Systems and components for enhancing rear vision from a vehicle
First Claim
1. An electronic imaging system for a vehicle comprising:
- a support structure for mounting to a vehicle;
a plurality of LEDs mounted to said support structure, said LEDs being selectively activated in response to an activation signal such that radiation is emitted; and
a camera mounted to said support structure for capturing images in a rearward direction from the support structure for display to a vehicle operator, wherein said camera captures images at periodic intervals and said LEDs are periodically activated to emit light during those intervals when said camera is not capturing images.
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Abstract
A vehicle system is disclosed that includes a vehicle lamp assembly including a plurality of LEDs that emit white light so as to function as an illuminator light. The lamp assembly also may include a plurality of LEDs that emit colored light to function as a signal light. The lamp assembly may include a camera. The lamp assembly may serve as a CHMSL or as a tail light. The system also includes a controller that rapidly pulses the LEDs at a rate that is imperceivable by the human eye. The pulsing intervals of the LEDs may be related to the readout intervals of the camera sensor array. In this manner, the LEDs may be pulsed on during camera readout to increase the illumination while the camera is capturing an image, or may be pulsed off during camera readout to prevent feedback glare from interfering with image capture by the camera.
78 Citations
48 Claims
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1. An electronic imaging system for a vehicle comprising:
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a support structure for mounting to a vehicle;
a plurality of LEDs mounted to said support structure, said LEDs being selectively activated in response to an activation signal such that radiation is emitted; and
a camera mounted to said support structure for capturing images in a rearward direction from the support structure for display to a vehicle operator, wherein said camera captures images at periodic intervals and said LEDs are periodically activated to emit light during those intervals when said camera is not capturing images. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A vehicle light module for mounting to the rear of a vehicle, the light module comprising:
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at least one first light source selectively activated in response to a first activation signal such that radiation within a first bandwidth is emitted from the light module;
at least one second light source selectively activated in response to a second activation signal such that radiation within a second bandwidth is emitted from the light module, wherein the second bandwidth is different from the first bandwidth; and
a camera for capturing images for display of the images to a vehicle operator, wherein said camera captures images at periodic intervals and said first light source is periodically activated to emit light during those intervals when said camera is not capturing images, and wherein said second light source is activated at periodic intervals coinciding with those intervals at which said camera is capturing an image. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A center-mounted stop lamp assembly for mounting to the rear of a vehicle, the lamp assembly comprising:
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a support structure for mounting to a vehicle;
a plurality of first LEDs selectively activated in response to a brake activation signal such that red light is emitted from the lamp assembly rearward of the vehicle;
a plurality of second LEDs selectively activated in response to a second activation signal such that infrared radiation is emitted from the lamp assembly rearward of the vehicle;
a camera mounted to said support structure for capturing images in a rearward direction from said support structure for display of the images to a vehicle operator, wherein said camera captures images at periodic intervals and is sensitive to infrared radiation; and
a control circuit for preventing activation of said first LEDs during those intervals when said camera is capturing images, and for activating said second LEDs at least during those intervals at which said camera is capturing an image. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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Specification