Imaging sensor that monitors operability of the imaging sensor

• US 7,619,650 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2003
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Freienstein, Heiko, Trinh, Hoang, Bothe, Hans-Dieter, Engelberg, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Villecco; John M
• Application Number:
  US10/532,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20060187303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,307 Days
• Field of Search: 348/129, 348/131, 348/132, 348/187, 348/148, 382/152
• US Class Current: 348/187
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/33 Arrangements for non-electric triggering of inflation electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/002 for television cameras

Abstract

An imaging sensor disposed in a vehicle includes an evaluation unit for monitoring the imaging sensor'"'"'s operability based on an image signal, for example, by an evaluation of invariant patterns, empirical knowledge about measurement signal profiles, utilizing the redundancy of a network of sensors, or utilizing time-related redundancy.

Claims

1. An imaging sensor disposed in a vehicle, comprising:

an image acquisition unit for generating at least one image signal; and

an evaluation unit configured to monitor the imaging sensor'"'"'s operability based on the image signal;

wherein the image acquisition unit includes a first image-producing sensor and a second image-producing sensor, and wherein the at least one image signal includes a first image signal provided by the first image-producing sensor and a second image signal provided by the second image-producing sensor, and wherein the operability is determined based on a comparison of the first image signal with the second image signal.

2. The imaging sensor according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit derives from the at least one image signal at least one value and compares the at least one value with at least one limit value to monitor the imaging sensor'"'"'s operability.

3. The imaging sensor according to claim 2, further comprising:

an interface, wherein an indication of the operability is transferred via the interface.

4. The imaging sensor according to claim 2, wherein the at least one image signal is generated based on at least one invariant pattern.

5. The imaging sensor according to claim 2, wherein the operability is determined based on a profile of the at least one image signal.

6. The imaging sensor according to claim 2, wherein the operability is monitored during an initialization phase.

7. The imaging sensor according to claim 2, wherein the imaging sensor is connectable to a diagnostic unit that activates the evaluation unit to monitor the operability.

8. The imaging sensor according to claim 2, wherein the evaluation unit is manually activatable to monitor the operability.

9. The imaging sensor according to claim 2, wherein the imaging sensor is configured to produce an image having depth resolution.

10. The imaging sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

an illumination device configured to provide a pattern, wherein the image acquisition unit generates the image signal based on the pattern.