Vehicle-Mounted Monitoring Arrangement and Method Using Light-Regulation

• US 20080036187A1
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1992
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,655,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0152 using strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0153 using field detection presence sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01542 detecting passenger motion

Abstract

Land-based vehicle including an arrangement for monitoring objects in or about a vehicle which includes a source from which illumination is emitted into an area in or about the vehicle, a receiver arranged to receive illumination reflected from an object in the path of the illumination, a light-regulating component arranged in front of the receiver to regulate reception of illumination by the receiver, and circuitry coupled to the source, the receiver and the light-regulating component. The light-regulating component is modulated to enable a determination of a distance between an object from which the illumination has been reflected and the receiver. The circuitry obtains information about objects from which the received illumination has been reflected other than distance information and associates with the objects distances between the objects and the receiver. This improves the ability to control vehicular systems based on the presence of objects in or about the vehicle.

Claims

1. A land-based vehicle including an arrangement for monitoring objects in or about the vehicle, comprising:

a source from which illumination is emitted into an area in or about the vehicle;

a receiver arranged to receive illumination reflected from an object in the path of the illumination;

a light-regulating component arranged in front of said receiver to regulate reception of illumination by said receiver, said light-regulating component being modulated to enable a determination of a distance between an object from which the illumination has been reflected and said receiver; and

circuitry coupled to said source, said receiver and said light-regulating component and arranged to obtain information about objects from which the received illumination has been reflected other than distance information and associate with the objects distances between the objects and said receiver.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said light-regulating component is a LCD, a Pockel cell or a Kerr cell.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said light-regulating component is arranged to range-gate the received illumination to thereby enable the determination of the distance between the object from which the illumination has been reflected and said receiver.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said circuitry is arranged to coordinate the emission of illumination from said source and opening of said light-regulating component to allow for reception of illumination by said receiver at specific times after the emission of the illumination.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said light-regulating component is a spatial light modulator.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said source is arranged to provide modulated illumination.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said illumination source is an infrared LED and said light-regulating component is a light valve.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said circuitry is arranged to obtain identification or classification information about objects from which the received illumination has been reflected.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said source is a high power eye-safe laser diode.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said light-regulating component is modulated via a sinusoidal or pulse modulation.

11. A land-based vehicle including an arrangement for monitoring objects in or about the vehicle, comprising:

a source from which illumination is emitted into an area in or about the vehicle;

a receiver arranged to receive illumination reflected from an object in the path of the illumination;

a spatial light modulator arranged in front of said receiver to regulate reception of illumination by said receiver, said spatial light modulator being controlled to enable a determination of a distance between an object from which the illumination has been reflected and said receiver; and

circuitry coupled to said source, said receiver and said spatial light modulator and arranged to obtain information about objects from which the received illumination has been reflected other than distance information and associate with the objects distances between the objects and said receiver.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein said spatial light modulator is arranged to range-gate the received illumination to thereby enable the determination of the distance between the object from which the illumination has been reflected and said receiver.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein said circuitry is arranged to coordinate the emission of illumination from said source and opening of said spatial light modulator to allow for reception of illumination by said receiver at specific times after the emission of the illumination, and to obtain identification or classification information about objects from which the received illumination has been reflected.

14. A method for monitoring objects in or about the vehicle, comprising:

emitting illumination into an area in or about the vehicle;

arranging a receiver to receive illumination reflected from an object in the path of the illumination;

arranging a light-regulating component in front of the receiver to regulate reception of illumination by the receiver;

modulating the light-regulating component to enable a determination of a distance between an object from which the illumination has been reflected and the receiver;

obtaining information about objects from which the received illumination has been reflected other than distance information based on the received illumination; and

associating the obtained information with range information relating to distances between the objects and the receiver.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the light-regulating component is an LCD, a Pockel cell or a Kerr cell.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the light-regulating component is arranged to range-gate the received illumination to thereby enable the determination of the distance between the object from which the illumination has been reflected and the receiver.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising coordinating emission of illumination and opening of the light-regulating component to allow for reception of illumination by the receiver at specific times after the emission of the illumination.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the light-regulating component is a spatial light modulator.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising modulating the emitted illumination.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the information obtained about the objects is identification or classification information.