REARVIEW DEVICE AND MOTOR VEHICLE WITH REARVIEW DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to a rearview device (1) for a motor vehicle (10) comprising a camera arrangement (2) for capturing a rearward traffic situation (VG) and to a motor vehicle (10) with such a rearview device (1) and a method (100) for operating such a rearview device (1) with an output unit (3) which is partially reflective at least in regions, in particular a screen on which the rearward traffic situation captured by the camera arrangement (2) is displayed as a camera image (KB) or this is visibly displayed by means of a conventional mirror image in the absence of a camera image and having a control unit (4) for determining a degree of impairment (BG) of the camera image (KB), the control unit, when a predetermined degree of impairment (VBG) of the camera image (KB) is exceeded, activating the output unit (3) in such a way that the camera image (KB) is no longer displayed on the output unit (3) and instead the output unit (3) displays the rearward traffic situation (RV) by means of a conventional mirror image (SB).

Claims

1-20. (canceled)

21. A rearview device for a motor vehicle, comprising: a camera arrangement for detecting a rearward traffic situation; and an output unit connected to the camera arrangement including a screen on which the rearward traffic situation captured by the camera arrangement is displayed as a camera image at least for a driver of the motor vehicle, wherein the output unit is partially reflective at least in regions and, without a displayed camera image, visibly displays a conventional mirror image of the rearward traffic situation at least in regions of the output unit and, in the switched-on state, displays a camera image with suitable image properties which make the conventional mirror image appear at least predominantly invisible, wherein the rearview device further comprises a control unit for determining a degree of impairment of the camera image, and wherein the control unit, when a predetermined degree of impairment of the camera image is exceeded, automatically controls the output in such a way that the camera image is no longer displayed on the output unit and instead the output unit displays the rearward traffic situation using a conventional mirror image.

22. The rearview device according to claim 21, wherein the degree of impairment of the camera image is caused due to at least one of contamination of the camera assembly or one or more non-contamination contamination-related disturbances from the group of a low charge status of an electric battery in an electric vehicle, a jerky camera image, a flickering camera image, a flickering camera image, a still image, and an EMC effect.

23. The rearview device according to claim 21, wherein the control unit is configured to determine the degree of impairment of the camera image in a two-dimensional arrangement of measuring areas in the camera image separately for each measuring area.

24. The rearview device according to claim 23, wherein the two-dimensional arrangement of measuring areas covers the entire camera image.

25. The rearview device according to claim 23, wherein the measuring areas are arranged over the camera image and are square or rectangular with an edge ratio of small edge to large edge of more than 50%.

26. The rearview device according to claim 23, wherein the two-dimensional arrangement comprises a central main field of a plurality of measuring areas covering a central region of the camera image.

27. The rearview device according to claim 23, wherein the control unit is configured to regard one of the measuring areas as impermissibly impaired if the predetermined degree of impairment for this measuring area is exceeded.

28. The rearview device according to claim 27, wherein the control unit is designed to no longer display the camera image on the output unit if 20% or more of the measuring areas are regarded as impermissibly impaired or if 10% or more of the measuring areas in the central main field are regarded as impermissibly impaired.

29. The rearview device according to claim 21, wherein the control unit is designed to continuously determine the degree of impairment of the camera image.

30. The rearview device according to claim 21, wherein the output unit is a full-surface partially reflective output unit which, without a displayed camera image, displays a conventional mirror image visibly over the entire output unit.

31. A motor vehicle, comprising at least one rearview device according to claim 21.

32. A method for operating a rearview device for a motor vehicle comprising a camera arrangement, an output unit including a screen, which is connected to the camera arrangement and is at least partially reflective in areas, and a control unit, comprising: capturing a rearward traffic situation with the camera arrangement; displaying the rearward traffic situation captured by the camera arrangement as a camera image for a driver of the motor vehicle on the output unit with suitable image properties which make a conventional mirror image of the partially reflective output unit at least predominantly invisible; determining a degree of impairment of the camera image by the control unit; automatically activating the output unit by the control unit in such a way that when a predetermined degree of impairment is exceeded, the camera image is no longer displayed on the output unit; and visible imaging of the rearward traffic situation at least in areas on the output unit by means of the conventional mirror image of the rearward traffic situation.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the degree of impairment of the camera image is caused due to the contamination of the camera arrangement.

34. The method according to claim 32, comprising the further step of no longer displaying the camera image on the output unit if there is a non-contamination-related disturbance that may affect the observation of the rearward traffic situation.

35. The method according to claim 32, wherein the degree of impairment of the camera image in a two-dimensional arrangement of measuring areas in the camera image is determined separately for each measuring area by the control unit.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the control unit considers one of the measuring areas as impermissibly impaired if the predetermined degree of impairment for this measuring area is exceeded.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the control unit no longer displays the camera image on the output unit if 20% or more of the measuring areas are considered impermissibly impaired or when 10% or more of the measuring areas in the central main field are considered impermissibly impaired.

