MODULAR AUTOMOTIVE CAMERA AND IMAGE PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATED PORTAL ENTRY

Described herein is a system and method for vehicle portal activation without a user having to use a manually activated mechanism. In one embodiment, a modular automotive camera solution (MACS) module in conjunction with an image processing system is used for automated portal entry. The MACS module recognizes the presence of a user and controls the opening of, for example, a lift gate, when operating as a rear view camera and working in conjunction with a passive entry system and power lift gate module (PLGM). The MACS module has a camera module functioning as a continuous sensor. The camera module is a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor based camera configured to output analog National Television System Committee (NTSC) composite video and digital video. The image processing module performs image processing and communicates with the PLGM and the MACS module. The system is configured for local interconnect network (LIN) communication.