Monitoring unit alongside an assistance system for motor vehicles

• US 20070177014A1
• Filed: 05/06/2005
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Frenzel, Henryk, Kohler, Thorsten, Wagner, Ulrich, Voltz, Stephan
• Granted Patent: US 9,524,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/20 Filters polarising elements G02B5/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/10 for generating image signals from different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/135 based on four or more different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/64 Circuits for processing colour signals H04N9/77 takes precedence; camera processing pipelines for processing colour signals H04N23/84

Abstract

A monitoring unit for the exterior in the direction of travel of a motor vehicle includes at least one camera system with an image recording sensor. The sensor has color encoding in some regions and, otherwise, monochrome encoding. An assist system is also provided with such a monitoring unit, in particular a traffic sign and/or lane recognition assist system.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A monitoring unit for an exterior of a motor vehicle in a direction of travel of the motor vehicle, which comprises at least one camera system with an image-recording sensor, said sensor having color encoding in partial areas thereof, and monochrome encoding in remaining areas thereof.

15. The monitoring unit according to claim 14, wherein said partial areas with the color encoding are vertical stripes and/or areas on a right-hand image edge of said sensor.

16. The monitoring unit according to claim 14, wherein said partial areas with the color encoding are vertical stripes and/or areas on a left-hand image edge of said sensor.

17. The monitoring unit according to claim 14, wherein said partial areas with the color encoding are selected from the group of vertical stripes, areas on a right-hand image edge of said sensor, and areas on a left-hand image edge of said sensor.

18. The monitoring unit according to claim 14, wherein said partial areas with the color encoding are horizontal stripes and/or areas on a bottom image edge of said sensor.

19. The monitoring unit according to claim 18, wherein said partial areas with the color encoding on the bottom image edge of said sensor are formed to coincide with a view of a camera onto a road directly over an automobile hood.

20. The monitoring unit according to claim 14, wherein the color encoding is defined in color-coded stripes and/or areas embodied in a single color.

21. The monitoring unit according to claim 20, wherein the color encoding is defined in vertical stripes and/or areas with red color encoding.

22. The monitoring unit according to claim 20, wherein the color encoding is defined in horizontal stripes and/or areas with yellow color encoding.

23. The monitoring unit according to claim 14, wherein the color encoding is formed in color-coded stripes and/or areas embodied in a combination of two colors.

24. The monitoring unit according to claim 23, wherein the color encoding includes vertical stripes and/or areas having red and green color encoding.

25. The monitoring unit according to claim 22, wherein the color encoding includes vertical stripes and/or areas having red and green color encoding.

26. The monitoring unit according to claim 14, wherein the color encoding is defined in a Bayer pattern.

27. The monitoring unit according to claim 14, wherein a ratio of monochrome coding to partial color encoding is 60:

40.

28. The monitoring unit according to claim 14, wherein a ratio of monochrome coding to partial color encoding is 75:

25.

29. The monitoring unit according to claim 14, wherein a ratio of monochrome coding to partial color encoding is 80:

20.

30. An assistance system for a motor vehicle, comprising at least one monitoring unit according to claim 14 disposed to registers an exterior in a travel direction of the motor vehicle.

31. The assistance system according to claim 30 configured for traffic-sign and/or traffic-lane registering.