38. The method according to claim 33, wherein the control unit detects a removal of the contamination or the non-contamination-related disturbance and, in response thereto, switches the output unit back on.

39. The method according to claim 38, wherein the control unit, with the output unit switched off or being in a stand-by mode, further checks the camera images frame-by-frame to determine a removal of the contamination or the non-contamination related disturbance.

40. The method according to claim 32, wherein the driver of the motor vehicle manually inputs, whether the rearview device is to be operated in an electronic mode by means of displaying the rearward traffic situation recorded by the camera arrangement as a camera image or in a reflective mode by means of visible imaging of the rearward traffic situation at least in regions on the output unit by means of the conventional mirror image, the electronic mode always being set by default when the motor vehicle is put into operation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] These and other aspects of the invention are shown in detail in the figures as follows.

[0040] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of the rearview device according to the invention or of the motor vehicle according to the invention with such a rearview device;

[0041] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of a two-dimensional arrangement of measuring areas over the entire camera image;

[0042] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation according to FIG. 2 with central main field consisting of several measuring areas;

[0043] FIG. 4 is an embodiment of the method according to the invention for operating a rearview device for a motor vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of the rearview device 1 according to the invention and/or of the motor vehicle 10 according to the invention with such a rearview device 1 comprising a camera arrangement 2 for detecting a rearward traffic situation RV and an output unit 3 which is connected to the camera arrangement 2 via one or more suitable data connections (wireless or cable-supported) and which is designed here as a screen 3 on which the rearward traffic situation captured by the camera arrangement 2 is displayed as a camera image KB at least for a driver 5 (shown here symbolically with a circle as head) of the motor vehicle 10, wherein the screen 3 is a screen 3 which is partially reflective at least in regions (here over its entire surface facing the driver) and which, without a displayed camera image KB, visibly displays a conventional mirror image SB of the rearward traffic situation RV by means of its partially reflective surface and, in the switched-on state, displays a camera image KB with suitable image properties which make the conventional mirror image SB appear at least predominantly invisible. In addition, the rearview device 1 comprises a control unit 4, for example comprising a suitably designed processor with an evaluation algorithm installed and executed thereon, for determining a degree of impairment BG of the camera image KB. In this case, the control unit automatically controls the screen 2 via a suitable data link in such a way that the camera image KB is no longer displayed on the screen 3 when a predetermined degree of impairment VBG of the camera image KB is exceeded. For this purpose, for example, the screen 3 or the camera arrangement 2 can be switched off by the control unit 4 so that there is no longer any camera signal, or the transmission of the camera signal for displaying the camera image KB on the screen 3 can be interrupted by the control unit 4. Instead, the screen 3 then displays the rearward traffic situations RV by means of conventional mirror image SB visible to the driver. The degree of impairment BG of the camera image KB can be caused, for example, by soiling of the camera arrangement 2, the degree of soiling determining the degree of impairment. In addition to soiling, other causes can also lead to impairment of the camera image, such as electronic image errors. The control unit 4 is thereby designed to continuously determine the degree of impairment BG of the camera image KB. The screen 3 shown here is a full-surface partially reflecting screen 3 which, without a displayed camera image KB, displays a conventional mirror image SB visibly over the entire screen 3. The control unit 4 is also provided here for additionally no longer displaying the camera image KB on the screen 3 in the event of other non-contamination-related disturbances which may impair observation of the rearward traffic situation RV, wherein the non-contamination-related disturbance may be a disturbance from the group of a low charging status of an electric battery in an electric vehicle, a jerky camera image, a flickering camera image, a flickering camera image, a still image or an EMC effect.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of a two-dimensional arrangement 41 of measuring areas 42 over the entire camera image KB, which are used to determine the degree of impairment in the camera image KB. Here, the control unit 4 is configured to determine the degree of impairment BG of the camera image KB in a two-dimensional arrangement 41 of measuring areas 42 in the camera image KB separately for each measuring area 42. The two-dimensional arrangement 41 of measuring areas 42 covers the entire camera image KB. The measuring areas 42 are selected to be square or rectangular with an edge ratio of smaller edge to larger edge of more than 50% over the camera image KB. The control unit 4 is thereby designed to regard one of the measuring areas 42 as impermissibly impaired (shown here in dark as an example) if the predetermined degree of impairment VBG is exceeded for this measuring area 42. The remaining measuring areas 42 which, after image analysis by the control unit 4, are regarded as not impaired and thus as suitable by the control unit 4 for displaying the rearward traffic situation RV, are shown here in white by way of example. The control unit 4 can be designed to no longer display the camera image KB on the output unit 3 if 20% or more of the measuring areas 42 over the entire area of the analyzed camera image KB are considered to be impermissibly impaired.

