Commercial Vehicle Blind Spot Display System Using Camera Merging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial vehicle drivers face difficulties in adequately viewing critical areas around their vehicles due to blind spots and the complexity of existing indirect vision systems, leading to potential accidents, especially when turning or shunting, as obstacles in these areas are not clearly visible.
Innovation Solution
A display system for commercial vehicles that includes a capturing device, calculation unit, and rendering unit to generate a stylized or symbolic representation of the vehicle environment, clearly indicating obstacles in real-time, allowing drivers to quickly and reliably identify potential hazards without being distracted by irrelevant information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple mirrors are used for indirect vision, then the coverage of blind spots is improved, but the device complexity increases and the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the blind spot monitoring function into multiple camera units positioned at different locations (front, rear, side mirrors) that capture images of different blind spot areas. These segmented camera views are then processed separately and displayed together on a single display unit, replacing the need for multiple physical mirrors while maintaining comprehensive blind spot coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical mirror system with an electronic image capture and display system. Camera units capture optical images of blind spot areas, which are then processed by a control unit and displayed on a display unit within the driver's field of view. This substitution eliminates the need for multiple external mirrors and their complex adjustment mechanisms.
2Reliability
If multiple mirrors are used for indirect vision, then the coverage of blind spots is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in simultaneously viewing multiple mirrors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple camera views from different blind spot monitoring units into a single composite display image that is presented on one display unit located within the driver's cabin. This allows the driver to view all blind spot areas simultaneously in a unified display, eliminating the need to physically turn the head to check multiple external mirrors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a spatial arrangement where multiple mirrors are distributed around the vehicle exterior to a single dimensional display plane within the driver's cabin. The multi-camera system captures three-dimensional spatial information from various angles and reconstructs it into a two-dimensional composite display that presents all blind spot information in one location, accessible within the driver's peripheral vision.
3Measurement precision
If graphical displays mark obstacles on rendered image, then obstacle detection is improved, but the clarity of rendered image deteriorates due to concealment of parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color-coded graphical overlays on the composite display image to indicate detected obstacles. Different colors represent different obstacle types or risk levels, allowing the system to provide precise obstacle detection information while maintaining the underlying image clarity. The colored markers are superimposed on the rendered image rather than obscuring it, preserving both detection precision and image visibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A display system and method for displaying an image to the driver of a vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle. The display system has a capturing device mountable to the vehicle and adapted to capture at least part of the vehicle's immediate environment, and to generate signals corresponding to the captured part of the vehicle's immediate environment, a calculation unit adapted to receive the signals generated by the capturing device, determine obstacles within the captured immediate environment of the vehicle, and generate a display image illustrating the vehicle in stylized or symbolic representation, and the obstacle identified in the vehicle's immediate environment as well as its relative position with regard to the vehicle, and a rendering unit adapted to display the display image generated by the calculation unit within the vehicle and visible for the driver.