Adaptive and interactive scene illumination

• US 20060038959A1
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Gallegos, Jonathan J., Hull, Jerald A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,227,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 352/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/125 Coloured light
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/13 Ultraviolet light; Infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/14 characterised by the type of light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/16 Laser light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/285 Refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters not provided in groups F21S41/24-F21S41/28
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/635 by moving refractors, filters or transparent cover plates
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/675 by moving reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/003 Searchlights, i.e. outdoor lighting device producing powerful beam of parallel rays, e.g. for military or attraction purposes searchlights mounted on a vehicle B60Q1/245
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/04 by movement of reflectors in vehicle head lamps F21S41/675
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2111/06 for aircraft runways or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/406 for theatres, stages or film studios
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/02 Illuminating scene
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/54 with projector
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/14 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7458 the modulator being an array of deformable mirrors, e.g. digital micromirror device [DMD]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Apparatus for adaptively and interactively lighting selected portions of a scene includes a digital light projector that includes a light emitter and a digital light processor optically coupled to the emitter such that the emitter light is projected onto respective individual fields of view of a field of regard illuminating the scene in accordance with a projector control signal. A camera adjacent to the projector is operative to detect light reflected or projected from the illuminated scene and generate a signal corresponding to the detected light. A signal processor coupled to the projector and the camera is operative to receive the camera signal, process the received signal into a light projector control signal in accordance with an associated set of instructions, and apply the control signal to the light projector such that the light projected onto the respective individual fields of view of the illuminating array is controlled in accordance with the instructions.

Claims

1. Apparatus for adaptively and interactively lighting selected portions of a scene, the apparatus comprising:

a digital light projector, comprising;

a light emitter; and

,

a digital light processor optically coupled to the light emitter such that light from the emitter is selectively projected onto respective individual fields of view of a field of regard of the projector illuminating the scene in accordance with a control signal applied to the projector;

a camera disposed adjacent to the projector and operative to;

detect light reflected or projected from a portion of the illuminated scene, and

generate a signal corresponding to the light detected; and

,

a signal processor coupled to the projector and the camera and operative to;

receive the signal generated by the camera,

process the received signal into a light projector control signal in accordance with a set of instructions, and

apply the control signal to the light projector such that the light projected onto respective ones of the individual fields of view of the field of regard of the projector is controlled in accordance with the instructions.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the camera comprises an imaging camera;

the signal processor comprises an analog image processor; and

,

the instruction set comprises a reverse image processing instruction, such that the projector projects a dark area onto respective portions of the scene that are detected to be brighter than a given threshold level.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising one or more light reflectors or emitters disposed on an object in the illuminated scene.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising apparatus for defocusing the light projected by the projector, such that the dark areas projected are larger than the corresponding portions of the scene onto which they are projected.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the camera comprises an imaging camera;

the signal processor comprises a digital image signal processor; and

,

the instruction set comprises an instruction to project a dark area onto respective portions of the scene that are detected to be brighter than a given threshold level.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising one or more light reflectors or projectors disposed on an object in the illuminated scene.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the dark areas projected are larger than the corresponding brighter portions of the scene onto which they are projected.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the projector further comprises apparatus for projecting light in a non-visible spectrum onto selected individual fields of view of the field of regard of the projector in accordance with the control signal; and

,

the camera further comprises apparatus for detecting light in a non-visible spectrum reflected or projected from portions of the illuminated scene.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus for projecting light in the non-visible spectrum comprises a spectral filter wheel.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising one or more non-visible spectrum light reflectors or projectors disposed on an object in the illuminated scene.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

apparatus for modulating the non-visible spectrum light projected by the projector with an information signal; and

,

apparatus for demodulating an information signal from the non-visible spectrum light detected by the imaging camera.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the information signal comprises information about at least one of a boundary and the location of an object within the illuminated scene.

13. A method for adaptively and interactively lighting selected portions of a scene, the method comprising:

projecting light onto respective individual fields of view of a field of regard illuminating the scene with a digital light projector in accordance with a control signal applied to the projector;

detecting light reflected or projected from the illuminated scene;

generating a signal corresponding to the light detected by the imaging camera;

processing the detected light signal into a light projector control signal in accordance with a set of instructions; and

,

applying the control signal to the light projector such that the light projected onto the respective individual fields of view of the illuminating field of regard is controlled in accordance with the instructions.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising projecting a dark area onto respective portions of the scene that are detected to be brighter than a given threshold level.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the dark areas projected are sized differently than the corresponding brighter portions of the scene onto which they are projected.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising defocusing the projected light such that the dark areas projected are larger than the corresponding brighter portions of the scene onto which they are projected.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

projecting light in a non-visible spectrum onto selected individual fields of view of the illuminating field of regard in accordance with the control signal; and

, detecting light in a non-visible spectrum reflected or projected from the illuminated scene.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising disposing one or more non-visible spectrum light reflectors or projectors on an object in the illuminated scene.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

modulating the projected non-visible spectrum light with an information signal; and

,

demodulating an information signal from the non-visible spectrum light reflected or projected from the illuminated scene.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

projecting coherent light onto selected individual fields of view of the illuminating field of regard in accordance with the control signal;

modulating the projected coherent light with an information signal;

detecting coherent light projected from portions of the illuminated scene; and

,

demodulating an information signal from the coherent light projected from portions of the illuminated scene.