Vision system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10071687-B2
Application number	US-201214359341-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2012
Priority date	Nov 28, 2011
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A vision system for a vehicle includes multiple cameras disposed at a vehicle each having a field of view exterior of the vehicle. A display device is operable to display, for viewing by a driver of the vehicle, at least one of (a) video images captured by at least some of the cameras and (b) a composite image formed from image data captured by at least some of the cameras. The image data captured by at least some of the cameras is sent to a central video/image processor and the sent image data is substantially unmodified and is as captured by the respective ones of the camera or cameras. At least one of the cameras may have a tunable lens. The camera may provide almost raw image data to the display device and a graphic engine may run as a routine at the display device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
multiple cameras disposed at a vehicle each having a field of view exterior of the vehicle;
a display device operable to display, for viewing by a driver of the vehicle, at least one of (a) video images derived from image data captured by at least some of said cameras and (b) a composite image formed from image data captured by at least some of said cameras;
a central processing unit comprising an image processor, wherein said central processing unit is in communication with said cameras and a remote device;
wherein image data captured by at least some of said cameras is sent to said central processing unit and wherein said image data as sent is substantially unmodified and is as captured by the respective ones of said at least some of said cameras;
wherein, responsive to processing by said image processor of image data captured by at least some of said cameras, said central processing unit determines presence of an object in the field of view of at least one of said cameras;
wherein said central processing unit receives system updates from the remote device via wireless communications from the remote device, and wherein the updates include updating of image processing software used by said image processor;
wherein said system receives inputs from at least one non-permanently mounted device; and
wherein said non-permanently mounted device comprises a camera that is wirelessly linked via a non-permanent wired connected device that receives image data from said camera via a wireless port, and wherein said non-permanent wired connected device comprises a mobile phone device with a wireless interface for transferring image data captured by said camera.

2. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said display device is conjuncted to said mobile phone device, and wherein a graphic engine is running as an application on said mobile phone device.

3. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said image processor processes image data captured by a rearward viewing camera of said multiple cameras to detect an object rearward of the subject vehicle, and wherein said image processor is operable to process image data to determine movement vectors and wherein, responsive to said processing of image data, said image processor is operable to determine an object of interest in the field of view of said rearward viewing camera.

4. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said system is operable to process inputs from at least one of an ultrasound sensor, a radar sensor, an infrared sensor, a Lidar sensor and a Laser sensor.

5. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of (i) said non-permanently mounted device is plugged into a port attached to a bus architecture of the vehicle, and (ii) said non-permanently mounted device is wirelessly connected to a bus architecture of the vehicle.

6. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said mobile phone device is operable to transfer a graphic engine software container from the remote device via a data channel, and wherein at least one of (i) said graphic engine software container is received by said display device and (ii) said graphic engine software container is received by said vision system.

7. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said vision system is operable, responsive to processing of said image data, to provide an alert to the driver of the vehicle.

8. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said vision system delocates computing load from said camera to at least one of said display device and said mobile phone device.

9. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one camera comprises a wafer level camera.

10. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
multiple cameras disposed at a vehicle each having a field of view exterior of the vehicle;
a display device operable to display, for viewing by a driver of the vehicle, at least one of (a) video images derived from image data captured by at least some of said cameras and (b) a composite image formed from image data captured by at least some of said cameras;
a central processing unit comprising an image processor, wherein said central processing unit is in communication with said cameras and a remote device;
wherein image data captured by at least some of said cameras is sent to said central processing unit and wherein said image data as sent is substantially unmodified and is as captured by the respective ones of said at least some of said cameras;
wherein, responsive to processing by said image processor of image data captured by at least some of said cameras, said central processing unit determines presence of an object in the field of view of at least one of said cameras;
wherein said central processing unit receives system updates from the remote device via wireless communications from the remote device, and wherein the updates include updating of image processing software used by said image processor;
wherein said system receives inputs from at least one non-permanently mounted device; and
wherein said non-permanently mounted device comprises a camera that is wirelessly linked via a non-permanent wired connected device that receives image data from said camera via a wireless port, and wherein said non-permanent wired connected device comprises a mobile phone device with a wireless interface for transferring camera image data.

11. The vision system of claim 10 , wherein a control is operable to adjust a viewing direction of at least one of said cameras.

12. The vision system of claim 10 , wherein said image processor processes image data to determine movement vectors and wherein, responsive to said processing of image data, said central processing unit is operable to determine an object of interest in the field of view of said one of said cameras.

13. The vision system of claim 10 , wherein at least one of (i) said non-permanently mounted device is plugged into a port attached to a bus architecture of the vehicle, and (ii) said non-permanently mounted device is wirelessly connected to a bus architecture of the vehicle.

14. The vision system of claim 10 , wherein said vision system delocates computing load from said camera to at least one of said display device and said mobile phone device.

15. The vision system of claim 10 , wherein said at least one camera comprises a wafer level camera.

16. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
multiple cameras disposed at a vehicle each having a field of view exterior of the vehicle;
a display device operable to display, for viewing by a driver of the vehicle, at least one of (a) video images derived from image data captured by at least some of said cameras and (b) a composite image formed from image data captured by at least some of said cameras;
a central processing unit comprising an image processor, wherein said central processing unit is in communication with said cameras and a remote device;
wherein image data captured by at least some of said cameras is sent to said central processing unit and wherein said image data as sent is substantially unmodified and is as captured by the respective ones of said at least some of said cameras;
wherein, responsive to processing by said image processor of image data captured by at least some of said cameras, said central processing unit determines presence of an object in the field of view of at least one of said cameras;
wherein said central processing unit receives system updates from the remote device via wireless communications from the remote device, and wherein the upd

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Ihlenburg Joern
• Koppe Andreas
• Gieseke Achim
• Mahmoud Hossam
• Diessner Horst D

Classifications

• H04N7/18

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