Vehicular vision system

• US 6,891,563 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schofield, Kenneth, Vadas, Keith J., Larson, Mark L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Application Number:
  US10/324,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20030122930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 348110-135, 348143-160
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/23 with a predetermined field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/30 providing vision in the non-visible spectrum, e.g. night or infrared vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/103 using camera systems provided with artificial illumination device, e.g. IR light source
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/106 using night vision cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/107 using stereoscopic cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/207 using multi-purpose displays, e.g. camera image and navigation or video on same display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8053 for bad weather conditions or night vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 for monitoring rearward traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A vehicle vision system includes a vehicle having first and second spatially separated image capture sensors. The first image capture device has a first field of view having a first field of view portion at least partially overlapping a field of view portion of a second field of view of the second image capture device. A control receives a first image input from the first image capture sensor and a second image input from the second image capture sensor and generates a composite image synthesized from the first image input and the second image input. A display system displays the composite image.

Claims

1. A vehicular vision system, said system comprising:

a vehicle;

said vehicle comprising a first image capture sensor and a second image capture sensor;

said first image capture sensor spatially separated from said second image capture sensor;

said first image capture sensor having a first field of view with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle;

said second image capture sensor having a second field of view with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle;

said first field of view having a field of view portion at least partially overlapping a field of view portion of said second field of view;

a control;

said control receiving a first image input from said first image capture sensor;

said control receiving a second image input from said second image capture sensor;

said control generating a composite image, said composite image synthesized from said first image input and said second image input;

a display system displaying said composite image;

said display system including a screen located in said vehicle cabin, said composite image displayed on said screen and viewable by the vehicle driver; and

wherein said synthesization from said first image input and said second image input comprises vertical compression of an image portion captured within at least one of said first field of view and said second field of view, said vertical compression comprising removing particular horizontal image lines from said image portion.

2. The vision system in claim 1 wherein said first field of view and said second field of view are directed generally rearwardly with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

3. The vision system in claim 1 wherein said display system displays the rear image either generally above or generally below the central forward field of view of the vehicle driver.

4. The vision system in claim 1 wherein said screen is positioned at one of a dashboard, a facia, a header, a windshield and an interior rearview mirror portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle.

5. The vision system in claim 1 wherein said display system comprises a display selected from the group consisting of a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, a field emission display, a cathode ray tube, an electroluminescent display, a light-emitting diode display, and a deformable mirror display.

6. The vision system in claim 1 wherein said display system has a variable luminance output which is varied as a function of ambient light levels.

7. The vision system in claim 6 wherein the luminance output of said display system is responsive to one of a vehicle headlight activation control, an ambient light sensor, and an indication of ambient light level developed by said at least one image capture device.

8. The vision system in claim 7 wherein said display system includes a user comfort level setting to establish a desired luminance output level at a particular ambient light level.

9. The vision system in claim 1 wherein said display system includes an image generator.

10. The vision system in claim 9 wherein said image generator comprises an image magnifier which magnifies the displayed rear image generated by said image generator.

11. The vision system in claim 1 wherein said composite image approximates a view from a single image capture sensor at a single location.

12. The vision system in claim 1 wherein said composite image displayed by said screen of said display system has an aspect ratio that is between approximately 4:

1 and approximately 2;

1.

13. The vision system in claim 1 wherein said composite image displayed by said display screen of said display system has an aspect ratio that is approximately 8:

3.

14. The vision system in claim 11 wherein said screen of said display system displays a supplemental image.

15. The vision system in claim 14 wherein said display system is reconfigurable in order to selectively display different supplemental images on said screen.

16. The vision system in claim 15 wherein said supplemental image includes at least one of pager information, telephone number listing, global positioning system output, map, route guidance information, intelligent vehicle highway system information, vehicle radio control settings, vehicle environmental system settings, vehicle speed, vehicle heading, and turn signal indicators.

17. The vision system in claim 1 wherein said screen of said display system displays a supplemental image.

18. The vision system in claim 17 wherein said display system is reconfigurable in order to selectively display different supplemental images on said screen.

19. The vision system in claim 18 wherein said supplemental image includes at least one of pager information, telephone number using, global positioning system output, map, route guidance information, intelligent vehicle highway system information, vehicle radio control settings, vehicle environmental system settings, vehicle speed, vehicle heading, and turn signal indicators.

20. The vision system in claim 17 wherein said composite image displayed by said screen of said display system has an aspect ratio that is between approximately 4:

1 and 2;

1.

21. The vision system in claim 17 wherein said composite image displayed by said screen of said display system has an aspect ratio that is approximately 8:

3.

22. The vision system in claim 1 wherein said composite image displayed by said screen of said display system has an aspect ratio of at least approximately 2:

1.

23. The vision system in claim 1 wherein said vertical compression substantially eliminates distortion resulting from said spatial separation of said first and second image capture sensors.