Front Curb Viewing System with Automatic Triggering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drivers face challenges in accurately judging the position of a vehicle relative to obstacles like curbs during parking due to obstructed visibility, leading to potential damage from hitting the curb.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for determining when to display enhanced frontal curb view images on a vehicle's display device, using factors like vehicle speed, GPS data, and driving history to trigger the display of optimized images that correct for visual distortions and provide precise positioning relative to curbs or other structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a driver manually activates a front curb viewing display during parking, then the driver can see the curb position, but the driver may forget to activate it or fail to think to turn it on
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically activates the front curb viewing display without requiring manual driver input. The control module detects parking situations through sensor data and vehicle state information, then autonomously triggers the appropriate camera views and enhancements, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring continuous driver intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of parking situations using sensors and vehicle state monitoring before the driver needs the view. By continuously monitoring vehicle speed, steering angle, and proximity to curbs, the system prepares and activates the enhanced viewing display in advance, ensuring it is ready when the driver needs it
2Ease of operation
If the system automatically displays frontal curb views based on context, then the display becomes helpful to drivers, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control module serves multiple functions: it monitors vehicle state, detects parking situations, determines when to activate the display, selects appropriate camera views, and coordinates with the enhanced view generation system. This multi-functionality consolidates what could be separate complex subsystems into a single coordinated controller
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors vehicle state parameters (speed, steering angle, proximity to curbs) and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust whether the enhanced curb view should be displayed. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows automatic activation based on real-time conditions without requiring complex predictive algorithms
3Area of moving object
If wide-angle lens images are used for front curb viewing, then the field of view is expanded, but visual distortions are introduced that reduce measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies digital image processing transformations to alter the geometric parameters of the wide-angle images. By warping and correcting the captured images through software algorithms, the system removes the radial distortion inherent in wide-angle lenses while preserving the expanded field of view, thereby restoring measurement precision without sacrificing coverage area
Solution Approach 2:
The enhanced view generation system acts as an intermediary between the wide-angle camera capture and the driver's visual perception. It processes the distorted images through correction algorithms and presents a geometrically accurate representation to the driver, mediating the conflict between wide-angle distortion and measurement precision
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for determining when to display frontal curb view images to a driver of a vehicle, and what types of images to display. A variety of factors—such as vehicle speed, GPS/location data, the existence of a curb in forward-view images, and vehicle driving history—are evaluated as potential triggers for the curb view display, which is intended for situations where the driver is pulling the vehicle into a parking spot which is bounded in front by a curb or other structure. When forward curb-view display is triggered, a second evaluation is performed to determine what image or images to display which will provide the best view of the vehicle's position relative to the curb. The selected images are digitally synthesized or enhanced, and displayed on a console-mounted or in-dash display device.