Vehicular forward viewing image capture system

A vehicular forward viewing image capture system, said vehicular forward viewing image capture system comprising:

• an accessory module configured for attachment at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said vehicular forward viewing image capture system;
• wherein said accessory module comprises a camera, said camera comprising a lens and an imaging sensor, said imaging sensor comprising a two-dimensional array of photosensor elements;
• wherein an optical axis of said lens is perpendicular to an image plane of said imaging sensor;
• wherein, with said accessory module attached at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, said imaging sensor has a field of view through the windshield forward of the equipped vehicle;
• wherein, with said accessory module attached at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, said imaging sensor views through a portion of the windshield that is swept by a windshield wiper of the equipped vehicle;
• a control, said control comprising a digital processor for processing multiple frames of image data captured by said imaging sensor;
• wherein, with said accessory module attached at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, and while the equipped vehicle is traveling along a road, said control processes multiple frames of captured image data to determine (i) presence of an object of interest in the forward field of view of said imaging sensor, (ii) location of the object of interest in the forward field of view of said imaging sensor and (iii) movement of the object of interest present in the forward field of view of said imaging sensor;
• wherein, with said accessory module attached at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, and responsive to the processing of captured image data, said control determines presence of a taillight of another vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle, and wherein said control is operable to determine presence of a taillight that is 200 meters ahead of the equipped vehicle;
• wherein said control receives vehicle data via a vehicle communication bus;
• wherein the received vehicle data comprises vehicle speed data;
• and
• wherein, with said accessory module attached at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, and responsive to the processing of multiple frames of captured image data and responsive to the received vehicle data, said control at least in part provides at least one selected from the group consisting of (a) traffic sign recognition, (b) traffic light status detection, (c) adaptive cruise control and (d) pedestrian detection.

A vehicular forward viewing image capture system, said vehicular forward viewing image capture system comprising:

• an accessory module configured for attachment at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said vehicular forward viewing image capture system;
• wherein said accessory module comprises a camera, said camera comprising a lens and an imaging sensor, said imaging sensor comprising a two-dimensional array of photosensor elements;
• wherein an optical axis of said lens is perpendicular to an image plane of said imaging sensor;
• wherein, with said accessory module attached at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, said imaging sensor has a field of view through the windshield forward of the equipped vehicle;
• a control, said control comprising a digital processor for processing multiple frames of image data captured by said imaging sensor;
• wherein, with said accessory module attached at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, and while the equipped vehicle is traveling along a road, said control processes multiple frames of captured image data to determine (i) presence of an object of interest in the forward field of view of said imaging sensor and (ii) movement of the object of interest present in the forward field of view of said imaging sensor;
• wherein, with said accessory module attached at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, and responsive to the processing of captured image data, said control determines presence of a taillight of another vehicle ahead of the equipped vehicle, and wherein said control is operable to determine presence of a taillight that is 200 meters ahead of the equipped vehicle;
• wherein said control receives vehicle data via a vehicle communication bus;
• wherein the received vehicle data comprises (i) vehicle speed data and (ii) vehicle trajectory data;
• and
• wherein, with said accessory module attached at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle, and responsive to the processing of multiple frames of captured image data and responsive to the received vehicle data, said control at least in part provides at least one selected from the group consisting of (a) traffic sign recognition, (b) traffic light status detection, (c) adaptive cruise control and (d) pedestrian detection.