Vehicle vision system with overlay calibration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10946799-B2
Application number	US-201615134440-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2016
Priority date	Apr 21, 2015
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

A vision system of a vehicle includes a camera disposed at the vehicle and having a field of view exterior of the vehicle. The camera includes an imager and a processor that is operable to process image data captured by the imager. A video display screen is operable to display video images derived from image data captured by the camera. The processor generates a graphic overlay for display with the video images at the video display screen. The processor calibrates the graphic overlay by adapting the view orientation and position of the displayed video images utilizing a spatial transform engine to adapt the view orientation and position to a corrected position and orientation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vision system of a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
a camera disposed at a vehicle and having a field of view exterior of the vehicle;
wherein said camera comprises an imager having a pixelated imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements;
wherein said camera comprises a processor operable to process image data captured by said imager;
a video display screen operable to display video images derived from image data captured by said imager;
wherein said processor generates a graphic overlay for display with the video images at said video display screen; and
wherein, responsive to processing by said processor of image data captured by said imager, said processor calibrates the camera relative to the vehicle by adapting the image data utilizing a spatial transform engine to adapt the image data orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay to a corrected orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay.

2. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein the processor calibrates the camera by turning and distorting the image data so that a horizon line is generally horizontal.

3. The vision system of claim 2 , wherein the displayed video images are turned and distorted into the corrected position and orientation with the horizon line displayed as generally horizontal.

4. The vision system of claim 3 , wherein, with the image data orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay adapted to the corrected orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay, the graphic overlay matches the displayed images without need of changing the graphic overlay.

5. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said camera comprises a rearward viewing camera disposed at a rear portion of the vehicle.

6. The vision system of claim 5 , wherein the graphic overlay comprises a projected path of travel of the vehicle during a reversing maneuver of the vehicle when said video display screen is displaying video images captured by said rearward viewing camera.

7. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said processor calibrates the camera via a companion chip under use of frames of captured image data it receives from said imager.

8. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein said processor adapts the image data orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay according to a grid based optical model.

9. The vision system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle receives a standard spatial transform engine map at an end of line of an assembly line.

10. The vision system of claim 9 , wherein the system adapts the spatial transform engine map over a runtime at or after the end of line of the assembly line.

11. A vision system of a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
a rearward viewing camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle and having a field of view exterior and rearward of the vehicle;
wherein said rearward viewing camera comprises an imager having a pixelated imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements;
wherein said rearward viewing camera comprises a companion chip having a processor operable to process image data captured by said imager;
wherein said processor runs calibration with use of frames of captured image data it receives from said imager;
a video display screen operable to display video images derived from image data captured by said imager;
wherein said processor generates a graphic overlay for display with the video images at said video display screen;
wherein the graphic overlay comprises a projected path of travel of the vehicle during a reversing maneuver of the vehicle when said video display screen is displaying video images captured by said rearward viewing camera; and
wherein, responsive to processing by said processor of image data captured by said imager, said processor calibrates the camera relative to the vehicle by adapting the image data utilizing a spatial transform engine to adapt the image data orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay to a corrected orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay.

12. The vision system of claim 11 , wherein the processor calibrates the camera by turning and distorting image data so that a horizon line is generally horizontal.

13. The vision system of claim 12 , wherein the displayed video images are turned and distorted into the corrected position and orientation with the horizon line displayed as generally horizontal.

14. The vision system of claim 13 , wherein, with the image data orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay adapted to the corrected orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay, the graphic overlay matches the displayed images without need of changing the graphic overlay.

15. The vision system of claim 11 , wherein said processor adapts the image data orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay according to a grid based optical model.

16. The vision system of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle receives a standard spatial transform engine map at an end of line of an assembly line.

17. The vision system of claim 16 , wherein the system adapts the spatial transform engine map over a runtime at or after the end of line of the assembly line.

18. A vision system of a vehicle, said vision system comprising:
a rearward viewing camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle and having a field of view exterior and rearward of the vehicle;
wherein said rearward viewing camera comprises an imager having a pixelated imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements;
wherein said rearward viewing camera comprises a processor operable to process image data captured by said imager;
a video display screen operable to display video images derived from image data captured by said imager;
wherein said processor generates a graphic overlay for display with the video images at said video display screen;
wherein the graphic overlay comprises a projected path of travel of the vehicle during a reversing maneuver of the vehicle when said video display screen is displaying video images captured by said rearward viewing camera;
wherein, responsive to processing by said processor of image data captured by said imager, said processor calibrates the camera relative to the vehicle by adapting the image data utilizing a spatial transform engine to adapt the image data orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay to a corrected orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay; and
wherein, with the image data orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay adapted to the corrected orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay, the graphic overlay matches the displayed images without need of changing the graphic overlay.

19. The vision system of claim 18 , wherein the processor calibrates the camera by turning and distorting the image data so that a horizon line is generally horizontal, and wherein the displayed video images are turned and distorted into the corrected position and orientation with the horizon line displayed as generally horizontal.

20. The vision system of claim 18 , wherein the vehicle receives a standard spatial transform engine map at an end of line of an assembly line, and wherein the system adapts the spatial transform engine map over a runtime at or after the end of line of the assembly line.

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• May Benjamin

Classifications

• H04N23/63

  by using electronic viewfinders · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• H04N17/002

  for television cameras · CPC title

• H04N5/2628

  Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation · CPC title

• B60R2300/306

  using a re-scaling of images · CPC title