VEHICLE VISION SYSTEM WITH BLIND ZONE DISPLAY AND ALERT SYSTEM

• US 20180134217A1
• Filed: 05/06/2016
• Published: 05/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Magna Mirrors of America Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Mirrors of America Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: PETERSON, Kenneth C., HUIZEN, Gregory A., LYNAM, Niall R.
• Application Number:
  US15/571,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20180134217A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8026 in addition to a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8046 for replacing a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/635 Overlay text, e.g. embedded captions in a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/144 for flicker reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

A vision system for a vehicle includes an exterior structure mounted at an exterior portion of a body side of the equipped vehicle, with an imaging sensor disposed at the exterior structure and having a field of view exterior and sideward and rearward of the vehicle. A video display screen is disposed in an interior cabin of the equipped vehicle and operable to display video images. Responsive to detection of another vehicle at or near the side of the equipped vehicle, said video display screen displays a graphic overlay at the display screen. The graphic overlay includes a semitransparent overlay having a longitudinally extending line segment that extends along a displayed body side portion of the equipped vehicle and a plurality of laterally extending line segments that extend laterally outwardly from the longitudinally extending line segment at spaced apart intervals along the longitudinally extending line segment.

Claims

1. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:

an exterior structure mounted at an exterior portion of a body side of a vehicle equipped with said vision system;

an imaging sensor disposed at said exterior structure and having a field of view exterior of the equipped vehicle;

wherein the field of view of said imaging sensor extends at least sideward and rearward of the equipped vehicle;

wherein the field of view of said imaging sensor encompasses a portion of a side lane adjacent to the lane in which the equipped vehicle is traveling;

wherein the field of view of said imaging sensor encompasses at least a portion of the body side of the equipped vehicle at which the exterior structure is mounted;

said imaging sensor capturing image data within its field of view;

a video display screen disposed in an interior cabin of the equipped vehicle and viewable by a driver of the equipped vehicle, wherein said video display screen is operable to display video images derived at least in part from image data captured by said imaging sensor;

wherein said video display screen is operable to display a graphic overlay at the displayed video images to alert the driver of relative locations of other vehicles in the field of view of said image sensor; and

wherein said graphic overlay comprises a semitransparent perspectively-rendered overlay having a longitudinally extending line segment that extends along a displayed body side portion of the equipped vehicle and a plurality of laterally extending line segments that extend laterally outwardly from the longitudinally extending line segment at spaced apart intervals along the longitudinally extending line segment.

2. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said laterally extending line segments of said graphic overlay extend laterally so as to at least partially overlay a video-displayed side lane region adjacent to the equipped vehicle.

3. The vision system of claim 2, wherein said laterally extending segments are different color from one another and are color-coded to indicate degree of potential hazard.

4. The vision system of claim 1, wherein spacing between said laterally extending line segments is varied responsive at least in part to a speed of the equipped vehicle.

5. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said graphic overlay comprises an alert icon that changes responsive to a lane change risk due to a determination of the presence of another vehicle in the field of view of said imaging sensor.

6. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said graphic overlay comprises a distance indicator that enhances the viewer'"'"'s ability to determine a distance to another vehicle displayed by said video display screen.

7. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said graphic overlay comprises an alert bar that indicates a degree of a lane change risk due to a determination of the presence of another vehicle in the field of view of said imaging sensor.

8. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said display screen changes a tint of said display screen responsive to a lane change risk due to a determination of the presence of another vehicle in the field of view of said imaging sensor.

9. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said display screen expands the field of view shown at said display screen responsive to a determined presence of another vehicle in the field of view of said imaging sensor.

10. The vision system of claim 9, wherein said display screen displays a frame showing the initial field of view shown at said display screen.

11. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said exterior structure comprises an exterior rearview mirror assembly mounted at an exterior portion of a door of the equipped vehicle.

12. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said imaging sensor is disposed at a portion of said exterior structure of the equipped vehicle.

13. The vision system of claim 12, wherein said portion of said exterior structure is adjustably disposed at a housing of said exterior structure.

