SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING A HYBRID CAMERA VIEW IN A VEHICLE

• US 20170274822A1
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Haggerty, Terry, Ignaczak, Brad Alan, Diedrich, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 10,576,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/102 using 360 degree surveillance camera system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking

Abstract

Embodiments include a vehicle comprising a plurality of cameras for capturing images within a field of view surrounding the vehicle; a processor for generating a real-time view of an area within the field of view using currently-captured images, and a time-delayed view of a region outside the field of view using previously-captured images stored in a memory; and a display for displaying a hybrid view comprising the real-time view and time-delayed view. Embodiments also include a vehicle camera system comprising a plurality of cameras configured to capture images within a field of view surrounding the vehicle, and a processor configured to generate a real-time view of an area within the field of view using currently-captured images, a time-delayed view of a region outside the field of view using previously-captured images stored in a memory, and a hybrid view of the vehicle by integrating the time-delayed view into the real-time view.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of cameras for capturing images within a field of view surrounding the vehicle;

a processor for generating a real-time view of an area within the field of view using currently-captured images, and a time-delayed view of a region outside the field of view using previously-captured images stored in a memory; and

a display for displaying a hybrid view comprising the real-time view and the time-delayed view.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising the memory, wherein the memory stores the currently-captured images as new previously-captured images, and the processor updates the time-delayed view once the new images are stored in the memory.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the region outside the field of view includes a road surface underneath the vehicle, and the processor generates the time-delayed view by combining the previously-captured images that show the road surface underneath the vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor generates the real-time view by combining the currently-captured images from each camera, the real-time view including a blank space corresponding to the region outside the field of view.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the processor generates the hybrid view by integrating the time-delayed view into the blank space of the real-time view.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising formatting the hybrid view to include a first characteristic for the time-delayed view and a second, different characteristic for the real-time view.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the previously-captured images are images captured by the plurality of cameras at a point in time prior to capture of the currently-captured images.

8. A method, comprising:

retrieving, from a memory, stored images showing areas surrounding a vehicle;

generating, by a processor, a time-delayed view of a surface underneath the vehicle based on the retrieved images;

combining, by the processor, the time-delayed view with real-time images captured by cameras positioned around the vehicle to form a hybrid view of the vehicle; and

providing the hybrid view to a vehicle display for display thereon.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the real-time images are combined to form a real-time view of the area surrounding the vehicle, the real-time view including a blank space corresponding to a location of the surface underneath the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein combining the time-delayed view with the real-time images includes integrating the time-delayed view into the blank space of the real-time view to form the hybrid view.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising formatting the hybrid view to include a first characteristic for the time-delayed view and a second, different characteristic for the real-time view.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the real-time view is displayed in color and the time-delayed view is displayed in black and white.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

updating, by the processor, the time-delayed view based on a new set of stored images retrieved from the memory; and

providing the updated time-delayed view to the vehicle display to replace the time-delayed view currently on display.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the stored images are images captured by the cameras at a point in time prior to capture of the real-time images.

15. A vehicle camera system, comprising:

a plurality of cameras configured to capture images within a field of view surrounding the vehicle;

a processor configured to generate;

a real-time view of an area within the field of view using currently-captured images,

a time-delayed view of a region outside the field of view using previously-captured images stored in a memory, and

a hybrid view of the vehicle by integrating the time-delayed view into the real-time view.

16. The vehicle camera system of claim 15, wherein the processor generates the real-time view by combining the currently-captured images from each camera, the real-time view including a blank space corresponding to the region outside the field of view.

17. The vehicle camera system of claim 16, wherein the processor integrates the time-delayed view into the blank space of the real-time view.

18. The vehicle camera system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to format the hybrid view to include a first characteristic for the time-delayed view and a second, different characteristic for the real-time view.

19. The vehicle camera system of claim 15, the processor is further configured to update the time-delayed view once new images are stored in the memory.

20. The vehicle camera system of claim 15, wherein the region outside the field of view includes a road surface underneath the vehicle, and the processor generates the time-delayed view by combining the previously-captured images that show the road surface underneath the vehicle.