Vehicular safety system for controlling a safety feature
First Claim
1. A vehicular safety system, said vehicular safety system comprising:
- a rearward-viewing camera disposed at a vehicle equipped with said vehicular safety system so as to have an exterior field of view at least rearward of the equipped vehicle;
said rearward-viewing camera capturing image data;
a control comprising a processor for processing image data captured by said rearward-viewing camera;
wherein, responsive at least in part to processing at said control of image data captured by said rearward-viewing camera, a vehicle exterior and rearward of the equipped vehicle is detected;
wherein, when reverse gear of the equipped vehicle is not engaged, and responsive to determination of a pending collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle, a safety feature of the equipped vehicle is triggered before actual impact between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle occurs;
wherein the triggered safety feature comprises a triggered reversible feature of a driver seat of the equipped vehicle;
wherein, if actual impact between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle does not occur, the triggered safety feature returns to its condition that existed prior to the determination of the pending collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle; and
wherein operation of the safety feature changes during a reversing maneuver of the equipped vehicle with reverse gear engaged.
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Abstract
A vehicular safety system includes a rearward-viewing camera disposed at a vehicle so as to have an exterior field of view at least rearward of the equipped vehicle. A control includes an image processor for processing image data captured by the camera to detect a vehicle exterior and rearward of the equipped vehicle and to determine if a collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle is pending. When reverse gear is engaged, and responsive to determination of the pending collision, a safety feature of the equipped vehicle, such as a reversible feature of a driver seat of the equipped vehicle, is triggered before impact occurs. If actual impact does not occur, the triggered safety feature returns to its condition that existed prior to the determination of the pending collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle.
54 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A vehicular safety system, said vehicular safety system comprising:
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a rearward-viewing camera disposed at a vehicle equipped with said vehicular safety system so as to have an exterior field of view at least rearward of the equipped vehicle; said rearward-viewing camera capturing image data; a control comprising a processor for processing image data captured by said rearward-viewing camera; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing at said control of image data captured by said rearward-viewing camera, a vehicle exterior and rearward of the equipped vehicle is detected; wherein, when reverse gear of the equipped vehicle is not engaged, and responsive to determination of a pending collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle, a safety feature of the equipped vehicle is triggered before actual impact between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle occurs; wherein the triggered safety feature comprises a triggered reversible feature of a driver seat of the equipped vehicle; wherein, if actual impact between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle does not occur, the triggered safety feature returns to its condition that existed prior to the determination of the pending collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle; and wherein operation of the safety feature changes during a reversing maneuver of the equipped vehicle with reverse gear engaged. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A vehicular safety system, said vehicular safety system comprising:
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a rearward-viewing camera disposed at a vehicle equipped with said vehicular safety system so as to have an exterior field of view at least rearward of the equipped vehicle; said rearward-viewing camera capturing image data; a control comprising a processor for processing image data captured by said rearward-viewing camera; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing at said control of image data captured by said rearward-viewing camera, a vehicle exterior and rearward of the equipped vehicle is detected; wherein, when reverse gear of the equipped vehicle is not engaged, and responsive to determination of a pending collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle, a safety feature of the equipped vehicle is triggered before actual impact between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle occurs; wherein the triggered safety feature comprises a triggered reversible adjustment of a position of a driver seat of the equipped vehicle; wherein, if actual impact between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle does not occur, the triggered safety feature returns to its condition that existed prior to the determination of the pending collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle; wherein operation of the safety feature changes during a reversing maneuver of the equipped vehicle with reverse gear engaged; and wherein, when reverse gear of the equipped vehicle is not engaged, and responsive to determination of the pending collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle, and responsive to a detection that a passenger seat is occupied by an occupant of the equipped vehicle, said vehicular safety system reversibly adjusts a position of a passenger seat headrest of the passenger seat of the equipped vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A vehicular safety system, said vehicular safety system comprising:
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a rearward-viewing camera disposed at a vehicle equipped with said vehicular safety system so as to have an exterior field of view at least rearward of the equipped vehicle; said rearward-viewing camera capturing image data; a control comprising a processor for processing image data captured by said rearward-viewing camera; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing at said control of image data captured by said rearward-viewing camera, a vehicle exterior and rearward of the equipped vehicle is detected; wherein, when reverse gear of the equipped vehicle is not engaged, and responsive to determination of a pending collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle, a safety feature of the equipped vehicle is triggered before actual impact between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle occurs; wherein the triggered safety feature comprises a triggered reversible feature of a driver seat of the equipped vehicle; wherein the triggered reversible feature comprises a reversible feature selected from the group consisting of (i) a reversible adjustment of a driver seat headrest of the driver seat of the equipped vehicle, (ii) a reversible adjustment of a seat belt of the driver seat of the equipped vehicle and (iii) a reversible adjustment of a seat setting of the driver seat of the equipped vehicle; wherein, responsive to determination via processing at said control of image data captured by said rearward-viewing camera that the detected vehicle rearward of the equipped vehicle is following the equipped vehicle within a threshold distance behind the equipped vehicle, said vehicular safety system generates an alert to a driver of the equipped vehicle; wherein, if actual impact between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle does not occur, the triggered safety feature returns to its condition that existed prior to the determination of the pending collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle; and wherein operation of the safety feature changes during a reversing maneuver of the equipped vehicle with reverse gear engaged. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification