VEHICULAR MULTI-CAMERA VISION SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
- a plurality of cameras disposed at a vehicle and having respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle;
wherein said plurality of cameras comprises a forward viewing camera having at least a forward field of view forward of the vehicle, a rearward viewing camera having at least a rearward field of view rearward of the vehicle, a driver-side sideward viewing camera having at least a sideward field of view at the driver side of the vehicle and a passenger-side sideward viewing camera having at least a sideward field of view at the passenger side of the vehicle;
wherein one of said plurality of cameras functions as a master camera and other cameras of said plurality of cameras function as slave cameras;
an image processing system operable to process image data captured by said plurality of cameras;
wherein, responsive to processing of captured image data, said vision system is operable to synthesize a composite image derived from image data captured by at least two cameras of said plurality of cameras;
wherein at least one of said at least two cameras comprises a slave camera;
wherein operating parameters of the master camera are used by slave cameras of said plurality of cameras;
wherein operating parameters of the master camera comprise at least one of (i) white balance and (ii) color control;
wherein each of said plurality of cameras receives and sends signals via an Ethernet connection to an electronic control unit;
wherein operating parameters of the master camera are carried via Ethernet connection between the master camera and the electronic control unit; and
wherein the electronic control unit sends via Ethernet connection operating parameters carried via Ethernet connection between the master camera and the electronic control unit to said at least one of said at least two cameras that comprises a slave camera so that image sections of the composite image, when displayed to a driver of the vehicle by a display device of the vehicle, appear uniform in at least one of (i) brightness at the borders of the sections and (ii) color at the borders of the sections.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vision system for a vehicle includes a plurality of cameras having respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle. One of the cameras functions as a master camera and others of the cameras function as slave cameras. Responsive to processing of captured image data, the vision system is operable to synthesize a composite image derived from image data captured by at least two of the cameras, at least one of which is a slave camera. Operating parameters of the master camera are used by slave cameras. An electronic control unit sends via Ethernet connection operating parameters to a slave camera so that image sections of the composite image, when displayed to a driver of the vehicle by a display device of the vehicle, appear uniform in at least one of (i) brightness at the borders of the sections and (ii) color at the borders of the sections.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
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a plurality of cameras disposed at a vehicle and having respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle; wherein said plurality of cameras comprises a forward viewing camera having at least a forward field of view forward of the vehicle, a rearward viewing camera having at least a rearward field of view rearward of the vehicle, a driver-side sideward viewing camera having at least a sideward field of view at the driver side of the vehicle and a passenger-side sideward viewing camera having at least a sideward field of view at the passenger side of the vehicle; wherein one of said plurality of cameras functions as a master camera and other cameras of said plurality of cameras function as slave cameras; an image processing system operable to process image data captured by said plurality of cameras; wherein, responsive to processing of captured image data, said vision system is operable to synthesize a composite image derived from image data captured by at least two cameras of said plurality of cameras; wherein at least one of said at least two cameras comprises a slave camera; wherein operating parameters of the master camera are used by slave cameras of said plurality of cameras; wherein operating parameters of the master camera comprise at least one of (i) white balance and (ii) color control; wherein each of said plurality of cameras receives and sends signals via an Ethernet connection to an electronic control unit; wherein operating parameters of the master camera are carried via Ethernet connection between the master camera and the electronic control unit; and wherein the electronic control unit sends via Ethernet connection operating parameters carried via Ethernet connection between the master camera and the electronic control unit to said at least one of said at least two cameras that comprises a slave camera so that image sections of the composite image, when displayed to a driver of the vehicle by a display device of the vehicle, appear uniform in at least one of (i) brightness at the borders of the sections and (ii) color at the borders of the sections. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
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a plurality of cameras disposed at a vehicle and having respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle; wherein said plurality of cameras comprises a forward viewing camera having at least a forward field of view forward of the vehicle, a rearward viewing camera having at least a rearward field of view rearward of the vehicle, a driver-side sideward viewing camera having at least a sideward field of view at the driver side of the vehicle and a passenger-side sideward viewing camera having at least a sideward field of view at the passenger side of the vehicle; wherein one of said plurality of cameras functions as a master camera and other cameras of said plurality of cameras function as slave cameras; an image processing system operable to process image data captured by said plurality of cameras; wherein, responsive to processing of captured image data, said vision system is operable to synthesize a composite image derived from image data captured by at least three cameras of said plurality of cameras; wherein at least two of said at least three cameras each comprises a slave camera; wherein one of said at least three cameras comprises the rearward viewing camera having at least a rearward field of view rearward of the vehicle; wherein the composite image comprises a bird'"'"'s eye view image; wherein operating parameters of the master camera are used by slave cameras of said plurality of cameras; wherein each of said plurality of cameras receives and sends signals via an Ethernet connection to an electronic control unit; wherein operating parameters of the master camera are carried via Ethernet connection between the master camera and the electronic control unit; and wherein the electronic control unit sends via Ethernet connection operating parameters carried via Ethernet connection between the master camera and the electronic control unit to said at least two of said at least three cameras that each comprises a slave camera so that image sections of the composite image, when displayed to a driver of the vehicle by a display device of the vehicle, appear uniform at the borders of the sections. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
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a plurality of cameras disposed at a vehicle and having respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle; wherein said plurality of cameras comprises a forward viewing camera having at least a forward field of view forward of the vehicle, a rearward viewing camera having at least a rearward field of view rearward of the vehicle, a driver-side sideward viewing camera having at least a sideward field of view at the driver side of the vehicle and a passenger-side sideward viewing camera having at least a sideward field of view at the passenger side of the vehicle; wherein one of said plurality of cameras functions as a master camera and other cameras of said plurality of cameras function as slave cameras; an image processing system operable to process image data captured by said plurality of cameras; wherein, responsive to processing of captured image data, said vision system is operable to synthesize a composite image derived from image data captured by said plurality of cameras; wherein said driver-side sideward viewing camera comprises a slave camera; wherein said passenger-side sideward viewing camera comprises a slave camera; wherein the composite image comprises a bird'"'"'s eye view image; wherein operating parameters of the master camera are used by said driver-side sideward viewing camera; wherein operating parameters of the master camera are used by said passenger-side sideward viewing camera; wherein each of said plurality of cameras receives and sends signals via an Ethernet connection to an electronic control unit; wherein operating parameters of the master camera are carried via Ethernet connection between the master camera and the electronic control unit; wherein the electronic control unit sends via Ethernet connection operating parameters carried via Ethernet connection between the master camera and the electronic control unit to said driver-side sideward viewing camera and to said passenger-side sideward viewing camera so that image sections of the composite image, when displayed to a driver of the vehicle by a display device of the vehicle, appear uniform at the borders of the sections; and wherein the master camera comprises one of (i) the forward viewing camera having at least a forward field of view forward of the vehicle and (ii) the rearward viewing camera having at least a rearward field of view rearward of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification