transmit captured images and/or image processing results to other cameras in the network for image processing by these cameras or for supporting the image processing performed by these cameras, such that the computing load of image processing in the network is distributed among multiple cameras or the computing load of image processing performed by cameras in the network is reduced.

Claims

1. A camera system (10) for vehicles, including

multiple cameras (12, 14, 16, 18) which are interconnected via a network (20, 22, 24, 26) with a ring topology,

wherein each camera is configured to perform image processing of captured images, and

wherein each camera is further configured to transmit captured images and/or image processing results to other cameras in the network for image processing by these cameras or for supporting the image processing performed by these cameras, such that the computing load of image processing in the network is distributed among multiple cameras or the computing load of image processing performed by cameras in the network is reduced.

2. The camera system according to claim 1, characterized in that each camera is further configured to transmit captured images to another camera in the network only after it has completed its own image processing, such that at any point in time only one camera in the network performs image processing in the network.

3. The camera system according to claim 1, characterized in that the time needed to capture an image by a camera and the time needed to process an image by this camera are such that they are shorter than a cycle predetermined in the camera system.

4. The camera system according to claim 1, characterized in that the network connections between two adjacent cameras in the ring topology are bidirectional, and each camera has access to the images captured by its adjacent cameras in the network in addition to its own captured images for image processing.

5. The camera system according to claim 1, characterized in that each camera is configured to perform image processing of a captured image within the time it takes to capture two subsequent images.

6. The camera system according to claim 1, characterized in that each camera is further configured to either

transmit a captured image to at least one adjacent camera in the network simultaneously with capturing the image, or

to transmit a captured image after capturing to at least one adjacent camera in the network while capturing a subsequent image.

7. The camera system according to claim 1, characterized in that each camera is further configured to monitor one or several other cameras in the network for failures.

8. The camera system according to claim 1, characterized in that one or several cameras are connected for communication to a vehicle bus and/or at least one camera is connected to a display unit of a vehicle via a video output that can output images and/or image processing results.

9. A camera (12) for use in a camera system (10) according to claim 1, comprising:

an image sensor (120) configured and arranged to capture images,

an image processing unit (122) configured and arranged to perform image calculations with captured images, and

a network interface unit (124) for a network with a ring topology, which is configured and arranged to receive images and/or commands and/or image processing results from adjacent cameras in the network with a ring topology, and is configured and arranged to transmit captured images and/or commands and/or image processing results to adjacent cameras in the network with a ring topology.

10. The camera according to claim 9, further comprising an image data encoding unit (126) configured and arranged to encode captured and/or processed images to transmit resultant encoded images to adjacent cameras in the network with a ring topology.