Patent US9580014

System, apparatus, and method of detecting and displaying obstacles and data associated with the obstacles
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US9580014

1. A method of detecting obstacles surrounding a vehicle and displaying the obstacles and data related to the obstacles on a digital display inside the vehicle, the method comprising: (5) (3)

receiving by a processor of a detection processing unit a digital video input signal from a first camera and depth data from a second camera, wherein the digital input video input signal includes images of an area surrounding the vehicle;

analyzing by the processor the digital video input signal to determine whether at least one obstacle is present in the area surrounding the vehicle; and

when the at least one obstacle is detected, analyzing by the processor the depth data to obtain a distance associated with the at least one obstacle,

generating by the processor a digital video output including the digital video input signal and a display of the distance associated with the at least one obstacle overlaid on the obstacle in the digital video input signal, and

transmitting by the processor the digital video output to the display device, and when a plurality of obstacles is detected,

generating by the processor a list prioritizing the plurality of obstacles based on at least one of:

(i) an identification of the at least one obstacle,

(ii) the distance associated with the at least one obstacle, and

(iii) a calculated time the at least one obstacle will enter a blind spot.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one obstacle is a moving object or a non-moving object. (0)

3. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the depth data to obtain the distance associated with the obstacle further comprises: (0) (2)

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: (2) (2)

receiving by the processor sensor data from 3-Dimensional (3D) sensors;

analyzing the sensor data to detect the presence of the at least one obstacle in the area surrounding the vehicle and to obtain the distance associated with the at least one obstacle.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: (1) (1)

calculating by the processor the calculated time at which the at least one obstacle will enter the blind spot of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the digital video output further includes a display of the calculated time. (1) (0)

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the digital video input signal, the depth data, and the sensor data are received via a wired or a wireless connection. (0)

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital video output is transmitted to the display device via a wired or a wireless connection. (0)

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the at least one obstacle is detected, transmitting an audio output to the digital device, the audio output provides an audible alert. (0)

11. A system of detecting obstacles surrounding a vehicle and displaying the obstacles and data related to the obstacles, the system comprising: (1) (5)

an infrared light source to generate an infrared light;

a first camera to generate a digital video input signal that includes images of an area surrounding the vehicle;

a second camera to generate depth data,

a detection processing unit coupled to the first and second cameras, the object detection processing unit including: a processor,

a storage device including instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to: analyze the digital video input signal to determine whether at least one obstacle is present in the area surrounding the vehicle,

when the at least one obstacle is detected, (i) analyze the depth data to obtain a distance associated with the at least one obstacle, wherein the depth data generated by the second camera is associated with the at least one obstacle in the area surrounding the vehicle, wherein the depth data is a video image of the infrared (IR) light on at least one obstacle in the area surrounding the vehicle, and

(ii) generate a digital video output including the digital video input signal and a display of the distance associated with the at least one obstacle overlaid on the obstacle in the digital video input signal, and

when a plurality of obstacles is detected, a list prioritizing the plurality of obstacles based on at least one of: (i) an identification of the at least one obstacle,

(ii) the distance associated with the at least one obstacle, and

(iii) a calculated time the at least one obstacle will enter a blind spot, and

a communication interface to (i) receive the digital video input signal from the first camera and the depth data from the second camera, and

(ii) transmit the digital video output; and

a digital display to display the digital video output received from the communication interface of the detection processing unit.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising: (0) (1)

13. An apparatus for detecting obstacles surrounding a vehicle and displaying the obstacles and data related to the obstacles, the apparatus comprising: (3) (3)

a processor,

a communication interface coupled to the processor to receive a digital video input signal from a first camera and depth data from a second camera; and

(iii) transmit the digital video output to a digital device via the communication interface,

when a plurality of obstacles is detected, a list prioritizing the plurality of obstacles based on at least one of: (i) an identification of the at least one obstacle,

(ii) the distance associated with the at least one obstacle, and

(iii) a calculated time the at least one obstacle will enter a blind spot.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein analyzing the depth data to obtain the distance associated with the obstacle further comprises the processor (0) (2)

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to: (0) (2)

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to: (1) (1)

calculate the calculated time at which the at least one obstacle will enter the blind spot of the vehicle.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the digital video output further includes a display of the calculated time. (1) (0)

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to: (0) (2)

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Patent US9580014

System, apparatus, and method of detecting and displaying obstacles and data associated with the obstacles

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