[0046] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation according to FIG. 2 with a central main field 43 consisting of several measuring areas 42. The two-dimensional arrangement 41 here comprises a central main field 43 (shown thickly dashed in black) with several measuring areas 42, which covers a central area of the camera image KB. The control unit 4 is thereby configured to regard one of the measuring areas 42 as impermissibly impaired (shown here in dark as an example) if the predetermined degree of impairment VBG is exceeded for this measuring area 42. The remaining measuring areas 42, which are considered by the control unit 4 to be unimpaired after the image analysis and thus suitable for displaying the rearward traffic situation RV, are shown here in white by way of example. The control unit 4 can be configured to no longer display the camera image KB on the output unit 3 if 10% or more of the measuring area 42 in the central main field 43 is considered to be impermissibly impaired.

[0047] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the method 100 according to the invention for operating a rearview device 1 for a motor vehicle 10 comprising a camera arrangement 2, an output unit 3, for example a screen 3, which is connected to the camera arrangement 2 and is at least partially reflective in regions, and a control unit 4, comprising the steps of capturing 110 a rearward traffic situation RV with the camera arrangement 2; displaying 120 the rearward traffic situation RV captured by the camera arrangement 2 as a camera image KB for a driver 5 of the motor vehicle 10 on the output unit 3 with suitable image properties which make a conventional mirror image SB of the partially reflective output unit at least predominantly invisible; determining 130 a degree of impairment BG of the camera image KB by the control unit 4; automatically activating 140 the output unit 3 by the control unit 4 in such a way that when a predetermined degree of impairment VBG (degree of impairment BG is greater than the predetermined degree of impairment VGB=Y) is exceeded, the camera image KB is no longer displayed on the output unit 3, wherein when the degree of impairment BG is less than or equal to the predetermined degree of impairment VGB (=N), both the detection 110 of the rearward traffic situation and its displaying 120 on the output unit 3 are continued; and the visible imaging 150 of the rearward traffic situation RV at least in areas on the output unit 3 by means of the conventional mirror image SB of the rearward traffic situation RV in case “Y”. Here, the degree of impairment BG of the camera image KB may be caused due to contamination of the camera arrangement 2. Here, the degree of impairment BG of the camera image KB in a two-dimensional arrangement 41 of measuring areas 42 in the camera image KB may be determined separately for each measuring area 42 by the control unit 4. The method may further comprise the further step of not displaying 160 the camera image KB on the output unit 3 if there is a non-contamination related interference that may affect the observation of the rearward traffic situation RV. In this embodiment, the control unit 4 further checks the camera images KB frame-by-frame when the output unit 3 is turned off or is in a stand-by mode to determine elimination of the contamination or non-contamination related disturbance. The control unit 4 may then consider one of the measuring areas 42 to be impermissibly impaired if the predetermined degree of impairment VBG for that measuring area 42 is exceeded. In this case, the control unit 4 can no longer display the camera image KB on the output unit 3 if 20% or more of the measuring areas 42 are considered impermissibly impaired, or if 10% or more of the measuring areas 42 in the central main field 43 are considered impermissibly impaired. If the degree of impairment BG is again less than the predetermined degree of impairment VBG, the control unit 4 detects this and switches the output unit 3 on again in response in step 170. In a further embodiment (not shown in detail here), the driver 5 of the motor vehicle 10 can furthermore manually enter whether the rearview device 1 is to be operated in an electronic mode (displaying 120 of the rearward traffic situation RV captured by the camera arrangement 2 as a camera image KB) or in a reflective mode (visible imaging 150 of the rearward traffic situation RV at least in areas on the output unit 3 by means of the conventional mirror image SB), the electronic mode always being set by default when the motor vehicle is put into operation.

[0048] The embodiments shown here are only examples of the present invention and must therefore not be understood as limiting. Alternative embodiments contemplated by the skilled person are equally encompassed by the scope of protection of the present invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0049] 1 rearview device according to the invention [0050] 2 Camera arrangement [0051] 3 Output unit (for example, a screen or monitor) [0052] 4 Control unit for determining a degree of impairment of the camera image and controlling the output unit based thereon [0053] 41 two-dimensional arrangement of measuring areas [0054] 42 Measuring areas in the camera image to determine the local degree of impairment [0055] 43 central main field with several measuring areas in the central area of the camera image [0056] 5 Driver of the motor vehicle [0057] 10 Motor vehicle [0058] 100 Method according to the invention for operating a rearview device for a motor vehicle [0059] 110 Capturing a rearward traffic situation with the camera arrangement [0060] 120 Displaying the rearward traffic situation captured by the camera arrangement (2) as a camera image on the output unit [0061] 130 Determining a degree of impairment of the camera image due to contamination [0062] 140 Activating the output unit so that the camera image is no longer displayed on the output unit [0063] 150 Imaging the rearward traffic situation on the output unit using the conventional mirror image [0064] 160 Camera image is no longer displayed on the output unit if there is a malfunction not caused by contamination [0065] 170 Switching on the output unit after detecting a removal of contamination or non-contamination-related disturbance [0066] BG degree of impairment of the camera image (e.g. due to contamination of the camera arrangement) [0067] KB Camera image [0068] RV rearward traffic situation [0069] SB Mirror image [0070] VBG predetermined degree of impairment