Patent Application
20150296140
N/A
The present invention relates generally to the field of rear-vision systems and devices for use on automobiles and other vehicles.
Current methods of determining what vehicles and other objects are in the immediate vicinity during driving are decades old and have severe limitations.
The side view mirrors currently in use offer a very limited field of view of the road and therefore are plagued by hazardous blind spots, which can be particularly problematic for certain vehicles. A driver who turns his/her head back to check the blind spots may be distracted from full attention on the road ahead. Older drivers may not be able to do this check very well or quickly, compared with their younger cohorts. Shorter drivers may have their visibility impaired by the seats in the car, due to their lower vantage point in the driver's seat.
Additionally, many of today's vehicles have high rear quarters, which improve aerodynamics, but also further impair visibility. The rear view mirror offers only a small and restricted view out the back windshield, and the view from this mirror and the side view mirrors are not combined.
Current back up and other rear cameras are mounted on the very rear of the vehicle and typically have a fisheye lens for maximum field of view, while depth of field is generally significantly restricted.
In addition, current blind spot warning systems are generally only efficient at sensing what is to the immediate side of the vehicle at that moment, but will not detect objects at a greater distance down the road to the rear of the vehicle, and not what is two lanes over.
As such, considering the foregoing, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for novel and improved devices and methods for eliminating hazardous blind spots endemic to most vehicles.
The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention, wherein in aspects of this invention, enhancements are provided to the existing model of automotive rearview systems, devices and methods.
An aspect of the present invention describes a system wherein cameras are mounted on top sides and rear of a vehicle, tilted outward and downward to produce a vastly improved combined panoramic view of the road to the side and rear of the vehicle. This elevated vantage point, provides a view that minimizes or completely eliminates blind spots, and furthermore this view will enhance awareness of other vehicles position and enable better sense of movement even two or more lanes over.
In an aspect, a panoramic view system for eliminating blind spots in a vehicle, can include
In a related aspect, in addition to eliminating blind spots, the panoramic view system, can allow a driver to view an integrated image of the vehicle surroundings, thereby eliminating a need for the driver to mentally stitch together rear, left and right side views.
In a related aspect the video cameras can include two front side mounted cameras and a rear center camera.
In a related aspect the panoramic screen can display a combined image such that for three panoramic screens, the combined video stream is formed as a combination of video streams from the video cameras, wherein a rightmost border of a first video stream is matched with a leftmost border of a second individual video stream, and so on for additional individual video streams, whereby the panoramic video stream contains all of the content of the individual video streams.
In a related aspect, the panoramic screen can be mounted in the standard position for a traditional rear view mirror.
In a related aspect, the video cameras can further comprise video cameras mounted in such a way as to enable viewing of vehicle wheels and proximity to roadside curbing.
In a related aspect, the panoramic view system can further include transformations of a combined video stream, which can include night vision enhancements.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Before describing the invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention resides primarily in a novel and non-obvious combination of elements and process steps. So as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will readily be apparent to those skilled in the art, certain conventional elements and steps have been presented with lesser detail, while the drawings and specification describe in greater detail other elements and steps pertinent to understanding the invention.
The following embodiments are not intended to define limits as to the structure or method of the invention, but only to provide exemplary constructions. The embodiments are permissive rather than mandatory and illustrative rather than exhaustive.
In an embodiment, video cameras with high frame rate to capture video in real time can be positioned on the roof and/or sides of a vehicle, in a configuration designed to capture a maximum view of the road to each side and the rear of the vehicle. The view from each camera can be merged to capture a panoramic view of the vehicle environment, covering each side of the vehicle and the rear. This merged image can be displayed on the dashboard or rearview mirror for the driver.
In the following we describe the structure of an embodiment in the form of a panoramic view system with reference to
In an embodiment, a panoramic view system 100 for eliminating blind spots in a vehicle, can comprise:
Further,
In various embodiments, the panoramic controller 106 can be positioned in a plurality of different locations in a vehicle, which can include the engine compartment, an overhead console, a center console, a glove compartment, etc.
In related embodiments, the front left and right side panoramic video cameras 202206 can be configured in a plurality of locations.
In a related embodiment of the panoramic view system 100, the video cameras 102 can further comprise:
In a related alternative embodiment of the panoramic view system 100, the video cameras 102 can further comprise:
In a further related embodiment, the panoramic controller 106 can display a dual video stream on the panoramic video screen 104 with the combined panoramic video stream displayed together with the combined curb video stream. The two video streams can be shown side-by-side or top-bottom, or in a picture in picture configuration.
In a yet further related embodiment, the combined curb video stream can be displayed only when the vehicle is travelling below a pre-determined speed. This can for example be such that the pre-determined speed is below 5 miles per hour, which can indicate the vehicle may be prepared for parking, whereby the combined curb video stream can assist a driver during maneuvering in a parking lot and/or during parking, to avoid curb damage to tires and/or wheels, or even the vehicle underside in situations where there is risk of driving over very high curbing.
In another further related embodiment, the combined curb video stream can further show path lines, which can show a projection of the tire path, for example in order to show if/where the tires will collide with the roadside curb.
In a further example embodiment, for large commercial trucks with 40′-53′ trailers, a combined curb video stream from all axle zones, along with display of the projected paths, can be very beneficial to help a truck driver maneuver in tight spots and avoid tipping of the trailer, caused by traversing a high curb/median.
