Vehicle driving assistance apparatus

• US 10,170,073 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2016
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Geng, Lihua
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US15/207,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20170270891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• 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 2300/103 using camera systems provided with artificial illumination device, e.g. IR light source
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/108 using 'non-standard' camera systems, e.g. camera sensor used for additional purposes i.a. rain sensor, camera sensor split in multiple image areas
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/406 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8053 for bad weather conditions or night vision
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a vehicle driving assistant apparatus, comprising: an infrared image acquiring module for acquiring information of an infrared image of an object ahead of a vehicle; a display module connected with the infrared image acquiring module, for displaying a corresponding image according to the information of the infrared image acquired by the infrared image acquiring module. The disclosure enables the driver to see the road conditions ahead by means of the vehicle driving assistant apparatus even when facing glaring light emitted from ahead when driving at night, thus reducing the occurrence of traffic accidents.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving assistant apparatus comprising:

an infrared image acquiring module for acquiring information of an infrared image of an object ahead of a vehicle;

a luminance detection module for detecting the luminance of visible light transmitted to the vehicle from ahead of the vehicle;

an infrared driving module connected with the infrared image acquiring module;

a luminance comparing module connected with the luminance detection module and the infrared driving module, the luminance comparing module for comparing the luminance of the visible light detected by the luminance detection module and a preset value, sending a first signal to the infrared driving module when the luminance of the visible light is greater than or equal to the preset value, and sending a second signal to the infrared driving module when the luminance of the visible light is less than the preset value; and

a display module connected with the infrared image acquiring module, the display module for displaying a corresponding image according to the information of the infrared image acquired by the infrared image acquiring module;

wherein the infrared driving module is configured to activate the infrared image acquiring module when receiving the first signal, and deactivate the infrared image acquiring module when receiving the second signal.

2. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the infrared image acquiring module comprises:

an infrared emitting unit for emitting infrared light ahead of the vehicle; and

an image acquiring unit connected with the display module, the image acquiring unit configured to generate information of an infrared image of an object ahead of the vehicle according to the infrared light reflected back from the object.

3. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image acquiring unit comprises a camera having a lens, and wherein the infrared image acquiring module further comprises a visible light filter disposed on an external surface of the lens of the camera, and for filtering out the visible light impinging on the lens.

4. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an image processing module connected between the infrared image acquiring module and the display module, the image processing module configured to perform image enhancement processing on the infrared image acquired by the image acquiring module, and send the processed information to the display module.

5. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the luminance detection module comprises a luminance sensor.

6. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a wearable entity configured to be worn by a driver of the vehicle, wherein the luminance sensor is disposed on the wearable entity.

7. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the wearable entity comprises a spectacles frame.

8. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a wireless communication module, wherein the wireless communication module comprises a signal sending end connected with the luminance detection module and a signal receiving end connected with the luminance comparing module.

9. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a wireless communication module, wherein the wireless communication module comprises a signal sending end connected with the luminance detection module and a signal receiving end connected with the luminance comparing module.

10. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication module, wherein the wireless communication module comprises a signal sending end connected with the luminance detection module and a signal receiving end connected with the luminance comparing module.

11. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

an image processing module connected between the infrared image acquiring module and the display module, the image processing module configured to perform image enhancement processing on the infrared image acquired by the image acquiring module, and send the processed information to the display module.

12. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display module comprises:

a display driving unit connected with the infrared image acquiring module, the display driving unit configured to convert for converting the information of the infrared image into a corresponding signal of gray scale data; and

an image display unit connected with the display driving unit, the image display unit for displaying a corresponding image according to the signal of gray scale data.

13. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the image display unit comprises a transparent display panel.

14. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the transparent display panel is disposed at a periphery of a front windshield of the vehicle.

15. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the image display unit comprises a backlight source, a display panel disposed at a light exit side of the backlight source, and a semi-transparent semi-reflective film disposed on the light exit side of the display panel, the backlight source connected with the infrared driving module, and the infrared driving module configured to control the backlight source to emit light when receiving the first signal and stop emitting light when receiving the second signal.

16. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image processing module connected between the infrared image acquiring module and the display module, the image processing module configured to perform image enhancement processing on the infrared image acquired by the image acquiring module, and send the processed information to the display module.

17. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the image processing module is configured to perform image sharpening processing.

18. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the infrared image acquiring module is configured to acquire the information of multiple frames of infrared image of an object ahead of the vehicle successively, and wherein the image processing module is configured to perform image enhancement processing on the information of the multiple frames of infrared image successively, the vehicle driving assistant apparatus further comprising a signal transmission module connected between the image processing module and the display module, the signal transmission module configured to transmit the processed information of the multiple frames of infrared image to the display module sequentially.

19. A vehicle driving assistant apparatus comprising:

an infrared image acquiring module for acquiring information of an infrared image of an object ahead of a vehicle;

a luminance detection module for detecting the luminance of visible light transmitted to the vehicle from ahead of the vehicle;

an infrared driving module connected with the infrared image acquiring module; and

a luminance comparing module connected with the luminance detection module and the infrared driving module, the luminance comparing module for comparing the luminance of the visible light detected by the luminance detection module and a preset value, sending a first signal to the infrared driving module when the luminance of the visible light is greater than or equal to the preset value, and sending a second signal to the infrared driving module when the luminance of the visible light is less than the preset value;

wherein the infrared driving module is configured to activate the infrared image acquiring module when receiving the first signal, and deactivate the infrared image acquiring module when receiving the second signal.

20. The vehicle driving assistant apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a wireless communication module, wherein the wireless communication module comprises a signal sending end connected with the luminance detection module and a signal receiving end connected with the luminance comparing module.