Infrared night vision system, in colour

• US 20050040333A1
• Filed: 07/09/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Fleury, Benoist, Hue, David, Hidden, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 7,358,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/332
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/12 with means for image conversion or intensification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/20 for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

The invention concerns a night vision method and system for a road scene comprising at least one projection device emitting an infrared light towards the road scene and a first sensor for capturing a first image of the road scene, this sensor being a colour sensor.

Claims

1. Night vision system for a road scene comprising at least one projection device emitting an infrared light towards the road scene and a first sensor for capturing a first image of the road scene, the first sensor being a colour sensor.

2. System according to claim 1, which comprises a second monochrome sensor for capturing a second infrared image of the road scene, the first image being a colour image and the second image being a monochrome image.

3. System according to claim 2, which comprises image processing means for combining the first colour image with the second monochrome image.

4. System according to claim 2, wherein the second sensor is a sensor with high sensitivity, in particular to infrared radiation.

5. System according to claim 2, wherein the first sensor has a sensitivity, in particular to infrared radiation, less than that of the second sensor.

6. System according to claim 1, which is mounted in a motor vehicle.

7. Road scene night vision method, in which an infrared light beam is emitted in the direction of the road scene, which comprises the following operations:

capturing a first colour image of the road scene,

capturing a second monochrome infrared image of the road scene,

combining the first and second images of the road scene, and

obtaining a colour infrared image of the road scene.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein the combining of the first and second images comprises a pixel by pixel averaging of the said first and second images.

9. Method according to claim 7, wherein the capture of the second image is performed with a high infrared sensitivity.

10. Method according to claim 7, wherein the capture of the first image is performed at an infrared sensitivity less than that of the second image.