Patent ID: 6067111
Filing Date: 2000-05-23
Classification: B60R,G05D

Abstract:
Device for detecting a road and objects therein in an area of interest near a vehicle, by means of electronic signals from a video camera mounted on an elevated part of said vehicle, wherein:said camera is oriented so that an optical axis of a camera lens thereof forms a slope angle relative to a plane of said road, which slope angle is less than but approximately equal to one half of an aperture angle of said camera lens;said camera lens is a wide angle lens with an aperture angle greater than approximately sixty degrees; andsaid camera has a photosensitive detector element which is situated in an eccentric portion of an image area of said camera lens, which portion of said image area lies approximately between said optical axis of said camera lens and a part of said image area which corresponds to a farthest edge of said area of interest.