Vision system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10071676-B2
Application number	US-201615262479-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2016
Priority date	Aug 11, 2006
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A vision system for a vehicle includes a camera having a field of view in a forward direction of travel of the vehicle. Image data captured by the camera is processed by an image processor of a control to determine location of objects present within a scene external the vehicle within the field of view of the camera. The image processor processes captured image data to detect lane markers on a road being driven by the vehicle and located within the field of view of the camera. The control receives vehicle data via a communication bus of the vehicle. The vehicle data includes at least (i) data indicative of speed of the vehicle and (ii) data indicative of trajectory of the vehicle. Responsive to processing by the image processor of captured image data, the control may control, at least in part, a pedestrian detection system of the vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
a camera having a field of view in a forward direction of travel of a vehicle equipped with said vision system;
wherein said camera comprises a lens and a CMOS imaging array comprising a two-dimensional array of photosensing elements;
wherein said two-dimensional array of photosensing elements comprises at least 307,200 photosensing elements arranged in a matrix array of rows and columns;
wherein image data is captured by said camera as sequential frames of image data and is captured at a frame rate in the range of from 5 image frames per second to 120 image frames per second;
a control comprising an image processor;
wherein image data captured by said camera is processed by said image processor to determine location of objects present within a scene external the equipped vehicle within the field of view of said camera that is monitored by said camera;
wherein said image processor processes image data captured by said camera to detect lane markers on a road being driven by the equipped vehicle and located within the field of view of said camera;
wherein said control receives vehicle data via a communication bus of the equipped vehicle;
wherein said vehicle data comprises at least (i) data indicative of speed of the equipped vehicle and (ii) data indicative of trajectory of the equipped vehicle; and
wherein, responsive to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls, at least in part, a pedestrian detection system of the equipped vehicle.

2. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein image data captured by said camera is processed by said image processor to determine a characteristic of the monitored scene.

3. The vision system of claim 2 , wherein the determined characteristic of the monitored scene comprises an illumination level.

4. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein image data captured by said camera from particular regions of the monitored scene is processed by said image processor for particular purposes.

5. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein image data captured by said camera from a region of the monitored scene that generally corresponds to a region of influence of a light beam pattern emanating from a headlamp of the equipped vehicle is processed by said image processor to determine a need to adjust the light beam pattern if, responsive to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, other road users are detected within that region.

6. The vision system of claim 5 , wherein said light beam pattern comprises a high beam pattern.

7. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein image data captured by said camera from a first region of the monitored scene is processed by said image processor and image data captured by said camera from regions to the left and right of the first region of the monitored scene is processed by said image processor, and based at least in part on processing by said image processor of image data captured from the first region and the left and right regions, upcoming entry of other road users into the first region is anticipated in order to facilitate a rapid and appropriate response upon entry or just prior to entry of other road users into the first region.

8. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said control tracks detected objects across multiple frames of image data captured by said camera and compares the detected objects tracked across multiple frames of image data to their expected locations through the multiple frames as the equipped vehicle moves along the road.

9. The vision system of claim 8 , wherein the equipped vehicle moves in a substantially straight path during said tracking and comparison.

10. The vision system of claim 8 , wherein, responsive at least in part to said tracking and comparison, the viewing angle of said camera is adjusted.

11. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said vision system aligns image data according to road topology of the road ahead of the equipped vehicle and in the field of view of said camera.

12. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said detected objects comprise at least one of headlights of other vehicles and taillights of other vehicles.

13. The vision system of claim 12 , wherein said control adjusts beam light emitted by a vehicle headlamp of the equipped vehicle at least in part responsive to detection of objects via processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera.

14. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said vision system, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, automatically recognizes whether the equipped vehicle is being driven on a road of a left hand drive road system or on a road of a right hand drive road system, and wherein a driver assistance system of the equipped vehicle is automatically configured according to the recognized left or right hand drive road system.

15. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls an automatic headlamp control system of the equipped vehicle.

16. The vision system of claim 15 , wherein said automatic headlamp control system comprises an adaptive front lighting system.

17. The vision system of claim 16 , wherein a light beam emitted by a vehicle headlamp of the equipped vehicle is adjusted at least in part responsive to (i) processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera and (ii) said control receiving vehicle data via said communication bus of the equipped vehicle.

18. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls, at least in part, a traffic sign recognition system of the equipped vehicle.

19. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said control, responsive to processing of captured image data by said image processor, controls, at least in part, an adaptive cruise control system of the equipped vehicle.

20. The vision system of claim 19 , wherein said camera is accommodated in a housing assembly that detachably attaches to an attachment plate that is attached at an upper central region of an inner surface of a windshield of the equipped vehicle, and wherein, with the housing assembly attached to the attachment plate, said camera views through a portion of the windshield swept by the vehicle's windshield wiper system.

21. The vision system of claim 19 , wherein, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera, said control controls an automatic headlamp control system of the equipped vehicle, and wherein said control adjusts beam light emitted by a vehicle headlamp of the equipped vehicle at least in part responsive to detection of objects via processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera.

22. The vision system of claim 21 , wherein said automatic headlamp control system comprises an adaptive front lighting system, and wherein beam light emitted by the vehicle headlamp of the equipped vehicle is adjusted at least in part responsive to (i) processing by said image processor of image data captured by said camera and (ii) said control receiving vehicl

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Schofield Kenneth

Classifications

• H04N25/76

  Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors · CPC title

• G06V10/147

  Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses (fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19) · CPC title

• G06K9/209

  Physics · mapped topic

• B60Q2300/122

  Steering angle · CPC title

• B60Q2300/322

  Road curvature · CPC title