Imaging system for vehicle

• US 20030236622A1
• Filed: 04/24/2003
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schofield, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 6,946,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/216
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1656 with passive imaging devices, e.g. cameras

Abstract

An imaging system suitable for use with a vehicle based global positioning system includes an imaging sensor and a control. The imaging sensor is positioned at the vehicle and may face generally forwardly with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle. The control may be operable to provide a record of vehicle movement since the last position data derived from the vehicle based global positioning system. The imaging system may also or otherwise be suitable for use with a vehicle based magnetic compass system. The imaging system may be operable in combination with a magnetic field sensor of the magnetic compass system to provide a substantially continuously calibrated heading indication, which is substantially resistant to local magnetic anomalies and changes in vehicle inclination. The imaging sensor may be associated with one or more other accessories of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An imaging system suitable for use with a vehicle based global positioning system, the vehicle based global positioning system being operable to determine a vehicle position in response to a satellite communication and to provide position data of the vehicle position, said imaging system comprising:

an imaging sensor operable to capture an image of a scene exteriorly of the vehicle, said imaging sensor being positioned at one of an interior portion of the vehicle and an exterior portion of the vehicle; and

a control operable to process said image and to provide a record of vehicle movement via processing of said image, said control being operable to receive the position data from the vehicle based global positioning system, said control being operable to determine a current vehicle location via said record of vehicle movement when the satellite communication to the vehicle based global positioning system is interrupted.

2. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said imaging system is positioned to face generally forwardly with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle, said imaging sensor being operable to capture an image of a scene forwardly of the vehicle.

3. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said control analyzes frames of said images captured by said imaging sensor frame-by-frame.

4. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said control processes said image captured by said imaging sensor to determine a change of orientation of a principal vehicle axis.

5. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said control receives inputs from at least one of a vehicle speed sensor and a distance traveled sensor.

6. The imaging system of claim 5, wherein said control is operable to provide a three dimensional record of vehicle movement.

7. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said imaging sensor comprises a pixelated imaging array sensor comprising a plurality of photosensing pixels.

8. The imaging system of claim 7, wherein said control is operable to scale image data from at least one frame of said images captured by said imaging sensor.

9. The imaging system of claim 8, wherein said control is operable to scale image data from one frame prior to a frame-to-frame correlation of said one frame and a successive frame of said images captured by said imaging sensor.

10. The imaging system of claim 9, wherein said control is operable to scale image data based on image shifts in at least on direction in increments of at least one pixel of said plurality of pixels.

11. The imaging system of claim 10, wherein said control is operable to scale image data based on shifts in all dirrections in increments of at least one pixel of said plurality of pixels.

12. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said imaging sensor is associated with at least one other accessory of the vehicle.

13. The imaging system of claim 12, wherein said at least one other accessory of the vehicle comprises at least one of a rearward facing imaging system, a forward facing imaging system, an automatic head lamp control system, a lane departure warning system, a traffic sign recognition system, a distance sensing system and a rain sensor system.

14. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said control is operable to cooperatively operate with a vehicle based magnetic compass system to provide a generally continuously calibrated vehicle heading indication in response to processing of said image and in response to an output of the at least one magnetoresponsive sensor of the vehicle based magnetic compass system.

15. An imaging system suitable for use with a vehicle based magnetic compass system, the vehicle based magnetic compass system at least one magnetoresponsive sensor operable to determine a vehicle heading of the vehicle, said imaging system comprising:

an imaging sensor operable to capture an image of a scene exteriorly of the vehicle, said imaging sensor being positioned at one of an interior portion of the vehicle and an exterior portion of the vehicle; and

a control operable to process said image and to cooperatively operate with the vehicle based magnetic compass system to provide a generally continuously calibrated vehicle heading indication in response to said processing of said image and in response to an output of the at least one magnetoresponsive sensor of the vehicle based magnetic compass system.

16. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein said imaging sensor is positioned to face generally forwardly with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle, said imaging sensor being operable to capture an image of a scene forwardly of the vehicle.

17. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein said imaging sensor is operable to capture multiple images and said control is operable to process said captured images frame-by-frame.

18. The imaging system of claim 17, wherein said control receives an input from at least one of a vehicle speed sensor and a distance traveled sensor.

19. The imaging system of claim 18, wherein said control is operable to combine data derived from said frame-by-frame analysis, data input from said at least one of a vehicle speed and a distance traveled sensor, and data from the at least one magnetoresponsive sensor of the vehicle based magnetic compass system.

20. The imaging system of claim 19, wherein said control is operable to substantially maintain the vehicle based magnetic compass system substantially calibrated, thereby avoiding the effects of local anomalies.

21. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein said control provides three dimensional data concerning the orientation of the vehicle axis.

22. The imaging system of claim 21, wherein said control is operable to correct vehicle heading information for any inaccuracies which may be present due to pitch and/or roll of the vehicle.

23. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein said control is operable to provide a substantially continuously calibrated vehicle heading indication which is substantially resistant to local magnetic anomalies and changes in vehicle inclination.

24. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein said imaging sensor is associated with at least one other accessory of the vehicle.

25. The imaging system of claim 24, wherein said at least one other accessory of the vehicle comprises at least one of a rearward facing imaging system, a forward facing imaging system, an automatic headlamp control system, a lane departure warning system, a traffic sign recognition system, a distance sensing system and a rain sensor system.

26. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein said control is operable to provide a record of vehicle movement via said processing of said image, said control being operable to receive position data from a vehicle based global positioning system, said control being operable to determine a current vehicle location via said record of vehicle movement when the satellite communication to the vehicle based global positioning system is interrupted.