Patent ID: 8239086

Claim:
An imaging system for a vehicle, said imaging system comprising: an imaging array device comprising a plurality of photo-sensing pixels, wherein said imaging array device is disposed at least partially within an exterior rearview mirror assembly that is attached at a side of a vehicle equipped with said imaging system, and wherein said imaging array device has a field of view exteriorly of the equipped vehicle, and wherein said imaging array device is operable to capture image data; wherein said imaging array device comprises a CMOS imaging array sensor; wherein the field of view of said imaging array device encompasses at least one of (a) a rearward field of view at least partially rearward of the exterior rearview mirror assembly, (b) a sideward field of view at least partially sideward of the exterior rearview mirror assembly and (c) a forward field of view at least partially forward of the exterior rearview mirror assembly; a control for processing captured image data; wherein said control utilizes edge detection in processing captured image data; wherein, responsive at least in part to said processing of captured image data by said control, said control determines an object of interest present in the field of view of said imaging array device; wherein, in determining an object of interest present in the field of view of said imaging array device, detected edges that are not indicative of an object of interest are at least substantially ignored in order to at least one of (a) reduce processing requirements and (b) reduce false signals; and wherein a portion of the equipped vehicle is present in the field of view of said imaging array device and wherein said control is operable to determine that said portion of the equipped vehicle is not an object of interest.