Patent ID: 8081794

Claim:
A method for imaging the surrounding of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: taking a series of 2D images of the surrounding; taking a series of 3D images of the surrounding, the 3D images including depth information; determining at least one object in an area of interest in one of the series of images and tracking the object in the area of interest where objects are identified in the 3D images together with the object's position and velocity relative to the vehicle and identified in the 2D images with their position, for which the change in distance relative to the vehicle is considered to be larger than a predetermined distance change; processing the other of the series of images to retrieve object information from the other series of images; adjusting the objects to be tracked in the one series of images in accordance with the object information received from processing the other series of images transmitting the position of said object to a 3D imaging unit; requesting the determination of the relative distance to the vehicle of the object for which the position was transmitted; determining the relative distance of the object for which the position was determined in the 2D images; and tracking said object also in the 3D images.