3D All-Round View Fusion for Vehicle-Trailer Blind Spots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing panoramic view systems for vehicles towing trailers suffer from blind spots due to the trailer obstructing the camera's field of view, particularly behind and to the sides of the trailer, which are not captured effectively.
Innovation Solution
A three-dimensional all-round vision system using multiple cameras on both the vehicle and trailer, calibrated to a common coordinate system, processes images to combine and replace blind spots with corresponding areas from the trailer's panoramic view, accounting for rotational movements and angles to provide a comprehensive view on a display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a camera is positioned on the vehicle to capture the area behind the vehicle, then the vehicle's rear area is visible, but the trailer creates a blind spot that obscures areas behind and to the sides of the trailer
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the viewing task into two segments: the vehicle's cameras capture the area behind the vehicle up to the trailer, while the trailer's cameras capture the area behind and to the sides of the trailer. This segmentation allows each camera system to focus on its optimal viewing area without obstruction
Solution Approach 2:
The image processing unit acts as an intermediary that combines the vehicle's panoramic image with the trailer's panoramic image. It replaces the blind spot area in the vehicle's image with the corresponding area from the trailer's image, effectively mediating between the two camera systems to create a complete view
2Loss of information
If the trailer area in the vehicle's panoramic image is used to show the area behind the vehicle up to the trailer, then the near rear area is visible, but the trailer obscures the more important areas behind and to the sides of the trailer
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the blind spot area from the vehicle's panoramic image and replaces it with the corresponding area from the trailer's panoramic image. This extraction removes the obscuring trailer area and substitutes it with the useful view from the trailer's cameras
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the vehicle's panoramic image with the trailer's panoramic image by integrating the trailer's camera views into the appropriate blind spot areas of the vehicle's image, creating a unified comprehensive view
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a three-dimensional all-round view system for a combination (10) of a vehicle (1) and a trailer (6). The trailer (6) is fixed to the vehicle (1) by means of a straight drawbar (11) in an articulated manner about a vertical axis (z) of the vehicle (1). The all-round view system comprises multiple cameras (2 to 5) of the vehicle (1), multiple cameras (7 to 9) of the trailer (6), an image processing unit (13), and an optical output unit (14). The image processing unit (13) is designed to determine a first rotational angle (α) about which the drawbar (11) is rotated relative to the vehicle (1) about the vertical axis (z) relative to a forwards direction (x) of the vehicle (1) from an image captured by one of the cameras (5) of the vehicle (1). An image region of a vehicle all-round image generated by the cameras (2 to 5) of the vehicle (1), said image region being covered by the trailer (6), is replaced with a corresponding image region of a trailer all-round image generated by the cameras (7 to 9) of the trailer (6) on the basis of the determined first rotational angle (α). In this manner, a three-dimensional all-round image of the entire combination (10) can be displayed on the display unit (14).