Patent ID: 7325934

Claim:
An image sensing system for a vehicle, said image sensing system comprising: an imaging sensor; said imaging sensor comprising a two-dimensional array of light sensing photosensor elements formed on a semiconductor substrate; a logic and control circuit; said logic and control circuit comprising an image processor for processing image data derived from said imaging sensor, said logic and control circuit generating at least one control output for controlling at least one light of the vehicle; said imaging sensor disposed at an interior portion of the vehicle proximate the windshield of the vehicle, said imaging sensor having a forward field of view to the exterior of the vehicle through a windshield area that is swept by the windshield wipers; wherein said interior portion is generally centrally located along the vehicle axis and is relatively high in the interior of the vehicle; a portion of said array of light sensing photosensor elements capturing an image of at least one object of interest within said forward field of view of said imaging sensor; and said logic and control circuit analyzing particular groupings of photosensor elements from said portion of said array while ignoring other particular groupings of photosensor elements from said portion of said array so as to determine at least one of presence, size, shape, contour and motion of said at least one object of interest, wherein said particular groupings of photosensor elements and said other particular groupings of photosensor elements are within a region of said array where an object of interest is expected to be imaged; and wherein said at least one control output comprises an output for controlling a vehicle lighting switch, and wherein said vehicle lighting switch controls at least one of (i) a headlight of the vehicle and (ii) a side light of the vehicle.