Multifunctional integrated visual system with CMOS or CCD technology matrix

• US 20040141057A1
• Filed: 11/04/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C.R.F. Societa Consortile Per Azioni
• Original Assignee: C.R.F. Societa Consortile Per Azioni
• Inventors: Repetto, Piermario, Bernard, Stefano, Pallaro, Nereo, Visintainer, Filippo, Pairetti, Bartolomeo, Borello, Elena
• Granted Patent: US 7,460,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/3321 Detection of streetlights
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1223 with sensors or transducers
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0822 characterized by the arrangement or type of detection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0844 including a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/42 using electric radiation detectors optical or mechanical part G01J1/04; by comparison with a reference light or electric value G01J1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/4709 Backscatter
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/538 for determining atmospheric attenuation and visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9327 Sensor installation details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4816 of receivers alone
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 19/023 Multi-image cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof

Abstract

The invention describes a system with a multifunctional integrated visual sensor using a CMOS or CCD technology matrix having a sensitive area divided into sub-areas dedicated to a series of specific functions.

Claims

1. Visual system comprising a CCD or CMOS matrix having a sensitive area divided into sub-areas, each being designed for a specific function of scene monitoring or detection of environmental parameters, said division being achieved thanks to optical systems (imaging and non-imaging systems) with different directions and/or fields of view and/or modes of optical separation of said sub-areas.

2. System according to claim 1, wherein it is installed in a motor vehicle, for instance on the front portion (i.e. in driving direction) of the inner rearview mirror of the motor vehicle, so as to perform one or more functions among:

rain detection, windscreen misting detection, fog detection, dusk detection, tunnel detection, vehicle meeting detection, monitoring of the scene before the vehicle (for instance lane warning, adaptive headlight, vehicle meeting).

3. System according to claim 1, wherein the matrix is a linear or logarithmic, monochromatic (or color) VGA CMOS matrix.

4. System according to claim 1, wherein the matrix has its sensitive area divided into specific sub-areas designed for front monitoring function, for instance lane warning, for passive fog detection, for dusk detection, for tunnel detection and for active fog detection.

5. System according to claim 4, wherein the sensitive area of the matrix also has a specific sub-area for rain and misting detection.

6. System according to claim 5, wherein the sensitive area of the matrix further comprises an additional specific sub-area for vehicle meeting detection.

7. System according to claim 6, characterized in that it is provided for a sub-area dedicated to an active rain detection, by means of an emitter.

8. System according to claim 7, wherein said area dedicated to rain function is also dedicated to windscreen misting function, always by means of an emitter.

9. System according to claim 8, wherein dusk function is performed by a specific sub-area of CMOS matrix.

10. System according to claim 9, wherein tunnel function is performed by using part of the area dedicated to front monitoring function.

11. System according to claim 10, wherein fog function is performed both with a dedicated sub-area, with an active technique for local fog detection (i.e. by means of an emitter, for instance in form of LED or laser diode), and with passive technique for fog bank detection in another sub-area corresponding to the one dedicated to front monitoring or contained therein.

12. System according to claim 11, wherein vehicle meeting function is performed by using two dedicated sub-areas or a sub-area dedicated to front monitoring, in a color matrix or in a monochromatic matrix by means of optical filter laid with a discretization degree at pixel level, though only in the area or sub-area of the matrix dedicated to front monitoring.

13. System according to claim 1, wherein the matrix sensor has a protection window made of glass or transparent plastic, also acting as support for one or more optical fibers and, if necessary, a prism carrying to selected sub-areas of the matrix an optical signal picked up by the latter.

14. System according to claim 13, wherein said optical fibers have proximal ends fitted into holes made into said protection window.

15. System according to claim 13, wherein it comprises means for optical insulation between the area dedicated to front monitoring and those dedicated to rain, misting, fog and dusk functions, based on a partial covering of the surface of the matrix protection window, on the side towards the matrix, with a layer of absorbing or reflecting material, for instance by serigraphy or thermal evaporation.

16. System according to claim 13, wherein it comprises means for optical insulation of the area dedicated to rain function from the influence of other functions, said insulation being based on:

1) partial covering of prism faces with a layer of absorbing or reflecting material,

     2) hole made into the optical window and covering of hole inner walls.

17. System according to claim 13, wherein the sub-area dedicated to rain function receives the optical signal from an optical system comprising in series a prism with optical insulation, a filter and an objective with optical axis orthogonal to windscreen.

18. System according to claim 13, wherein the sub-area dedicated to windscreen misting function receives the optical signal from an optical system comprising a prism with optical insulation, a filter and an objective with optical axis orthogonal to windscreen.

19. System according to claim 13, wherein the sub-area dedicated to dusk function receives the optical signal through an optical fiber.

20. System according to claim 13, wherein the sub-area dedicated to tunnel function receives the optical signal through an objective dedicated also to front monitoring function.

21. System according to claim 13, wherein the sub-area dedicated to fog function, based on active technique, receives the optical signal through an optical system comprising a ball or grin lens or even no lens at all together with an end of an optical fiber (output), possibly with another grin or micro-optical lens or even with no lens at all on the other end of the optical fiber (input), together with a highpass/interferential filter, and a collection lens.

22. System according to claim 13, wherein the sub-area dedicated to fog function, based on passive technique, receives the optical signal through an objective dedicated also to front monitoring function.

23. System according to claim 13, wherein the two sub-areas dedicated to vehicle meeting function receive the optical signal through filters together with an objective.

24. System according to claim 13, wherein in the variant of vehicle meeting function based on the use of a sub-area dedicated to front monitoring in a color matrix or in a monochromatic matrix, the optical signal is collected by means of the same objective dedicated to front monitoring function.

25. System according to claim 13, wherein the sub-area dedicated to front monitoring function receives the optical signal through an objective with optical axis shifted with respect to matrix center.

26. System according to claim 1, wherein some sub-areas are reserved for unused pixels necessary as additional separation between used sub-areas.