US 7,005,974 B2 · Vehicle imaging system

Abstract

A vehicle imaging system includes an imaging sensor having a field of view exterior of a vehicle, an image processor and a display. The imaging sensor generates a signal indicative of an image representative of a scene occurring within the field of view. The image processor receives the signal from the imaging sensor and processes the signal to detect at least one relevant object within the image. The display is operable to display at least one iconistic representation of the at least one detected relevant object in response to an output signal generated by the image processor. The display is positionable within the vehicle and is viewable by a driver or passenger or occupant of the vehicle. The imaging sensor may be mounted to a mounting bracket mounted at a license plate area of the vehicle.

Claims34

Dependent claims

A vehicle imaging system for a vehicle comprising:

an imaging sensor having a field of view at least one of interior of the vehicle and exterior of the vehicle, said imaging sensor generating a signal indicative of an image representative of a scene occurring within the field of view;
an image processor processing said signal to detect first and second relevant objects within said image, said first relevant object comprising a portion of the vehicle, said image processor generating an output signal representative of said first and second detected relevant objects, wherein said output signal is indicative of first and second iconistic representations of said first and second detected relevant objects;
and
a low cost, multi-pixel display operable to display said first and second iconistic representations of said first and second detected relevant objects, whereby a viewer can determine the positional relationship of said second relevant object to said first relevant object by viewing said first and second iconistic representations at said display.

1 more element

A method of aligning a portion of a vehicle with a target object exteriorly of the vehicle comprising:

providing an imaging sensor, said imaging sensor having a field of view exteriorly of the vehicle and encompassing an exterior portion of the vehicle, said imaging sensor generating a signal indicative of an image representative of a scene occurring within the field of view exteriorly of the vehicle;
providing an image processor for processing said signal to detect the exterior portion of the vehicle and to detect a target object exteriorly of the vehicle within said image, said image processor generating an output signal representative of the exterior portion of the vehicle and the target object, wherein said output signal comprises at least one iconistic representation of at least the exterior portion of the vehicle and at least one iconistic representation of the target object;
displaying said at least one iconistic representation of at least the exterior portion of the vehicle and said at least one iconistic representation of the target object at a display;
and
maneuvering the vehicle to align said at least one iconistic representation of the exterior portion of the vehicle in the display with said at least one iconistic representation of the target object in the display.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Vehicle imaging system

Life of this patent

Vehicle imaging system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims34