Vehicle vision system with gray level transition sensitive pixels

• US 10,356,337 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2015
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Biemer, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Pontius, James M
• Application Number:
  US14/875,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20160096477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

A vision system of a vehicle includes at least one camera disposed at a vehicle and having a field of view exterior of the vehicle. The camera has at least one pixelated imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements. The pixelated imaging array includes a plurality of event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements. A processor is operable to process data captured by the camera and, responsive to processing of captured data, the processor is operable to detect objects present in the field of view of the camera. The pixelated imaging array may include a first imaging array having visible light sensitive photosensing elements and a second imaging array having the plurality of event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements.

Claims

1. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:

at least one camera configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have a field of view exterior of the vehicle;

wherein said at least one camera comprises at least one pixelated imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements;

wherein said at least one pixelated imaging array comprises a plurality of event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements;

a processor operable to process data captured by said at least one camera;

wherein, responsive to processing of captured data, said processor is operable to detect objects present in the field of view of said at least one camera; and

wherein said at least one pixelated imaging array comprises a first imaging array comprising visible light sensitive photosensing elements and a second imaging array comprising said plurality of event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements.

2. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said at least one camera comprises at least one lens that images onto said first and second imaging arrays, and wherein said first imaging array comprises a two dimensional array having multiple rows and columns of visible light sensitive photosensing elements and wherein said second imaging array comprises a two dimensional array having multiple rows and columns of event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements.

6. The vision system of claim 1, comprising a light emitter that emits pulses of infrared or near infrared light, and wherein said event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements of said at least one pixelated imaging array sense the emitted infrared or near infrared light reflected off objects in the field of view of said at least one camera, and wherein said processor processes captured image data to determine distances to objects present in the field of view of said at least one camera.

8. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said at least one camera comprises a plurality of cameras configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle, and wherein each of said cameras comprises at least one pixelated imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements comprising a plurality of event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements, and wherein said processor is operable to process data captured by said cameras to detect objects present in the fields of view of said cameras.

11. The vision system of claim 8, wherein said cameras include a forward viewing camera configured to be disposed at so as to view through a windshield of the vehicle.

3. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:

at least one camera configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have a field of view exterior of the vehicle;

wherein said at least one camera comprises at least one pixelated imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements;

wherein said at least one pixelated imaging array comprises a plurality of event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements;

a processor operable to process data captured by said at least one camera;

wherein, responsive to processing of captured data, said processor is operable to detect objects present in the field of view of said at least one camera; and

wherein said at least one pixelated imaging array comprises a plurality of visible light sensitive photosensing elements and wherein said visible light sensitive photosensing elements and said event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements are part of a common pixelated imaging array.

4. The vision system of claim 3, wherein said visible light sensitive photosensing elements and said event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements are established at said common pixelated imaging array in respective patterns of photosensing elements.

5. The vision system of claim 3, wherein said visible light sensitive photosensing elements and said event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements comprise common photosensor elements, and wherein outputs of said common photosensor elements are processed via a first processing that processes said common photosensor elements as visible light sensitive photosensing elements and a second processing that processes said common photosensor elements as event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements.

7. The vision system of claim 3, wherein said at least one camera comprises a lens that images onto said common pixelated imaging array.

9. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising:

a plurality of cameras configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle;

wherein each of said cameras comprises at least one pixelated imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements comprising a plurality of event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements;

wherein said at least one pixelated imaging array of each of said cameras comprises a plurality of visible light sensitive photosensing elements;

a processor operable to process data captured by said at bast one camcra said plurality of cameras; and

wherein, responsive to processing of captured data, said processor is operable to detect objects present in the fields of view of said cameras.

10. The vision system of claim 9,

wherein said plurality of cameras includes (i) a rearward camera configured to be disposed at a rear portion of the vehicle so as to view rearwardly of the vehicle, (ii) a left side camera configured to be disposed at a left side of the vehicle and (iii) a right side camera configured to be disposed at a right side of the vehicle.

12. A vision system of a vehicle, said vision system comprising:

a plurality of cameras configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle;

wherein at least one camera of said plurality of cameras comprises a first imaging array comprising a plurality of visible light sensitive photosensing elements and a second imaging array comprising a plurality of event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements;

a processor operable to process data captured by said at least one camera; and

wherein, responsive to processing of captured data, said processor is operable to detect objects present in the field of view of said at least one camera.

13. The vision system of claim 12, wherein said at least one camera comprises at least one lens that images onto said first and second imaging arrays.

14. The vision system of claim 12, wherein each of said plurality of cameras comprises a first imaging array comprising a plurality of visible light sensitive photosensing elements and a second imaging array comprising a plurality of event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements, and wherein said processor is operable to process data captured by each of said cameras to detect objects present in the fields of view of said cameras.

15. The vision system of claim 14, wherein said plurality of cameras includes a rearward camera configured to be disposed at a rear portion of the vehicle so as to view rearwardly of the vehicle, a left side camera configured to be disposed at a left side of the vehicle and a right side camera configured to be disposed at a right side of the vehicle.

16. The vision system of claim 14, wherein said plurality of cameras includes a forward viewing camera configured to be disposed at so as to view through a windshield of the vehicle.

17. A vision system of a vehicle, said vision system comprising:

a plurality of cameras configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have respective fields of view exterior of the vehicle, wherein said plurality of cameras includes at least one of (i) a rearward camera configured to be disposed at a rear portion of the vehicle so as to view rearwardly of the vehicle and (ii) a forward camera configured to be disposed at the vehicle so as to view forwardly of the vehicle;

wherein at least one camera of said plurality of cameras comprises at least one pixelated imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements;

wherein said at least one pixelated imaging array comprises a plurality of visible light sensitive photosensing elements and a plurality of event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements;

wherein said visible light sensitive photosensing elements and said event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements are part of a common pixelated imaging array;

a processor operable to process data captured by said at least one camera; and

wherein, responsive to processing of captured data, said processor is operable to detect objects present in the field of view of said at least one camera.

18. The vision system of claim 17, wherein said visible light sensitive photosensing elements and said event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements are established at said common pixelated imaging array in respective patterns of photosensing elements, and wherein said visible light sensitive photosensing elements and said event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements comprise common photosensor elements, and wherein outputs of said common photosensor elements are processed via a first processing that processes said common photosensor elements as visible light sensitive photosensing elements and a second processing that processes said common photosensor elements as event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements.

19. The vision system of claim 17, wherein each of said plurality of cameras comprises said at least one pixelated imaging array comprising a plurality of visible light sensitive photosensing elements and a plurality of event-based gray level transition sensitive photosensing elements, and wherein said processor is operable to process data captured by said cameras to detect objects present in the fields of view of said cameras.