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US 11,443,413 B2Granted
Vehicle camera system for outside view and trailer aid
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorsMasashi Nakagawa, Katsumi Nagata
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and systems for detecting a surrounding environment around a vehicle and a trailer coupled to the vehicle. The system includes a plurality of cameras attached to and configured to detect image data. The system also includes an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle communicatively coupled to the plurality of cameras and configured to combine the image data from the plurality of cameras.
Claims20
A system for detecting a surrounding environment around a vehicle and a trailer coupled to the vehicle, the system comprising:
- a plurality of cameras integrated on an exterior surface of the vehicle and configured to detect image data;
- a remote device in data communication with the plurality of cameras and configured to identify at least one blind spot of the surrounding environment around the vehicle and the trailer in the image data;
- and
- an electronic control unit (ECU) communicatively coupled to the plurality of cameras and the remote device and configured to:
- detect, based on the identified at least one blind spot, at least one add-on camera attached to the exterior surface of the vehicle or an exterior surface of the trailer and configured to detect additional image data related to the identified at least one blind spot, and
- combine the image data from at least some of the plurality of cameras and the additional image data from the at least one add-on camera and generate combined image data corresponding to a complete view of the surrounding environment around the vehicle and the trailer.
3 more elements
A vehicle coupled to a trailer, the vehicle comprising:
- a plurality of vehicle cameras integrated on an exterior surface of the vehicle and configured to detect image data;
- a transceiver configured to:
- receive, from a remote device in data communication with the plurality of vehicle cameras and configured to identify at least one blind spot of a surrounding environment around the vehicle and the trailer in the detected image data, data corresponding to the at least one blind spot, and
- receive the image data from the plurality of vehicle cameras and additional image data from at least one of (i) a plurality of add-on vehicle cameras or (ii) a plurality of add-on trailer cameras;
- and
- an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the transceiver and configured to:
- detect, based on the at least one blind spot, at least one add-on camera of the plurality of add-on vehicle cameras or the plurality of add-on trailer cameras, the at least one add-on camera being configured to detect at least one portion of the additional image data related to the at least one blind spot, and
- combine the image data from at least one of the plurality of vehicle cameras and the at least one portion of the additional image data from the at least one add-on camera and generate combined image data corresponding to a complete view of the surrounding environment around the vehicle and the trailer.
5 more elements
A method for detecting a surrounding environment around a vehicle and a trailer coupled to the vehicle, the method comprising:
- detecting, by an electronic control unit (ECU) and using a plurality of cameras integrated on an exterior surface of the vehicle, image data;
- receiving, by a transceiver and from a remote device in data communication with the plurality of cameras and configured to identify at least one blind spot of the surrounding environment around the vehicle and the trailer in the image data, data corresponding to the at least one blind spot;
- detecting, by the ECU and based on the at least one blind spot, at least one add-on camera attached to the exterior surface of the vehicle or an exterior surface of the trailer and configured to detect additional image data related to the at least one blind spot;
- receiving, by the transceiver, the image data from at least some of the plurality of cameras and the additional image data from the at least one add-on camera;
- and
- combining, by the ECU, the image data and the additional image data and generating, by the ECU, combined image data corresponding to a complete view of the surrounding environment around the vehicle and the trailer.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.