Method for calibrating a vehicular vision system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11535154-B2
Application number	US-202117249688-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2021
Priority date	Apr 21, 2015
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A method for calibrating a vehicular vision system includes disposing a camera at a vehicle, disposing a processor at the vehicle, and disposing a video display screen in the vehicle so as to be viewable by the vehicle driver. The video display screen is operable to display video images derived from image data captured by the imager of the camera. Image data is captured by the imager of the camera and provided to the processor. The video display screen displays video images derived from image data captured by the imager of the camera. The processor generates a graphic overlay for display with the video images at the video display screen. Responsive to processing captured image data, the vehicular vision system is calibrated by adapting an orientation and position of the image data relative to the generated graphic overlay to a corrected orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for calibrating a vehicular vision system, the method comprising:
disposing a camera at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular vision system, wherein the camera, when disposed at the vehicle, views exterior of the vehicle, and wherein the camera comprises an imager having a pixelated imaging array having at least one million photosensing elements arranged in rows and columns;
disposing a processor at the vehicle, the processor operable to process image data captured by the imager of the camera;
disposing a video display screen in the vehicle so as to be viewable by a driver of the vehicle, wherein the video display screen is operable to display video images derived from image data captured by the imager of the camera;
capturing image data by the imager of the camera and providing captured image data to the processor;
displaying at the video display screen video images derived from image data captured by the imager of the camera;
generating via the processor a graphic overlay for display with the video images at the video display screen;
responsive to processing at the processor image data captured by the imager of the camera, calibrating the vehicular vision system by adapting an orientation and position of the image data relative to the generated graphic overlay to a corrected orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay; and
wherein adapting the orientation and position of the image data to the corrected orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay comprises adapting the orientation and position of the image data utilizing a spatial transform engine.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein calibrating the vehicular vision system comprises turning and distorting the image data so that a horizon line viewed by the camera is generally horizontal in the displayed video images.

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

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

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

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

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the camera comprises a companion chip, and wherein the companion chip comprises the processor.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the camera comprises the processor.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein disposing the processor at the vehicle comprises disposing an electronic control unit (ECU) at the vehicle, the ECU comprising the processor.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein calibrating the vehicular vision system comprises calibrating the vehicular vision system via a companion chip that uses frames of captured image data the companion chip receives from the imager.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the camera comprises the companion chip.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein adapting the orientation and position of the image data relative to the generated graphic overlay is in accordance with a grid based optical model.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving at the vehicle a standard spatial transform engine map at an end of line of an assembly line.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising adapting the spatial transform engine map over a runtime at or after the end of line of the assembly line.

15. A method for calibrating a vehicular vision system, the method comprising:
disposing a rearward viewing camera at a rear portion of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular vision system, wherein the rearward viewing camera, when disposed at the rear portion of the vehicle, views rearward of the vehicle, and wherein the rearward viewing camera comprises an imager having a pixelated imaging array having at least one million photosensing elements arranged in rows and columns;
wherein the rearward viewing camera comprises a processor operable to process image data captured by the imager of the rearward viewing camera;
disposing a video display screen in the vehicle so as to be viewable by a driver of the vehicle, wherein the video display screen is operable to display video images derived from image data captured by the imager of the rearward viewing camera;
capturing image data by the imager of the rearward viewing camera and providing captured image data to the processor;
displaying at the video display screen video images derived from image data captured by the imager of the rearward viewing camera;
generating via the processor a graphic overlay for display with the video images at the video display screen;
responsive to processing at the processor image data captured by the imager of the rearward viewing camera, calibrating the vehicular vision system by adapting an orientation and position of the image data relative to the generated graphic overlay to a corrected orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay; and
wherein adapting the orientation and position of the image data to the corrected orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay comprises adapting the orientation and position of the image data utilizing a spatial transform engine.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein calibrating the vehicular vision system comprises turning and distorting the image data so that a horizon line viewed by the rearward viewing camera is generally horizontal in the displayed video images.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the displayed video images are turned and distorted into the corrected orientation and position with the horizon line displayed as generally horizontal.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein, with the orientation and position of the image data adapted to the corrected orientation and position relative to the generated graphic overlay, the graphic overlay matches the displayed video images without need of changing the graphic overlay.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the graphic overlay comprises a projected path of travel of the vehicle during a reversing maneuver of the vehicle when the video display screen is displaying video images captured by the rearward viewing camera.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the rearward viewing camera comprises a companion chip, and wherein the companion chip comprises the processor.

21. A method for calibrating a vehicular vision system, the method comprising:
disposing a camera at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular vision system, wherein the camera, when disposed at the vehicle, views exterior of the vehicle, and wherein the camera comprises an imager having a pixelated imaging array having at least one million photosensing elements arranged in rows and columns;
wherein the camera comprises a processor operable to process image data captured by the imager of the camera;
disposing a video display screen in the vehicle so as to be viewable by a driver of the vehicle, wherein the video display screen is operable to display video images derived from image data captur

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• May Benjamin

Classifications

• B60R2300/306

  using a re-scaling of images · CPC title

• H04N23/57

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

• B60R2300/8086

  for vehicle path indication · CPC title

• B60R2300/305

  merging camera image with lines or icons · CPC title

• H04N17/002

  for television cameras · CPC title