Vehicular rear view camera display system with lifecheck function

• US 9,117,123 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nix, Axel
• Primary Examiner(s): Torrente, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUH, JOSEPH JINWOO
• Application Number:
  US13/176,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20120002051A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 324/543, 340/541, 340/441, 340/435, 375/240.22, 701/41, 345/519, 348/148
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8006 for monitoring and displaying scenes of vehicle interior, e.g. for monitoring passengers or cargo
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/28 involving image processing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness

Abstract

A vehicular display system having a camera for producing a video signal and a display device for displaying the video signal. The display device includes an integrity check to detect a defective video signal and alert the driver if a defective video signal has been detected.

Claims

1. A vehicular display system, comprising:

a display monitor;

a camera mounted at a rear of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular display system, wherein the camera has a field of view rearward of the equipped vehicle and is operable to capture image data and to generate a video signal indicative of the captured image data;

a controller receiving an input indicative of the video signal and, responsive thereto, providing video information for displaying video images on the display monitor;

wherein, responsive to the input and responsive to vehicle speed data of the equipped vehicle being indicative of the equipped vehicle moving rearwardly at a speed greater than zero, the controller is operable to perform an integrity check to ensure that video information provided to the display monitor is not compromised;

wherein the integrity check determines that video information provided to the display monitor is compromised via a determination, when the equipped vehicle is moving in reverse, that video information provided to the display monitor comprises a frozen image;

wherein, responsive to the controller determining that video information provided to the display monitor comprises a frozen image, the controller generates an alert to a driver of the equipped vehicle; and

wherein a threshold level of change in captured image data at which the video information is determined to comprise a frozen image varies with the vehicle speed.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the alert is one of a blacked out screen or a graphic overlay on the display monitor.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the camera provides an analog video signal to a video encoder and the video decoder provides digital image data to the controller.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein, when the equipped vehicle is moving in reverse, and responsive to a determination of a change in captured image data being less than a threshold level of change, the controller determines that the video information provided to the display monitor comprises a frozen image.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the controller conducts a heartbeat handshake with at least one other functional component and generates the alert in the event the at least one other functional component does not respond within a predetermined period of time.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines an impedance of a video signal line carrying the video signal and generates the alert in the event the measured impedance deviates by a predetermined amount.

7. A system according to claim 1 including a pixel memory, and wherein the controller periodically queries the pixel memory to ascertain its continued functionality.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the alert comprises a visual alert for the driver for view on the display monitor.

9. A vehicular display system comprising:

a camera disposed at a rear of a vehicle equipped with said vehicular display system and having a field of view rearward of the equipped vehicle and producing a video signal;

a display device for displaying images derived from the video signal;

a controller, wherein, responsive to a vehicle speed input being indicative of the equipped vehicle moving rearwardly at a speed greater than zero, the controller performs an integrity check to detect a defective video signal, and wherein, responsive to detection by the controller of a defective video signal, the controller alerts a driver of the equipped vehicle that a defective video signal has been detected, wherein the integrity check detects a defective video signal via a determination, when the vehicle is moving rearwardly, that video information provided to the display device comprises a frozen image;

wherein the controller is operable to determine when captured image data vary less than a threshold amount when the vehicle is moving rearwardly, and wherein, responsive to a determination of less than the threshold amount of variation in captured image data when the vehicle is moving rearwardly, the controller alerts the driver that a defective video signal has been detected; and

wherein the threshold amount varies with the speed of the equipped vehicle.

10. A vehicular display system of claim 9, wherein said controller is operable to determine when captured image data vary less than a threshold amount when the vehicle is moving rearwardly.

11. A vehicular display system of claim 9, wherein the controller is operable to determine a threshold impedance level in a video line carrying the video signal, and wherein, responsive to a determination of the threshold impedance level, the controller alerts the driver that a defective video signal has been detected.

12. A vehicular display system of claim 9, wherein the controller alerts the driver via a visual alert displayed on the display device.

13. A vehicular display system comprising:

a camera disposed at a vehicle equipped with said vehicular display system, the camera having an exterior field of view rearward of the equipped vehicle and capturing image data;

a display device for displaying images responsive to a video signal, wherein the video signal is derived from image data captured by the camera;

a controller, wherein the controller, responsive to a vehicle speed signal being indicative of the equipped vehicle moving rearwardly at a speed greater than zero, is operable to determine a compromised video signal and to alert a driver if a compromised video signal has been determined;

wherein the controller determines a compromised video signal responsive to a determination, when the vehicle is moving rearwardly, that the video signal comprises a frozen image;

wherein the video signal is determined to comprise a frozen image responsive to a determination that captured image data in at least two frames of captured image data vary less than a threshold amount when the vehicle is moving rearwardly; and

wherein the threshold amount varies with the speed of the equipped vehicle.

14. A vehicular display system of claim 13, wherein the camera is disposed at a rear of the vehicle and wherein said controller is operable to determine when captured image data in at least two frames of captured image data vary less than a threshold amount when the vehicle is moving rearwardly.

15. A vehicular display system of claim 13, wherein the controller is operable to determine an impedance level in a video line carrying the video signal, and wherein, responsive at least in part to a determination that the impedance level varies beyond a threshold impedance level range, the controller alerts the driver that a compromised video signal has been determined.

16. A vehicular display system of claim 13, wherein the controller alerts the driver via a visual alert displayed on the display device.