14. The vision system of claim 13, wherein said portion of said exterior structure is movable relative to said housing between a retracted state, where said imaging sensor is disposed in said housing, and an extended state, where said imaging sensor is disposed outside of said housing, and wherein said imaging sensor, when said portion is in said extended state, has said field of view exterior the vehicle.

15. The vision system of claim 14, wherein said portion of said exterior structure pivots between said retracted state and said extended state.

16. The vision system of claim 14, wherein, when said portion is in said retracted state, said imaging sensor has a generally downward field of view through a wide angle lens disposed at a lower portion of said structure, and wherein an angled mirror is disposed in said structure along an optical path between said imaging sensor and said wide angle lens.

17. The vision system of claim 16, wherein, when said imaging sensor has said generally downward field of view, said imaging sensor captures image data as part of a surround view vision system of the vehicle.

18. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said video display screen is disposed at an interior portion of a door of the equipped vehicle.

19. The vision system of claim 1, including an object detection system operable to detect presence of other vehicles in the field of view of said image sensor, and wherein said object detection system controls, at least in part, display of said graphic overlay.

20. The vision system of claim 19, wherein said object detection system detects presence of and distance to other vehicles in the field of view of said image sensor, and wherein said object detection system determines closing velocity between the equipped vehicle and detected other vehicles, and wherein, responsive to no detected vehicle having a positive closing velocity, said graphic overlay is not displayed.

21. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said video display screen is operable to episodically display said graphic overlay at the displayed video images.

22. The vision system of claim 21, wherein said graphic overlay is displayed responsive to one of (i) a determination of the presence of another vehicle in the side lane adjacent to the equipped vehicle and approaching the equipped vehicle from the rear and (ii) a communication from another vehicle present in the side lane adjacent to the equipped vehicle.

23. The vision system of claim 22, wherein said graphic overlay is not displayed when at least one of (i) there is no determination of the presence of another vehicle in the side lane adjacent to the equipped vehicle and approaching the equipped vehicle from the rear and (ii) there is no communication received from another vehicle present in the side lane adjacent to the equipped vehicle.

24. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:

an exterior structure mounted at an exterior portion of a body side of a vehicle equipped with said vision system;

an imaging sensor disposed at said exterior structure and having a field of view exterior of the equipped vehicle;

wherein the field of view of said imaging sensor extends at least sideward and rearward of the equipped vehicle;

wherein the field of view of said imaging sensor encompasses a portion of a side lane adjacent to the lane in which the equipped vehicle is traveling;

wherein the field of view of said imaging sensor encompasses at least a portion of the body side of the equipped vehicle at which the exterior structure is mounted;

said imaging sensor capturing image data within its field of view;

wherein said exterior structure comprises an exterior portion of a door of the equipped vehicle;

a video display screen disposed in an interior cabin of the equipped vehicle and viewable by a driver of the equipped vehicle, wherein said video display screen is operable to display video images derived at least in part from image data captured by said imaging sensor;

an object detection system of the equipped vehicle operable to detect presence of another vehicle sideward and rearward of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said video display screen is operable to display a graphic overlay at the displayed video images to alert the driver of relative locations of other vehicles in the field of view of said image sensor;

wherein said graphic overlay comprises a semitransparent perspectively-rendered overlay having a longitudinally extending line segment that extends along a displayed body side portion of the equipped vehicle and a plurality of laterally extending line segments that extend laterally outwardly from the longitudinally extending line segment at spaced apart intervals along the longitudinally extending line segment; and

wherein said graphic overlay comprises an alert icon generated responsive to determination, by said object detection system, of the presence of another vehicle sideward and rearward of the equipped vehicle.

25. The vision system of claim 24, wherein said laterally extending line segments of said graphic overlay extend laterally so as to at least partially overlay a video-displayed side lane region adjacent to the equipped vehicle.

26. The vision system of claim 24, wherein spacing between said laterally extending line segments is varied responsive at least in part to a speed of the equipped vehicle.

