Monitoring unit for a motor vehicle, having partial color encoding

• US 10,055,654 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Frenzel, Henryk, Koehler, Thorsten, Voltz, Stephan, Wagner, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Mung, On S
• Application Number:
  US14/636,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20150215550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 348113, 348148
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/20 Filters polarising elements G02B5/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/10 for generating image signals from different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/135 based on four or more different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/64 Circuits for processing colour signals H04N9/77 takes precedence; camera processing pipelines for processing colour signals H04N23/84

Abstract

A monitoring unit for monitoring an environment outside of a motor vehicle includes a camera with an imaging sensor that has both color pixels and monochrome pixels. Pixel groups each include one or two color pixels and respectively three or two monochrome pixels. The pixel groups are arranged in a repeating pattern of partial color encoding.

Claims

1. An image sensor comprising photosensitive pixels including red pixels that are particularly sensitive to red light and monochrome pixels that are sensitive to plural colors of light, wherein:

said photosensitive pixels are arranged in 2×

2 pixel groups that each respectively consist of four of said photosensitive pixels including exactly one of said red pixels and exactly two or exactly three of said monochrome pixels;

said 2×

2 pixel groups are arranged to form a repeating pattern of rows and columns of said photosensitive pixels covering an area of said image sensor;

each one of said rows that contains at least one of said red pixels consists of only ones of said red pixels alternating successively with ones of said monochrome pixels; and

each one of said columns that contains at least one of said red pixels consists of only ones of said red pixels alternating successively with ones of said monochrome pixels.

3. The image sensor according to claim 1, wherein:

said photosensitive pixels further include non-red color pixels that are particularly sensitive to colored light of a color other than the red light;

each one of said 2×

2 pixel groups respectively consists of exactly one of said red pixels, exactly two of said monochrome pixels, and exactly one of said non-red color pixels;

said columns include first columns that each consist of only ones of said monochrome pixels alternating successively with ones of said non-red color pixels, and second columns that each consist of only ones of said red pixels alternating successively with ones of said monochrome pixels;

said rows include first rows that each consist of only ones of said monochrome pixels alternating successively with ones of said red pixels, and second rows that each consist of only ones of said non-red color pixels alternating successively with ones of said monochrome pixels;

said first columns and said second columns alternate successively with one another over said area of said image sensor; and

said first rows and said second columns rows alternate successively with one another over said area of said image sensor.

4. The image sensor according to claim 3, wherein said non-red color pixels are green pixels that are particularly sensitive to said colored light being green light.

5. The image sensor according to claim 3, wherein said non-red color pixels are yellow pixels that are particularly sensitive to said colored light being yellow light.

6. The image sensor according to claim 3, wherein:

said area of said image sensor covered by said 2×

2 pixel groups is a first area of a photosensitive surface of said image sensor,

said image sensor further includes monochrome light sensitive pixels in addition to said monochrome pixels, and

said photosensitive surface of said image sensor further includes a second area that is covered entirely by said monochrome light sensitive pixels arranged in plural successive contiguous rows and plural successive contiguous columns of said monochrome light sensitive pixels.

7. The image sensor according to claim 1, wherein:

said area of said image sensor covered by said 2×

2 pixel groups is a first area of a photosensitive surface of said image sensor,

said image sensor further includes monochrome light sensitive pixels in addition to said monochrome pixels, and

said photosensitive surface of said image sensor further includes a second area that is covered entirely by said monochrome light sensitive pixels arranged in plural successive contiguous rows and plural successive contiguous columns of said monochrome light sensitive pixels.

2. An image sensor comprising photosensitive pixels including red pixels that are particularly sensitive to red light and monochrome pixels that are sensitive to plural colors of light, wherein:

said photosensitive pixels are arranged in 2×

2 pixel groups that each respectively consist of exactly one of said red pixels and exactly three of said monochrome pixels;

said 2×

2 pixel groups are arranged to form a repeating pattern of rows and columns of said photosensitive pixels covering an area of said image sensor;

said columns include first columns that each consist of only a plurality of said monochrome pixels, and second columns that each consist of only ones of said red pixels alternating successively with ones of said monochrome pixels;

said rows include first rows that each consist of only ones of said monochrome pixels alternating successively with ones of said red pixels, and second rows that each consist of only a plurality of said monochrome pixels;

said first columns and said second columns alternate successively with one another over said area of said image sensor; and

said first rows and said second rows alternate successively with one another over said area of said image sensor.

8. The image sensor according to claim 2, wherein:

said area of said image sensor covered by said 2×

2 pixel groups is a first area of a photosensitive surface of said image sensor,

said image sensor further includes monochrome light sensitive pixels in addition to said monochrome pixels, and

said photosensitive surface of said image sensor further includes a second area that is covered entirely by said monochrome light sensitive pixels arranged in plural successive contiguous rows and plural successive contiguous columns of said monochrome light sensitive pixels.