Patent ID: 11915590
Assignee: GENTEX CORPORATION
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A warning system for a vehicle, comprising:
at least one imager disposed on a vehicle surface and configured to capture image data from a scene in a blind spot of a vehicle;
a processor in communication with the imager and configured to process the image data and determine whether there is an obstruction in the blind spot;
a controller in communication with the processor;
a user interface in communication with the controller and comprising at least one user input element; and
at least one of an accelerometer in communication with the controller and a communication link between a bus of the vehicle and the controller;
wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the vehicle is moving in a forward direction based on an input received from one of the bus of the vehicle and the controller,
wherein the processor is configured to determine a distance between a detected obstruction and the vehicle and to determine whether the obstruction is within a predetermined distance from the vehicle;
wherein the processor is configured to send, upon a determination that there is an obstruction in the blind spot within the predetermined distance from the vehicle, an appropriate input to the controller; and
wherein the controller is configured to, upon receipt of both the input indicating that there is an obstruction in the blind spot within the predetermined distance from the vehicle and the receipt of an input indicating that the vehicle is moving in a forward direction, cause an alert to be generated.