In an embodiment, illustrated in
In related embodiments, the video manager 310 can combine images by:
In related embodiments, the panoramic screen 104 can be mounted in a plurality of locations allowing unrestricted viewing by the driver, including:
In a related embodiment, the panoramic controller 106 can further include a video transformer, which can perform transformations of a combined video stream, which can include:
In a related embodiment, the video cameras 102 can be retractable such that the video cameras 102 can be protected from the environment in a retracted position. This can further include closing a shutter in front of a video camera when it is in the retracted mode. The retraction function can be operated via an electric servomotor, and can be controlled via the video manager 310 of the panoramic controller 106.
In a related embodiment, the video cameras 102, can be remote controllable, such that the video cameras 102 can be redirected or angled, for example in order to provide an improved view for a specific driving situation.
In a related embodiment, functions of the panoramic view system 100 can be controlled with voice commands via a voice recognition function, such that the panoramic controller 106 is configured with voice recognition functions via a voice controller component 312. The voice recognition function can be configured via application of well-known voice recognition technologies.
In related embodiments, the panoramic view system 100 can enable improvement of vehicle aerodynamic performance and fuel economy, by eliminating the need for traditional side mirrors, which typically generate a significant aerodynamic drag.
In a related embodiment, as illustrated in
In this regard,
It shall be understood that the above-mentioned components of the panoramic view system 100 and the panoramic controller 106 are to be interpreted in the most general manner.
For example, the processor 302 can include a single physical microprocessor or microcontroller, a cluster of processors, a datacenter or a cluster of datacenters, a computing cloud service, and the like.
In a further example, the memory 304 can include various forms of non-transitory storage media, including random access memory and other forms of dynamic storage, and hard disks, hard disk clusters, cloud storage services, and other forms of long-term storage. Similarly, the input/output 306 can each include a plurality of well-known input/output devices, such as screens, keyboards, pointing devices, motion trackers, communication ports, and so forth.
Furthermore, it shall be understood that the panoramic view system 100 and the panoramic controller 106 can each respectively include a number of other components that are well known in the art of general computer devices, and therefore shall not be further described herein. This can include system access to common functions and hardware, such as for example via operating system layers such as Windows, Linux, and similar operating system software, but can also include configurations wherein application services are executing directly on server hardware or via a hardware abstraction layer other than a complete operating system.
An embodiment of the present invention can also include one or more input or output components, such as a mouse, keyboard, monitor, and the like. A display can be provided for viewing text and graphical data, as well as a user interface to allow a user to request specific operations. Furthermore, an embodiment of the present invention may be connected to one or more remote computers via a network interface. The connection may be over a local area network (LAN) wide area network (WAN), and can include all of the necessary circuitry for such a connection.
In related embodiments, the panoramic controller 106 can communicate with the video cameras 102 over a network, which can be a vehicle communication network, such as CAN, SAE 1939, J1708, J1587 or J1850, but can also include the general Internet, a Wide Area Network or a Local Area Network, or another form of communication network, transmitted on wired or wireless connections. Wireless networks can for example include Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and NFC. The communication can be transferred via a secure, encrypted communication protocol. The wireless network can also include use of wireless induction communication, such as near-field magnetic induction communication.
In related embodiments, the panoramic controller 106 can communicate with the panoramic screen 104 over a network, which can be a vehicle communication network, such as CAN, SAE 1939, J1708, J1587 or J1850, but can also include the general Internet, a Wide Area Network or a Local Area Network, or another form of communication network, transmitted on wired or wireless connections. Wireless networks can for example include Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and NFC. The communication can be transferred via a secure, encrypted communication protocol. The wireless network can also include use of wireless induction communication, such as near-field magnetic induction communication.
Typically, computer program instructions may be loaded onto the computer or other general-purpose programmable machine to produce a specialized machine, such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable machine create means for implementing the functions specified in the block diagrams, schematic diagrams or flowcharts. Such computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium that when loaded into a computer or other programmable machine can direct the machine to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the function specified in the block diagrams, schematic diagrams or flowcharts.
In addition, the computer program instructions may be loaded into a computer or other programmable machine to cause a series of operational steps to be performed by the computer or other programmable machine to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable machine provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the block diagram, schematic diagram, flowchart block or step.
Accordingly, blocks or steps of the block diagram, flowchart or control flow illustrations support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of steps for performing the specified functions and program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block or step of the block diagrams, schematic diagrams or flowcharts, as well as combinations of blocks or steps, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions, that perform the specified functions or steps.
As an example, provided for purposes of illustration only, a data input software tool of a search engine application can be a representative means for receiving a query including one or more search terms. Similar software tools of applications, or implementations of embodiments of the present invention, can be means for performing the specified functions. For example, an embodiment of the present invention may include computer software for interfacing a processing element with a user-controlled input device, such as a mouse, keyboard, touch screen display, scanner, or the like. Similarly, an output of an embodiment of the present invention may include, for example, a combination of display software, video card hardware, and display hardware. A processing element may include, for example, a controller or microprocessor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), arithmetic logic unit (ALU), or control unit.
The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention, which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Many such alternative configurations are readily apparent, and should be considered to be fully included in this specification and the claims appended hereto. Accordingly, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and thus, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
