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FORWARD SENSING CAMERA (FSC)

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2016 – MX-5 – i-ACTIVSENSE

FORWARD SENSING CAMERA (FSC)

Purpose

  • The forward sensing camera (FSC) recognizes light-emitting objects and vehicle lane lines based on the images picked up at the front of the vehicle, and controls the high beam control (HBC) system and lane departure warning system (LDWS).

Functions

Light-emitting object (on-coming vehicle, vehicle ahead, street lights) recognition function

  • Analyzes the light-emitting object picked up by the camera, and recognizes it as an on-coming vehicle, vehicle ahead, or street lights (traveling on city/town streets).

    On-coming vehicle recognition function

  • The forward sensing camera (FSC) recognizes a light-emitting object which meets any of the following conditions and is at least within 600 m {1,968 ft 6 in} from the detecting vehicle as an on-coming vehicle.

    • Light-emitting object approaches having brightness of specified value or more

    • Light-emitting object approaches having white color and certain level of brightness or more (if it approaches and brightness changes, determination made at point of image capture)

      NOTE:

      • If the on-coming vehicle and the surrounding conditions are as follows, the forward sensing camera (FSC) may require time until it recognizes an on-coming vehicle.

        • Poor visibility due to rain and fog

        • On-coming vehicle is travelling with only TNS (parking lights) or fog lights

        • Brightness of light source is low, such as a bicycle

    Vehicle ahead recognition function

  • The forward sensing camera (FSC) recognizes a light-emitting object which meets any of the following conditions and is at least within 500 m {1,640 ft 5 in} from the detecting vehicle as a vehicle ahead.

    • Red light emitted from light-emitting object is detected

    • Determines that there is a pair of light-emitting objects

      NOTE:

      • To prioritize the prevention of blinding other vehicles, the system could recognize reflecting objects on the road surface or a guard rail as a vehicle ahead (switches headlights to low beams).

      • If visibility is poor due to rain or fog, the system may not recognize a vehicle ahead even though one may exist (maintains headlight high beams).

    Town/city streets recognition function

  • In the following cases, the forward sensing camera recognizes that the vehicle is traveling on city/town streets.

    • Several light-emitting objects of certain height or more from road surface along same line are detected

    • Camera image gray color is certain level or more

      NOTE:

      • Even during travel other than on town/city streets at night, if the road surface is bright from moonlight, the system may recognize that the vehicle is traveling on town/city streets (switches headlights to low beams).

Vehicle lane lines and travel lane recognition function

  • The forward sensing camera (FSC) recognizes linear objects which are white/yellow and paler than the surrounding color as vehicle lane lines by the contrast (color density) of the camera image.

  • If the vehicle lane lines are continuous they are recognized as actual lines, if discontinuous they are recognized as broken lines.

  • The travel lanes recognized from the vehicle lane lines on the left and right of the vehicle are used to calculate the width.

  • Traveling in a straight line or cornering is determined by the status of the vehicle lane lines.

Lane departure warning system (LDWS) warning-trigger line setting function

  • The forward sensing camera (FSC) sets the lane departure warning system (LDWS) warning-trigger lines*1 at approx. 5 cm {2 in} inside of the recognized vehicle lane lines.

  • If there is only one vehicle lane line or only one vehicle lane line can be recognized, the warning-trigger line is set to only the recognized vehicle lane line.

  • If a broken line and solid line are both recognized, the solid line is given priority to be set to the warning-trigger line.

*1
The distance between the vehicle lane lines and the warning-trigger lines can be changed using the personalization feature. For details, refer to the [i-ACTIVSENSE PERSONALIZATION]. (See i-ACTIVSENSE PERSONALIZATION.)

Aiming correction function

  • The forward sensing camera (FSC) adjusts the camera shot angle by aiming, and stores the vanishing point*1. The stored vanishing point and the current vanishing point are compared and if there is a deviation of a certain value or more in the vanishing point, the current vanishing point is stored as the new vanishing point.

*1
The vehicle lane lines on the road surface are parallel and do not intersect, however, when viewed by the camera image, the lines converge in the distance and eventually cross. The point at which the lines cross is called the vanishing point.

HBC warning light (amber), LDWS OFF indicator light, and LDWS warning light burnt out bulb check function

  • When the ignition is switched ON (engine off or on), the instrument cluster turns the HBC warning light (amber), LDWS OFF indicator light, and LDWS warning light on for approx. 3 s to check for burnt out bulb.

On-board diagnostic function

  • The forward sensing camera (FSC) detects dirt and fogging of the camera lens and windshield glass, forward sensing camera (FSC) communication errors, forward sensing camera (FSC) internal malfunctions, and outputs DTCs. For details on DTCs, refer to [ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM [FORWARD SENSING CAMERA (FSC)]. (See ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTIC [FORWARD SENSING CAMERA (FSC)].)

Construction

  • The forward sensing camera (FSC) is positioned on the windshield.

  • By integrating a small, color CMOS camera*1 with the control module, lightness and size reduction have been achieved.

  • The forward sensing camera (FSC) communicates with other modules via CAN.

*1
Camera equipped with high sensitivity CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor

Operation

Camera range

  • The forward sensing camera (FSC) shoots in the following range.

NOTE:

  • Depending on the surrounding conditions (ascending roads, winding roads, walls), the forward sensing camera (FSC) may be unable to pickup an object in front of the vehicle within the camera range and not recognize it as a controlled target object.

Position calculation

  • When an object appears on the screen, the forward sensing camera (FSC) determines the position coordinates and calculates the direction and distance to the object.

Fail-safe

High beam control (HBC) system

  • Control is inhibited and the high beams are switched to low beams.

Lane departure warning system (LDWS)

  • Not applicable

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