In the process of driving, drivers often cannot distinguish their surroundings because of blind spots, resulting in vehicle accidents. Among them, the length and volume of large-scale vehicles lead to more blind spots than small-scale vehicles, and a surround view system will help drivers avoid accidents. This article will show you the developments in surround view systems, and the applications of cutting-edge surround view systems.
Complete all-in-one vehicle surround view scheme
The vehicle surround view system scheme introduced in this article is based on the Android platform as the core, which can support Qualcomm’s MSM8953 and NXP i.MX8 chip, six cameras, and six ultrasonic radars connected with a 12.3-inch display screen. The blind spot solution of an integrated panoramic view, two sets of binoculars, and ultrasonic radar realized by a single system can provide effective driving assistance. This system has been actually put into operation for six months on the 5G bus demonstration line of a certain city.
The camera mounting layout used in this surround view system is to install six cameras with 220-degree fisheye lenses around the vehicle body to expand the shooting angle and range, and six cameras together form one set of panoramic applications and two sets of binocular applications. The front, back, left, and right cameras form the surround view application, and the binocular sensor is equipped on the right side to reuse the right camera for a panoramic view. A set of binocular sensors is also provided in the forward direction, and the forward-looking camera for a panoramic view is reused, so as to form a complete and comprehensive bus surround view system.
A surround view system can alleviate blind spots during driving
With the rapid development of computer chips and computer vision technology, more and more electronic technologies have been applied to the automotive field. Most of the current vehicles are equipped with a reversing image system that installs a camera and some proximity sensors at the rear of a vehicle. The system can only cover the limited area around the rear of the vehicle, resulting in the inability to see the blind spots around and at the front of the vehicle, and thus failing to provide sufficient safety assistance for driving. As a result, measures have been initiated to provide many vehicles with a surround view system to offer more comprehensive driving assistance.
A so-called surround view system installs multiple cameras around the vehicle body that can capture the state around the vehicle in real time, and display the captured images on the vehicle screen after processing and splicing by the computer system, assisting the driver with checking the surroundings of the vehicle. In addition to displaying a panoramic aerial view of the vehicle, the system also enables the option to display a single view in either direction. The ability of accurately judging the position and distance of the obstacle or captured target with a measured line and watching the images around the vehicle through the system’s display screen can enable the driver to clearly see the blind spots around the vehicle, making the parking and turning of the vehicle more intuitive, convenient, and safe.
Ultrasonic radar can accurately determine the distance around the vehicle
Although the surround view system can display the images around the vehicle, the driver not only needs to observe the state in front of the vehicle, but also needs to draw out the energy to watch the images from multiple perspectives, so it is inevitable that not all of the details can be balanced. To take this into account, in addition to using cameras to visualize the surrounding environment, many surround view systems also include ultrasonic radars to get a more accurate picture of the vehicle's distance from its surroundings.
Ultrasonic radars can calculate the distance between the vehicle and the reflected object by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and send sounds with different interval velocities and frequencies based on the distance between the vehicle and the object, so as to prompt the driver in an auditory way. This will effectively avoid accidental collisions when reversing and turning large-scale vehicles such as buses.
The binocular sensors provide stereoscopic in-depth information
The binocular sensor works in a similar way to the human eye. In view of the angle difference between the images seen by both eyes, optical parallax is generated, which is the basis of stereoscopic vision. The brain obtains in-depth perception by automatically synthesizing what the eyes see, and estimates the distance between the human body and the object from the parallax between the eyes. Using the same concept, the binocular sensor of this system can detect pedestrians on the side and front of the vehicle and generate point clouds, and display the in-depth detection effect for objects of different types and heights.
The higher driver seat and longer body of large-scale vehicles such as buses often make it difficult for drivers to clearly judge the distance and height of objects around the vehicle. The binocular sensors can scan the surrounding obstacles of various heights, distances and sizes, and promptly remind the driver when there is a danger of collision, which can greatly improve driving safety.
Conclusion
The vehicle surround view system, which is of great help to avoid blind spots during driving, has been installed on many new and advanced vehicles. The surround view system kits are also launched in the market for selective purchasing by consumers, with a huge market development space. This surround view system, which is applied to buses, can greatly improve the driving safety of vehicles. The system, which has been tested and verified, has the chance to be extended to buses in more cities, and can also be applied to small private cars after streamlining, which will have great market development potential in the future.