Environment-Fixed Overhead Composite Image for Vehicle Maneuver Assist
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle camera systems, including rear-facing cameras and bird's eye views, struggle to assist drivers in aligning with trailers during reversing, as the environment's movement makes it difficult to judge alignment accurately.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates an environment-fixed overhead composite image on the vehicle display, where the environment remains stationary and the vehicle's graphical image moves, using multiple image sensors (cameras, LIDAR, RADAR) to provide a stable reference for alignment during maneuvering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a traditional bird's eye view is used where the vehicle image is fixed and the environment moves, then the driver can see the vehicle's position clearly, but it becomes difficult to judge alignment accuracy with external objects like trailers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional bird's eye view paradigm by making the environment fixed and the vehicle image movable. Instead of keeping the vehicle stationary and showing the environment moving around it, the system anchors the environment (trailers, obstacles, surroundings) in place and allows the vehicle's graphical representation to move relative to the fixed environmental backdrop. This inversion directly addresses the alignment judgment problem by providing a stable reference frame that matches the driver's mental model of parking and alignment tasks.
2Loss of information
If multiple image sensors are used to create a comprehensive overhead view, then the coverage and information available to the driver increases, but the system complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines data from multiple image sensors (cameras, LIDAR, RADAR) mounted at various locations around the vehicle to generate a unified overhead composite image. By merging these diverse sensor inputs into a single integrated environmental model, the system achieves comprehensive environmental coverage while avoiding the complexity of displaying multiple separate sensor feeds. The merging process creates a cohesive bird's eye view that consolidates information from all sensors into one coherent display.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a graphical copy or representation of the environment based on sensor data, rather than displaying raw sensor feeds directly. This copying approach allows the system to process sensor information and present it as a simplified, intuitive overhead view that is easier for the driver to interpret. The graphical environment model serves as a processed copy of the actual physical environment, reducing the cognitive load on the driver.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for assisting drivers to maneuver a vehicle include a plurality of image sensors about a vehicle capture image data. At least one processor is programmed to display one or more types of overhead views on a vehicle display based on the image data. For example, an environment-fixed overhead composite image can be displayed on the vehicle display. In the environment-fixed overhead composite image, an environment about the vehicle is displayed spatially fixed as the vehicle is maneuvered, and a graphical image representing the vehicle moves within the environment-fixed overhead composite image as the vehicle maneuvered. This type of overhead view can be shown when, for example, distance between the vehicle and a target object is below a threshold.