Vehicular control system
First Claim
1. A control system for a vehicle, said control system comprising:
- a forward-viewing camera that is disposed behind a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said control system so as to view at least forwardly of the equipped vehicle through the windshield;
an image processor operable to process image data captured by said forward-viewing camera;
wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system is operable to detect a traffic light;
wherein said control system is operable to determine a change in state of the traffic light from red to green;
wherein said control system is operable to determine that the equipped vehicle is stopped;
wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system determines that the equipped vehicle is stopped at a red traffic light;
wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system determines that another vehicle is ahead of the equipped vehicle at the traffic light;
wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system determines a change in state of the traffic light from red to green;
wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system determines that the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle is moving; and
wherein, responsive to at least one of (a) a threshold period of time elapsing during which the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle has not moved after the traffic light changes state from red to green and (b) the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle moving a threshold distance away from the equipped vehicle, said control system is operable to at least one of (i) generate an alert and (ii) control a vehicle system of the equipped vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A control system for a vehicle includes a forward-viewing camera and an image processor operable to process image data captured by the forward-viewing camera. The control system is operable to detect a traffic light and to determine a change in state of the traffic light from red to green. The control system determines that another vehicle is ahead of the stopped equipped vehicle at the traffic light, and determines a change in state of the traffic light from red to green. Responsive to (a) a threshold period of time elapsing during which the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle has not moved after the traffic light changes state from red to green and/or (b) the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle moving a threshold distance away from the equipped vehicle, the control system (i) generates an alert and/or (ii) controls a vehicle system of the equipped vehicle.
393 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A control system for a vehicle, said control system comprising:
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a forward-viewing camera that is disposed behind a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said control system so as to view at least forwardly of the equipped vehicle through the windshield; an image processor operable to process image data captured by said forward-viewing camera; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system is operable to detect a traffic light; wherein said control system is operable to determine a change in state of the traffic light from red to green; wherein said control system is operable to determine that the equipped vehicle is stopped; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system determines that the equipped vehicle is stopped at a red traffic light; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system determines that another vehicle is ahead of the equipped vehicle at the traffic light; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system determines a change in state of the traffic light from red to green; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system determines that the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle is moving; and wherein, responsive to at least one of (a) a threshold period of time elapsing during which the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle has not moved after the traffic light changes state from red to green and (b) the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle moving a threshold distance away from the equipped vehicle, said control system is operable to at least one of (i) generate an alert and (ii) control a vehicle system of the equipped vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A control system for a vehicle, said control system comprising:
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a forward-viewing camera that is disposed behind a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said control system so as to view at least forwardly of the equipped vehicle through the windshield; an image processor operable to process image data captured by said forward-viewing camera; wherein, responsive at least in part to at least one of (i) processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, (ii) a V2V communication and (iii) an X2V communication, said control system detects a traffic light; wherein said control system is operable to determine that the equipped vehicle is stopped; wherein, responsive at least in part to at least one of (i) processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, (ii) a V2V communication and (iii) an X2V communication, said control system determines that the equipped vehicle is stopped at a red traffic light; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system determines that another vehicle is ahead of the equipped vehicle at the traffic light; wherein, responsive at least in part to at least one of (i) processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, (ii) a V2V communication and (iii) an X2V communication, said control system determines a change in state of the traffic light from red to green; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system determines that the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle is moving; and wherein, responsive to at least one of (a) a threshold period of time elapsing during which the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle has not moved after the traffic light changes state from red to green and (b) the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle moving a threshold distance away from the equipped vehicle, said control system controls a vehicle system of the equipped vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A control system for a vehicle, said control system comprising:
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a forward-viewing camera that is disposed behind a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said control system so as to view at least forwardly of the equipped vehicle through the windshield; an image processor operable to process image data captured by said forward-viewing camera; wherein said control system is operable to detect a traffic light; wherein said control system is operable to determine that the equipped vehicle is stopped; wherein said control system determines that the equipped vehicle is stopped at a red traffic light; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system determines that another vehicle is ahead of the equipped vehicle at the traffic light; wherein said control system determines that the traffic light changes state from red to green; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, said control system determines that the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle is moving; wherein said image processor processes image data captured by said forward-viewing camera when the equipped vehicle is moving in a forward direction for at least one of (i) a headlamp control system of the equipped vehicle and (ii) a lane departure warning system of the equipped vehicle; wherein said control system determines when the equipped vehicle is stopped responsive at least in part to at least one of (i) a speed sensor of the equipped vehicle and (ii) a braking system of the equipped vehicle; and wherein, responsive at least in part to determination, via image processing by said image processor of image data captured by said forward-viewing camera, that the equipped vehicle is approaching the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle, said control system is operable to apply a vehicle brake of the equipped vehicle to mitigate a collision with the other vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification