Optical exploration device and vehicle comprising said device

• US 20060072223A1
• Filed: 04/20/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peugeot Citroen Automobiles SA (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Peugeot Citroen Automobiles SA (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Lefranc, Francis
• Granted Patent: US 7,317,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/871
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4228 arrangements with two or more detectors, e.g. for sensitivity compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0022 for sensing the radiation of moving bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/06 Arrangements for eliminating effects of disturbing radiation; Arrangements for compensating changes in sensitivity for adjusting of solid angle of collected radiation G01J5/07; means for wavelength selection G01J5/0801

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical exploration device, particularly for the detection of the blind spot of a vehicle, comprising first passive thermal infrared detection means (2) of the thermopile variety, for example, having a sensitivity range within a first wavelength interval (1), second detection means (3) used to measure direct or indirect solar energy (5) within a second wavelength interval (12), characterized in that the first and second (12) wavelength intervals partially overlap, and in that the first (2) and second (3) detection means are disposed and are oriented in a relative manner in order to successively or simultaneously sight the same are of detection (Z). The invention also relates to a vehicle comprising said device.

Claims

1. Optical exploration device, in particular for the detection of the dead spot of a vehicle, comprising first passive thermal infrared detection means, of the thermopile type, for example, having a sensitivity range in a first wavelength interval, second detection means intended to measure direct or indirect solar energy in a second wavelength intervals, the device providing an exit signal that is a function of the measurements by the first and the second detection means, wherein the first and second wavelength interval overlap in part, and in that the first and second detection means are located and oriented relatively so as to aim successively or simultaneously at a same detection zone.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the exit signal provided by the device comprises a subtraction and/or a comparison of the signals representative of the intensity detected by the first and by the second detection means, respectively, at at least a same wavelength located in the overlap portion of the first and second intervals.

3. Device according to claim 1, wherein the second detection means (3) are of the photodiode and/or phototransistor and/or photoresistance type.

4. Device according to claim 1, wherein the overlap range between the first and the second wavelength intervals is comprised between 0 and 14 μ

m approximately.

5. Motor vehicle comprising at least one optical exploration device according to claim 1.

6. Motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the exploration axis of the waves of the device is oriented essentially toward the rear of the vehicle and forms with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle an angle comprised between 10°

and 170°

approximately.

7. Vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the exploration axis of the waves of the device is oriented essentially toward the ground and forms with the vertical axis an angle comprised between 90°

and 180°

approximately.

8. Vehicle according to claim 5, which comprises at least two optical exploration devices (1A, 1B) disposed in a staggered manner along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

9. Vehicle according to claim 5, which comprises at least two detection devices oriented so as to aim successively at a same detection zones, the vehicle comprising means for determining the speed of the vehicle, and means for data processing of the exit signals of the detection devices conformed to synchronize the exit signals of the detection devices as a function of the spacing distance between the sighting zones of the latter and of the speed of the vehicle, to subtract or compare the signals and eliminate the fixed objects from the detection zone.

10. Vehicle according to claim 5, which comprises a plurality of pairs of detection devices, the two detection devices of each pair being staggered along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and oriented relatively so as to aim successively at a same detection zone), the pairs of detection devices being conformed to aim at adjacent and distinct zones.

11. Vehicle according to claim 5, which comprises at least a pair of detection devices, each detection device emitting a plurality of exploration beams, the beams of the two devices being associated respectively by pairs so as to aim successively at a plurality of respective distinct zones.

12. Vehicle according to claim 9, which comprises at least one reference detection device, oriented so as to aim at the ground essentially vertically.

13. Device according to claim 9, wherein the data processing means are conformed to compare the difference between the exit signals of two detection devices having swept the same zone successively, to determine the presence of a mobile object.

14. Vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the data processing means perform the temporal comparison of the exit signals of two detection devices sweeping successively adjacent zones, to determine the direction of movement, if appropriate, of a mobile object crossing the detection zones.

15. Device according to claim 4, wherein the overlap range between the first and the second wavelength intervals is comprised between 0 and 8 μ

m approximately.

16. Motor vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the exploration axis of the waves of the device is oriented essentially toward the rear of the vehicle and forms with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle an angle in the order of from 30°

to 50°

approximately.

17. Vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the exploration axis of the waves of the device is oriented essentially toward the ground and forms with the vertical axis an angle in the order of 100°

.