Method for displaying video images for a vehicular vision system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11050934-B2
Application number	US-202016798783-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2020
Priority date	May 6, 2013
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A method for displaying video images includes providing a plurality of cameras and an ECU at the vehicle. The cameras are in communication with one another via a vehicle network and the ECU is in communication with the cameras via respective data lines. During a driving maneuver of the vehicle, one of the cameras is designated as and functions as a master camera and other cameras are designated as and function as slave cameras. During the driving maneuver, automatic control of exposure, gain and white balance parameters of the designated master camera is enabled, and the exposure, gain and white balance parameters of the designated master camera are communicated to the designated slave cameras via the vehicle network. A composite image is displayed that provides bird's eye view video images derived from video image data captured by at least the designated master camera and the designated slave cameras.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for displaying video images for a vehicular vision system, said method comprising:
providing a plurality of cameras at a vehicle so as to have respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle;
wherein the provided plurality of cameras comprises a forward viewing camera having at least a forward field of view forward of the vehicle, a rearward viewing camera having at least a rearward field of view rearward of the vehicle, a driver-side sideward viewing camera having at least a sideward field of view at a driver side of the vehicle and a passenger-side sideward viewing camera having at least a sideward field of view at a passenger side of the vehicle;
providing an electronic control unit at the vehicle, wherein each camera of the provided plurality of cameras is in communication with the electronic control unit via a respective video data line;
providing a vehicle network at the vehicle, wherein each camera of the provided plurality of cameras is in communication with the other cameras of the provided plurality of cameras via the vehicle network;
wherein one camera of the provided plurality of cameras functions as a master camera and other cameras of the provided plurality of cameras function as slave cameras;
wherein, during a driving maneuver of the vehicle, and responsive to the type of driving maneuver of the vehicle, one of the cameras of the provided plurality of cameras is designated as and functions as the master camera and at least some other cameras of the provided plurality of cameras are designated as and function as slave cameras;
during the driving maneuver of the vehicle, (i) enabling, via a first control signal from the electronic control unit, automatic control of exposure, gain and white balance of the designated master camera and (ii) disabling, via respective second control signals from the electronic control unit, automatic control of exposure, gain and white balance of the designated slave cameras;
during the driving maneuver of the vehicle, communicating the exposure, gain and white balance parameters of the designated master camera from the designated master camera to the designated slave cameras via the vehicle network, whereby exposure, gain and white balance of the designated slave cameras is controlled in accordance with the enabled automatic control of exposure, gain and white balance parameters of the designated master camera;
during the driving maneuver of the vehicle, capturing video image data with the provided plurality of cameras;
providing video image data captured by the provided plurality of cameras during the driving maneuver of the vehicle to the electronic control unit via respective video image data lines connecting the respective cameras and the electronic control unit;
processing, at the electronic control unit, video image data captured by the provided plurality of cameras during the driving maneuver of the vehicle;
responsive to processing of captured video image data, synthesizing composite video images derived from video image data captured by at least the designated master camera and the designated slave cameras; and
displaying the composite video images at a display device of the vehicle for viewing by a driver of the vehicle during the driving maneuver of the vehicle, wherein the composite video images comprise bird's eye view video images derived from video image data captured by at least the designated master camera and the designated slave cameras.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to the electronic control unit making a viewing mode change, selecting, via the electronic control unit, which of the provided plurality of cameras that will be designated as the master camera, and sending configuration commands to at least some of the provided plurality of cameras to re-configure them to function as the master camera or as a slave camera, respectively.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein borders of adjacent image sections of the composite video images, when displayed at the display device of the vehicle for viewing by the driver of the vehicle during the driving maneuver of the vehicle, appear uniform in brightness at the borders of the adjacent image sections.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein borders of adjacent image sections of the composite video images, when displayed at the display device of the vehicle for viewing by the driver of the vehicle during the driving maneuver of the vehicle, appear uniform in color at the borders of the adjacent image sections.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite video images comprise bird's eye view video images derived from video image data captured by the rearward viewing camera, the driver-side sideward viewing camera, the forward viewing camera and the passenger-side sideward viewing camera during the driving maneuver of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising, when the driving maneuver of the vehicle comprises a forward driving maneuver, designating the forward viewing camera as the master camera and disabling automatic control of exposure, gain and white balance of at least the rearward viewing camera.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising, when the driving maneuver of the vehicle comprises a rearward driving maneuver, designating the rearward viewing camera as the master camera and disabling automatic control of exposure, gain and white balance of at least the forward viewing camera.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising, when the driving maneuver of the vehicle comprises a forward driving maneuver, (i) designating the forward viewing camera as the master camera, (ii) designating the rearward viewing camera, the driver-side sideward viewing camera and the passenger-side sideward viewing camera as slave cameras, and (iii) communicating, via the vehicle network, exposure, gain and white balance parameters from the forward viewing camera to the rearward viewing camera, the driver-side sideward viewing camera and the passenger-side sideward viewing camera.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising, when the driving maneuver of the vehicle comprises a reversing maneuver, (i) designating the rearward viewing camera as the master camera, (ii) designating the forward viewing camera, the driver-side sideward viewing camera and the passenger-side sideward viewing camera as slave cameras, and (iii) communicating, via the vehicle network, exposure, gain and white balance parameters from the rearward viewing camera to the forward viewing camera, the driver-side sideward viewing camera and the passenger-side sideward viewing camera.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the provided plurality of cameras is operable to (i) automatically control its exposure, gain and white balance responsive to the first control signal received from the electronic control unit and (ii) disable automatic control of its exposure, gain and white balance responsive to the respective second control signal received from the electronic control unit.

11. A method for displaying video images for a vehicular vision system, said method comprising:
providing a plurality of cameras at a vehicle so as to have respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle;
wherein the provided plurality of cameras comprises a forward viewing camera having at least a forward field of view forward of the vehicle, a rearward viewing camera having at least a rearward field of view rearward of the vehicle, a driver-side sideward viewing camera having at least a sideward field of view at a driver side of the vehicle and a passenger-side sideward viewing camera having at least a sideward field of view at a passenger side of the vehicle;
providing an electronic control unit at the vehicle, wherein

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lu Yuesheng
• Shriner Richard D

Classifications

• B32B17/10477 Primary

  thermochromic · CPC title

• H04N23/698

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

• H04N23/90

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

• G06V10/141

  Control of illumination · CPC title

• G06V20/56

  exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle · CPC title