Automobile infrared night vision device

• US 7,312,723 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2003
• Issued: 12/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Seekircher, Juergen, Eggers, Helmuth, Wohlgemuth, Thomas, Kurz, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass; Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lau; Hoi C.
• Application Number:
  US10/493,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20040257442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: 340/937, 340/461, 340/903, 340/436, 340/435, 340/932.2, 348/115, 348/148, 382/199, 382/190
• US Class Current: 340/937
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/24 in front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/30 providing vision in the non-visible spectrum, e.g. night or infrared vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/106 using night vision cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/301 combining image information with other obstacle sensor information, e.g. using RADAR/LIDAR/SONAR sensors for estimating risk of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/70 characterised by an event-triggered choice to display a specific image among a selection of captured images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8053 for bad weather conditions or night vision
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• 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 relates to an automobile infrared-night viewing device comprising an infrared camera used to receive image data representing the surroundings of the automobile. Said device also comprises an image processing unit which is connected to the infrared-camera and which processes the image data supplied by said camera in such am manner that a continuous image section from the supplied image data is selected and said selected data is retransmitted to a display. Said display then completely or almost completely reproduces the selected data, thereby renouncing any other further representations of the image data. Preferably, the selection of the image data is made according to the speed of the vehicle, the surroundings of the vehicle or the driver.

Claims

1. An automobile IR night vision device, comprising:

an IR camera for recording image data that represent the surroundings of an automobile,

a display for displaying image data fed to it,

an image processing unit that is connected to the IR camera and is suitable for processing the image data fed from the IR camera,

and a control unit for controlling the IR night vision device,

wherein image data representing a coherent image section is selected with the aid of a selection criterion in the course of processing from the fed image data, and the selected image section is passed on for displaying to the display, and

wherein the selection criterion is parameterized on the basis of data from a sensor for detecting the vehicle surroundings adapted for categorizing the detected surroundings in terms of traffic situations, and the control unit parameterizes the selection criterion as a function of the detected, categorized traffic situation for selection and alignment of different sizes of data which are fed to the image processing unit and reproduced on the display.

2. The automobile IR night vision device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor for detecting the vehicle surroundings is adapted for detecting the weather situation, and the control unit parameterizes the selection criterion as a function of the detected weather situation.

3. The automobile IR vision device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor for detecting the vehicle surroundings is adapted for detecting the time of day or the day/night situation, and the control unit parameterizes the selection criterion as a function of the detected time of day or the day/night situation.

4. The automobile IR night vision device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor for detecting the vehicle surroundings is adapted for categorizing the detected surroundings in terms of traffic situations, including at least one of in town, on a country road, and on a freeway.

5. The automobile IR night vision device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is connected to an input unit for inputting one or more connection criteria by the user.

6. The automobile IR night vision device according to claim 5, wherein the input unit has a sensor for detecting the line of sight of the user, and in that the detected line of sight is used to establish the selection.

7. The automobile IR night vision device according to claim 1, wherein it has an IR light source for eliminating the surroundings with the aid of near IR light.

8. The automobile IR night vision device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit permits processing of the image data in real time.

9. An automobile IR night vision device, comprising:

an IR camera for recording image data that represent the surroundings of an automobile,

a display for displaying image data fed to it,

an image processing unit connected to the IR camera and adapted for processing the image data fed from the IR camera,

and a control unit for controlling the IR night vision device,

wherein image data representing a coherent image section is selected with the aid of a selection criterion in the course of processing from the fed image data, and the selected image section is passed on for displaying to the display,

wherein the selection criterion is parameterized based on data from a vehicle speed sensor, and

wherein the size/format of the display is determined by fixing a magnification factor based on data from the vehicle speed sensor.