Safety system for a vehicle to detect and warn of a potential collision

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016342850-A1
Application number	US-201615158294-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 18, 2016
Priority date	May 18, 2015
Publication date	Nov 24, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system mountable in a vehicle to provide object detection in the vicinity of the vehicle. The system includes a camera operatively attached to a processor. The camera is mounted externally at the rear of the vehicle. The field of view of the camera is substantially in the forward direction of travel of the vehicle along the side of the vehicle. Multiple image frames are captured from the camera. Yaw of the vehicle may be input or the yaw may be computed from the image frames. Respective portions of the image frames are selected responsive to the yaw of the vehicle. The image frames are processed to detect thereby an object in the selected portions of the image frames.

First claim

1 . A method performed by a system mountable in a vehicle to provide object detection in the vicinity of the vehicle, the system including a camera operatively attached to a processor, wherein the camera is mounted externally at the rear of the vehicle, wherein the field of view of the camera is substantially in the forward direction of travel of the vehicle along a side of the vehicle, the method comprising:
capturing a plurality of image frames with the camera; selecting respective portions of the image frames responsive to yaw of the vehicle; and processing the image frames thereby detecting an object imaged in the selected portions of the image frames.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the yaw is input from at least one device selected from the group of devices consisting of: the camera by processing the image frames, a gyroscopic device, turn signals, steering angle and a sensor attached to the steering column of vehicle.

3 . The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
upon measuring an increase in absolute value of the yaw, processing a larger area of the image frames thereby increasing an effective horizontal field of view to detect an obstruction over a wider horizontal angle measured from the left side of the vehicle.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the camera is installed externally on the right side of the vehicle, the method further comprising:
upon the vehicle turning right, processing a larger area of the image frames thereby increasing an effective horizontal field of view to detect an obstruction over a wider horizontal angle measured from the right side of the vehicle.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the camera is installed externally on the left side of the vehicle, the method further comprising:
upon the vehicle turning left, processing a larger area of the image frames thereby increasing an effective horizontal field of view to detect an obstruction over a wider horizontal angle measured from the left side of the vehicle.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining said object is a moving obstacle; verifying that said object will be in a projected path of the vehicle thereby determining a potential collision of said vehicle with said moving obstacle; and warning a driver of said vehicle of said potential collision with said moving obstacle.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein said warning is selected from the group consisting of:
sounding an audible warning and a displaying a visible warning.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
issuing said warning from the side of the vehicle on which is mounted the camera viewing the moving obstacle.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said object is selected from a group of objects consisting: a bicyclist, a motorcyclist, a vehicle, a pedestrian, a child riding on a toy vehicle, a person with pram and a wheelchair user.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
using another driver assistance system selected from the group consisting of: lane detection, structural barrier recognition, traffic sign recognition to recognize a stationary object; and enabling suppression of a warning to the driver if all objects detected in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle are stationary objects.

11 . A system mountable in a vehicle to provide object detection in the vicinity of the vehicle, the system including a camera operatively attached to a processor, wherein the camera is mounted externally at the rear of the vehicle, wherein the field of view of the camera is substantially in the forward direction of travel of the vehicle along a side of the vehicle; the system operable to:
capture a plurality of image frames with the camera; select respective portions of the image frames responsive to yaw of the vehicle; and process the image frames thereby detecting an object imaged in the selected portions of the image frames; and detect an object imaged in the selected portions of the image frames.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the yaw is measurable responsive to at least one device selected from the group of devices consisting of: the camera by processing the image frames, a gyroscopic device, turn signals, steering angle and a sensor attached to the steering column of vehicle.

13 . The system of claim 11 , further operable to:
upon measuring an increase in absolute value of the yaw, process a larger area of the image frames to increase an effective horizontal field of view and to detect thereby an obstruction over a wider horizontal angle measured from the side of the vehicle.

14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the camera is installed on the right side of the vehicle, the method further operable to:
when the vehicle turns right, process a larger area of the image frames to increase an effective horizontal field of view to detect thereby an obstruction over a wider horizontal angle measured from the right side of the vehicle.

15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the camera is installed on the left side of the vehicle, the method further operable to:
when the vehicle turns left, process a larger area of the image frames to increase an effective horizontal field of view and to detect thereby an obstruction over a wider horizontal angle measured from the left side of the vehicle.

16 . The system of claim 11 , further operable to:
determine said object is a moving obstacle; verify that said object will be in a projected path of the vehicle thereby determining a potential collision of said vehicle with said moving obstacle; and warn a driver of said vehicle of said potential collision with said moving obstacle.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein said warning is selected from the group consisting of:
sounding an audible warning and a displaying a visible warning.

18 . The system of claim 17 , further operable to:
issue said warning from the side of the vehicle on which is mounted the camera viewing the moving obstacle.

19 . The system of claim 11 , wherein said object is selected from a group of objects consisting: a bicyclist, a motorcyclist, a vehicle, a pedestrian, a child riding on a toy vehicle, a person with pram and a wheelchair user.

20 . The system of claim 11 , further operable to:
using another driver assistance system selected from the group consisting of: lane detection, structural barrier recognition, traffic sign recognition to recognize a stationary object; and suppress a warning to the driver if all objects detected in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle are stationary objects.

Assignees

• Mobileye Vision Technologies Ltd

Inventors

• Elimalech Yaniv
• Stein Gideon

Classifications

• G06V20/58

  Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads · CPC title

• G08G1/161 Primary

  Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication · CPC title

• H04N23/69

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title

• G08G1/166 Primary

  for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes · CPC title

• G08G1/163

  involving continuous checking · CPC title