Vehicle vision system with lens shading correction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10540756-B2
Application number	US-201815874918-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2018
Priority date	Jan 19, 2017
Publication date	Jan 21, 2020
Grant date	Jan 21, 2020

Abstract

A vision system for a vehicle includes a camera disposed at a vehicle and having a field of view exterior of the vehicle, an image processor operable to process image data captured by the camera, and a display operable to display images derived from image data captured by the camera. The image processor, via processing of image data captured by the camera, determines a noise level in image data captured by the camera. The vision system applies a lens shading algorithm to captured image data, and the vision system adjusts a level of the lens shading algorithm responsive to the determined noise level.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
a camera configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have a field of view exterior of the vehicle, said camera comprising an imager and a lens;
an image processor operable to process image data captured by said camera;
a display configured to be disposed in the vehicle so as to be viewable by a driver of the vehicle;
wherein said image processor, via processing of image data captured by said camera, determines a noise level in image data captured by said camera;
wherein said vision system applies a lens shading algorithm to image data captured by said camera;
wherein said vision system adjusts a level of the lens shading algorithm responsive to the determined noise level; and
wherein, with said camera disposed at the vehicle and with said display disposed in the vehicle, said display displays images derived from image data captured by said camera after the adjusted level of the lens shading algorithm is applied.

2. The vision system of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of cameras configured to be disposed at the vehicle so as to have respective exterior fields of view, wherein, with said cameras disposed at the vehicle and said display disposed in the vehicle, said display displays a surround view image derived from image data captured by said cameras and stitched together to provide a composite image at said display.

3. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to an increase in the determined noise level, said vision system reduces the level of the lens shading algorithm.

4. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to the determined noise level being less than a first threshold level, the lens shading algorithm is tuned to 100 percent.

5. The vision system of claim 4 , wherein, responsive to the determined noise level being greater than the first threshold level but less than a second threshold level, the lens shading algorithm is tuned to 50 percent.

6. The vision system of claim 5 , wherein, responsive to the determined noise level being greater than the second threshold level, the lens shading algorithm is not applied.

7. The vision system of claim 6 , wherein the first threshold level is a selected level below a baseline image level and the second threshold level is a selected level above the baseline image level.

8. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to the determined noise level being less than a threshold level, the lens shading algorithm is tuned to 50 percent.

9. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to the determined noise level being greater than a threshold level, the lens shading algorithm is not applied.

10. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said image processor, via processing of image data captured by said camera, determines the noise level at selected regions of the captured image data that are less than the entirety of a frame of captured image data.

11. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
a plurality of cameras configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle, each of said cameras comprising an imager and a lens;
an image processor operable to process image data captured by said cameras;
a display configured to be disposed in the vehicle so as to be viewable by a driver of the vehicle;
wherein said image processor, via processing of image data captured by said cameras, determines a noise level in image data captured by each of said cameras;
wherein said vision system applies a lens shading algorithm to image data captured by said cameras;
wherein said vision system adjusts a level of the lens shading algorithm responsive to the determined noise level;
wherein, responsive to the determined noise level being greater than an upper threshold level, the lens shading algorithm is not applied;
wherein, with said cameras disposed at the vehicle and said display disposed in the vehicle, said display displays a surround view image derived from image data captured by said cameras and stitched together to provide a composite image at said display; and
wherein the displayed surround view image is derived from image data captured by said cameras after the adjusted level of the lens shading algorithm is applied.

12. The vision system of claim 11 , wherein, responsive to an increase in the determined noise level, said vision system reduces the level of the lens shading algorithm.

13. The vision system of claim 11 , wherein, responsive to the determined noise level being less than a first threshold level, the lens shading algorithm is tuned to 100 percent, and wherein the first threshold level is less than the upper threshold level.

14. The vision system of claim 13 , wherein, responsive to the determined noise level being greater than the first threshold level but less than a second threshold level, the lens shading algorithm is tuned to 50 percent.

15. The vision system of claim 14 , wherein the second threshold level is the upper threshold level.

16. The vision system of claim 15 , wherein the first threshold level is a selected level below a common image level and the second threshold level is a selected level above the common image level.

17. The vision system of claim 11 , wherein said image processor, via processing of image data captured by said camera, determines the noise level only at stitching regions of the captured image data.

18. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
a plurality of cameras configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle, each of said cameras comprising an imager and a lens;
an image processor operable to process image data captured by said cameras;
a display configured to be disposed in the vehicle so as to be viewable by a driver of the vehicle;
wherein said image processor, via processing of image data captured by said cameras, determines a noise level in image data captured by said camera;
wherein said vision system applies a lens shading algorithm to image data captured by said cameras;
wherein said vision system adjusts a level of the lens shading algorithm responsive to the determined noise level;
wherein, with said cameras disposed at the vehicle and said display disposed in the vehicle, said display displays a surround view image derived from image data captured by said cameras and stitched together to provide a composite image at said display;
wherein the displayed surround view image is derived from image data captured by said cameras after the adjusted level of the lens shading algorithm is applied;
wherein, responsive to an increase in the determined noise level, said vision system reduces the level of the lens shading algorithm;
wherein, responsive to the determined noise level being less than a first threshold level, the lens shading algorithm is tuned to 100 percent; and
wherein, responsive to the determined noise level being greater than the first threshold level but less than a second threshold level, the lens shading algorithm is tuned to 50 percent.

19. The vision system of claim 18 , wherein the first threshold level is a selected level below a common image level and the second threshold level is a selected level above the common image level.

20. The vision system of claim 18 , wherein said image processor, via processing of image data captured by said camera, determines the noise level only at stitching regions of the captured image

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Junglas Michael
• Knudsen Timor
• Nicke Peter

Classifications

• H04N25/61

  the noise originating only from the lens unit, e.g. flare, shading, vignetting or "cos4" · CPC title

• H04N23/698

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N23/81 Primary

  for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation · CPC title

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• B60R2300/303

  using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images · CPC title