VEHICULAR FORWARD VIEWING IMAGE CAPTURE SYSTEM

• Main Author: Schofield, Kenneth
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 10.02.2022
• Subjects: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING ORSUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES INGENERAL; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS INVEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OFTRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GASEXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS, IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; BLASTING; CALCULATING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; HEATING; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION; SYSTEMS THEREOF; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLEEXTERIORS; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; WEAPONS

A vehicular forward viewing image capture system includes an accessory module configured for attachment at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle, whereby a CMOS image sensor views through the windshield forward of the equipped vehicle. With the accessory module attached at the in-cabin side of the windshield, and while the vehicle is traveling along a road, captured image data is processed to determine (i) presence of an object of interest viewed by the image sensor and (ii) location and/or movement of the object of interest viewed by the image sensor. Multiple frames of captured image data are processed in determining location and/or movement of the object of interest. Image data captured by the image sensor is processed for an automatic headlamp control system of the equipped vehicle. The vehicular forward viewing image capture system automatically compensates for misalignment of the image sensor.