Patent ID: 8508593

Claim:
An accessory system for a vehicle, said vehicular accessory system comprising: a mounting element attached at a vehicle windshield of a vehicle equipped with the accessory system; wherein said mounting element comprises an attachment portion at a first side of said mounting element for attachment of said mounting element at the vehicle windshield; wherein, at least when said mounting element is attached at the vehicle windshield, a module is mounted at a second side of said mounting element that opposes said first side; wherein said module includes attaching structure that cooperates with attaching structure of said mounting element in order to detachably mount said module at said mounting element; wherein said module has a windshield-facing side that faces towards the vehicle windshield when said module is mounted at said mounting element attached at the vehicle windshield; wherein said module has a cabin-facing side that faces away from the vehicle windshield towards the interior cabin of the equipped vehicle when said module is mounted at said mounting element attached at the vehicle windshield; wherein said module has a housing having a windshield-facing side and a cabin-facing side; wherein a camera is disposed in said module; said camera comprising a CMOS imaging array sensor and a lens; wherein said camera, with said module mounted at said mounting element attached at the vehicle windshield, views forwardly through the vehicle windshield via a generally wedge-shaped structure of the windshield-facing side of said housing; wherein said camera captures image data for a driver assistance system of the equipped vehicle; and wherein electrical circuitry is disposed in said module and wherein, with said module mounted at said mounting element attached at the vehicle windshield, said electrical circuitry communicates over a vehicle communication bus with at least one system of the equipped vehicle.