Monitoring unit for a motor vehicle, having partial color encoding

• US 10,387,735 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2018
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Frenzel, Henryk, Koehler, Thorsten, Voltz, Stephan, Wagner, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Mung, On S
• Application Number:
  US16/105,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20180357497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 348113
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/20 Filters polarising elements G02B5/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/10 for generating image signals from different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/135 based on four or more different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/64 Circuits for processing colour signals H04N9/77 takes precedence; camera processing pipelines for processing colour signals H04N23/84

Abstract

A monitoring unit for monitoring an environment outside of a motor vehicle includes a camera with an imaging sensor that has both color pixels and monochrome pixels. Pixel groups each include one or two color pixels and respectively three or two monochrome pixels. The pixel groups are arranged in a repeating pattern of partial color encoding.

Claims

1. A monitoring unit for monitoring an exterior scene outside of a motor vehicle, comprising a camera system including an imaging sensor made up of photosensitive pixels including color pixels and monochrome pixels, wherein the imaging sensor has a repeating pattern of 2×

2 pixel groups that each respectively include exactly four of said photosensitive pixels including exactly one of said color pixels, and wherein all remaining ones of said photosensitive pixels of said imaging sensor are said monochrome pixels.

2. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, wherein all of said color pixels are coded for the same color.

3. The monitoring unit according to claim 2, wherein said same color is red.

4. The monitoring unit according to claim 2, wherein said same color is green.

5. The monitoring unit according to claim 2, wherein said same color is yellow.

6. The monitoring unit according to claim 2, wherein said same color is blue.

7. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, wherein said repeating pattern forms columns and rows of said photosensitive pixels, and said 2×

2 pixel groups are arranged so that alternating ones of said rows and alternating ones of said columns consist of only said monochrome pixels.

8. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, wherein an entire photosensitive surface of said imaging sensor is made up of said repeating pattern of said 2×

2 pixel groups of said photosensitive pixels.

9. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, wherein said imaging sensor has a first region consisting of a plurality of said 2×

2 pixel groups arranged in plural successive contiguous columns and plural successive contiguous rows of said 2×

2 pixel groups forming said repeating pattern, and a second region consisting of a plurality of said monochrome pixels arranged in plural successive contiguous rows and plural successive contiguous columns of said monochrome pixels.

10. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, wherein said color pixels include first color pixels coded for a first color and second color pixels coded for a second color different from said first color, first ones of said 2×

2 pixel groups each respectively include one of said first color pixels, second ones of said 2×

2 pixel groups each respectively include one of said second color pixels, and said imaging sensor has a first area consisting of a contiguous plurality of said first 2×

2 pixel groups and a second area consisting of a contiguous plurality of said second 2×

2 pixel groups.

11. The monitoring unit according to claim 10, wherein said first color is red and said second color is yellow.

12. The monitoring unit according to claim 10, wherein said first color is red and said second color is blue.

13. The monitoring unit according to claim 10, wherein said first color is red and said second color is green.

14. The monitoring unit according to claim 10, wherein said first color is blue and said second color is green.

15. The monitoring unit according to claim 10, wherein said imaging sensor has a first region consisting of a plurality of said 2×

2 pixel groups arranged in plural successive contiguous columns and plural successive contiguous rows of said 2×

2 pixel groups forming said repeating pattern, and a second region consisting of a plurality of said monochrome pixels arranged in plural successive contiguous rows and plural successive contiguous columns of said monochrome pixels, and

wherein said first region includes said first area and said second area.

16. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, wherein each one of said color pixels respectively comprises a respective photodetector cell and a respective color filter of a respective primary color arranged in front of said respective photodetector cell, and each one of said monochrome pixels respectively comprises a respective photodetector cell without a color filter.

17. A monitoring unit for monitoring an exterior scene outside of a motor vehicle, comprising a camera system including an imaging sensor made up of photosensitive pixels including color pixels and monochrome pixels, wherein the imaging sensor has a repeating pattern of 2×

2 pixel groups that each respectively include exactly four of said photosensitive pixels including exactly two of said color pixels, and wherein all remaining ones of said photosensitive pixels of said imaging sensor are said n monochrome pixels.

18. The monitoring unit according to claim 17, wherein all of said color pixels are coded for the same color.

19. The monitoring unit according to claim 18, wherein said same color is red.

20. The monitoring unit according to claim 17, wherein said color pixels include first color pixels coded for a first color and second color pixels coded for a second color different from said first color, and wherein said two color pixels in each one of said 2×

2 pixel groups consist of one of said first color pixels and one of said second color pixels.

21. The monitoring unit according to claim 20, wherein said first color is red and said second color is green.

22. The monitoring unit according to claim 20, wherein said first color is blue and said second color is green.

23. The monitoring unit according to claim 20, wherein said first color is yellow and said second color is green.

24. The monitoring unit according to claim 20, wherein said first color is blue and said second color is yellow.

25. The monitoring unit according to claim 17, wherein said repeating pattern forms columns and rows of said photosensitive pixels, and said 2×

2 pixel groups are arranged so that alternating ones of said rows or alternating ones of said columns consist of only said monochrome pixels.

26. The monitoring unit according to claim 17, wherein said imaging sensor has a first region consisting of a plurality of said 2×

2 pixel groups arranged in plural successive contiguous columns and plural successive contiguous rows of said 2×

2 pixel groups forming said repeating pattern, and a second region consisting of a plurality of said monochrome pixels arranged in plural successive contiguous rows and plural successive contiguous columns of said monochrome pixels.

27. An image sensor comprising light-sensitive pixels including color pixels and monochrome pixels covering an area of the image sensor, wherein:

the color pixels include first color pixels that are color-coded to be sensitive to a first color, and second color pixels that are color-coded to be sensitive to a second color different from the first color,

the monochrome pixels are not color-coded,

the light-sensitive pixels are arranged in a checkerboard pattern in which the color pixels alternate with the monochrome pixels in each row along a row direction and in each column along a column direction, and in which the first color pixels alternate with the second color pixels in two diagonal directions that extend obliquely to the row direction and the column direction, and

the first color and the second color are red and green respectively, or red and yellow respectively, or yellow and blue respectively, or yellow and green respectively, or green and blue respectively.

28. The image sensor according to claim 27, wherein said area of said image sensor covered by said light-sensitive pixels is a first partial area of a photosensitive sensor surface of said image sensor, said image sensor further includes additional pixels that are light-sensitive and that cover a second partial area of said photosensitive sensor surface, and said additional pixels are not color-coded.