27. The vision system of claim 24, wherein said graphic overlay comprises a distance indicator that enhances the viewer'"'"'s ability to determine a distance to another vehicle displayed by said video display screen.

28. The vision system of claim 24, wherein said graphic overlay changes responsive to a lane change risk due to determination, by said object detection system, of the presence of another vehicle sideward and rearward of the equipped vehicle.

29. The vision system of claim 28, wherein said graphic overlay comprises an alert bar that indicates a degree of the lane change risk due.

30. The vision system of claim 28, wherein said display screen changes a tint of said display screen responsive to the lane change risk.

31. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:

an exterior structure mounted at an exterior portion of a body side of a vehicle equipped with said vision system;

an imaging sensor disposed at said exterior structure and having a field of view exterior of the equipped vehicle;

wherein the field of view of said imaging sensor extends at least sideward and rearward of the equipped vehicle;

wherein the field of view of said imaging sensor encompasses a portion of a side lane adjacent to the lane in which the equipped vehicle is traveling;

wherein the field of view of said imaging sensor encompasses at least a portion of the body side of the equipped vehicle at which the exterior structure is mounted;

said imaging sensor capturing image data within its field of view;

a video display screen disposed in an interior cabin of the equipped vehicle and viewable by a driver of the equipped vehicle, wherein said video display screen is operable to display video images derived at least in part from image data captured by said imaging sensor;

wherein said video display screen is operable to display a graphic overlay at the displayed video images to alert the driver of relative locations of other vehicles in the field of view of said image sensor;

an object detection system of the equipped vehicle operable to detect presence of another vehicle sideward and rearward of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said graphic overlay comprises a semitransparent perspectively-rendered overlay having a longitudinally extending line segment that extends along a displayed body side portion of the equipped vehicle and a plurality of laterally extending line segments that extend laterally outwardly from the longitudinally extending line segment at spaced apart intervals along the longitudinally extending line segment;

wherein said video display screen is operable to episodically display said graphic overlay at the displayed video images;

wherein said graphic overlay is displayed responsive to determination by said object detection system of the presence of another vehicle in the side lane adjacent to the equipped vehicle and approaching the equipped vehicle from the rear; and

wherein said graphic overlay is not displayed when there is no determination of the presence of another vehicle in the side lane adjacent to the equipped vehicle and approaching the equipped vehicle from the rear.

32. The vision system of claim 31, wherein spacing between said laterally extending line segments is varied responsive at least in part to a speed of the equipped vehicle.

33. The vision system of claim 31, wherein said graphic overlay comprises a distance indicator that enhances the viewer'"'"'s ability to determine a distance to another vehicle displayed by said video display screen.

34. The vision system of claim 31, wherein said graphic overlay comprises an alert bar that indicates a degree of a lane change risk due to determination by said object detection system of the presence of another vehicle.

35. The vision system of claim 31, wherein said display screen changes a tint of said display screen responsive to a lane change risk due to a determination of the presence of another vehicle in the field of view of said imaging sensor.

36. The vision system of claim 31, wherein said imaging sensor is disposed at a portion of said exterior structure of the equipped vehicle, and wherein said portion of said exterior structure is adjustably disposed at a housing of said exterior structure, and wherein said portion of said exterior structure is movable relative to said housing between a retracted state, where said imaging sensor is disposed in said housing, and an extended state, where said imaging sensor is disposed outside of said housing, and wherein said imaging sensor, when said portion is in said extended state, has said field of view exterior the vehicle.

37. The vision system of claim 36, wherein, when said portion is in said retracted state, said imaging sensor has a generally downward field of view through a wide angle lens disposed at a lower portion of said structure, and wherein an angled mirror is disposed in said structure along an optical path between said imaging sensor and said wide angle lens, and wherein, when said imaging sensor has said generally downward field of view, said imaging sensor captures image data as part of a surround view vision system of the vehicle.

38. The vision system of claim 31, wherein said graphic overlay is displayed responsive to a communication from another vehicle present in the side lane adjacent to the equipped vehicle.