Patent ID: 8179281
Filing Date: 2012-05-15
Classification: G08G

Abstract:
1. A method for detecting concealed objects in road traffic in which surroundings of a driver's vehicle are detected by vehicle sensors including a video camera, and vehicle to vehicle communication, and displayed on a vehicle display to the driver, said method comprising the steps of: a) generating, by a processor, a surroundings model based upon objects detected by the vehicle sensors and movement variables received from other vehicles during communication, the movement variables indicating location and movement of the other vehicles, b) displaying, on the vehicle display, the generated surroundings model as an aerial map view of the driver's vehicle in relation to locations of the detected objects and locations of the other vehicles if the objects or other vehicles in the surroundings model are outside a field of view of the camera, c) displaying, on the vehicle display, the generated surroundings model as the aerial map view of the driver's vehicle in relation to locations of the detected objects and locations of the other vehicles if video from the video camera is not available, d) displaying, on the vehicle display, video from the camera, if the video from the video camera is available and the objects or other vehicles in the surroundings model are within the field of view of the camera, e) performing, by the processor, a situation analysis of the surroundings, f) displaying, on the vehicle display, the objects and the other vehicles which represent an accident hazard on the display with a high priority, and g) activating, by the processor, predefined steps for reducing the accident hazard in the driver's vehicle.