Patent ID: 8543277

Claim:
An imaging system for detecting objects exterior of a vehicle, said imaging system comprising: an imaging device comprising an array of photo-sensing elements, wherein said imaging device is disposed at a vehicle equipped with said imaging system, and wherein said imaging device captures image data; wherein, with said imaging device disposed at the equipped vehicle, said imaging device has a field of view exterior of the equipped vehicle; a control for processing image data captured by said imaging device; wherein said control utilizes edge detection in processing captured image data; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing of captured image data by said control, said control determines objects of interest present in the field of view of said imaging device; wherein objects of interest determined to be present in the field of view of said imaging device comprise at least one of (i) vehicles present exterior of the equipped vehicle and (ii) headlights of vehicles present exterior of the equipped vehicle; wherein said control is operable to determine at least one of (i) a bicycle that is present exterior of the equipped vehicle and (ii) a bicycle rider that is present exterior of the equipped vehicle; wherein, responsive at least in part to processing of captured image data by said control, a driver of the equipped vehicle is alerted to a hazardous condition; and wherein said control processes a reduced data set of said captured image data to determine objects of interest present exterior of the equipped vehicle.