Mobile unit and system for mobile unit

• US 10,589,660 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2017
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kimura, Hajime, Hayashi, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Joseph L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Diaz, Jose M
• Application Number:
  US16/081,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20190092221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/04 adjustable in transparency
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/076 by electrical means including means to transmit the movements, e.g. shafts or joints
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1313 specially adapted for a particular application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/955 using specific electronic processors
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1225 with semiconductor materials not belonging to the group IV of the periodic table, e.g. InGaZnO
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14616 characterised by the channel of the transistor, e.g. channel having a doping gradient
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14621 Colour filter arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14623 Optical shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14634 Assemblies, i.e. Hybrid structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1464 Back illuminated imager structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14689 MOS based technologies

Abstract

A mobile unit and a system for a mobile unit which can judge whether an oncoming car is emitting a high beam are provided. A mobile unit and a system for a mobile unit which include a first and a second sensors, a memory circuit, an arithmetic circuit, and a window portion. The first sensor is configured to sense the position of the eyes of a driver who is riding in the mobile unit. The second sensor is configured to sense whether an oncoming car is existing, whether the oncoming car is emitting a high beam, and a region that is to be irradiated with the high beam. The memory circuit is configured to store an irradiation distance of a high beam and a decrease rate of light transmittance of the window portion. The arithmetic circuit is configured to output, to the window portion, data on a region of the window portion in which the light transmittance is to be changed, on the basis of data sensed by the first sensor and the second sensor and data stored in the memory circuit. The window portion is configured to locally decrease the light transmittance on the basis of the data output from the arithmetic circuit.

Claims

1. A mobile unit comprising:

a first sensor;

a second sensor;

a first circuit;

an arithmetic circuit; and

a window portion,

wherein the first sensor is configured to sense a position of eyes of a driver,

wherein the second sensor is configured to sense whether an oncoming car exists,

wherein the second sensor is configured to sense whether the oncoming car emits a high beam,

wherein the second sensor is configured to sense a region that is to be irradiated with the high beam emitted by the oncoming car,

wherein the first circuit is configured to store an irradiation distance of a high beam,

wherein the first circuit is configured to store a decrease rate of light transmittance of the window portion,

wherein the arithmetic circuit is configured to output, to the window portion, data on a region of the window portion in which the light transmittance is to be changed, on the basis of data sensed by the first sensor and the second sensor and data stored in the first circuit, and

wherein the window portion is configured to locally decrease the light transmittance on the basis of the data, which is output from the arithmetic circuit, on a region of the window portion in which the light transmittance is to be changed.

3. The mobile unit according to claim 1,

wherein the first sensor is provided inside the mobile unit, and

wherein the second sensor is provided outside the mobile unit.

4. The mobile unit according to claim 1,

wherein a dynamic range of the second sensor is higher than a dynamic range of the first sensor, and

wherein a frame frequency of the second sensor is higher than a frame frequency of the first sensor.

5. The mobile unit according to claim 1,

wherein the first sensor comprises a first imaging element,

wherein the second sensor comprises a second imaging element,

wherein the first imaging element is configured to be operated by a rolling shutter method, and

wherein the second imaging element is configured to be operated by a global shutter method.

6. The mobile unit according to claim 1,

wherein the second sensor comprises a pixel comprising a photoelectric conversion element, a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, and a fourth transistor,

wherein one terminal of the photoelectric conversion element is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the first transistor,

wherein the other of the source and the drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the second transistor,

wherein the one of the source and the drain of the second transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the third transistor,

wherein one of a source and a drain of the third transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the fourth transistor,

wherein a channel formation region of each of the first transistor and the second transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises In and Zn.

2. A mobile unit comprising:

a first sensor;

a second sensor;

a first circuit;

an arithmetic circuit; and

a window portion,

wherein the first sensor is configured to output a first signal to the arithmetic circuit,

wherein the second sensor is configured to output a second signal to the arithmetic circuit,

wherein the second sensor is configured to output a third signal to the arithmetic circuit,

wherein the second sensor is configured to output a fourth signal to the arithmetic circuit,

wherein the first circuit is configured to output a fifth signal to the arithmetic circuit,

wherein the first circuit is configured to output a sixth signal to the arithmetic circuit,

wherein the arithmetic circuit is configured to output a seventh signal to the window portion in accordance with the first to sixth signals,

wherein the window portion is configured to locally decrease light transmittance in accordance with the seventh signal,

wherein the first signal comprises data on a position of eyes of a driver,

wherein the second signal comprises data on whether an oncoming car exists,

wherein the third signal comprises data on whether the oncoming car emits a high beam,

wherein the fourth signal comprises data on a region that is to be irradiated with the high beam emitted by the oncoming car,

wherein the fifth signal comprises data on an irradiation distance of a high beam,

wherein the sixth signal comprises data on a decrease rate of the light transmittance, and

wherein the seventh signal comprises data on a region of the window portion in which the light transmittance is to be changed.

7. The mobile unit according to claim 2,

wherein the first sensor is provided inside the mobile unit, and

wherein the second sensor is provided outside the mobile unit.

8. The mobile unit according to claim 2,

wherein a dynamic range of the second sensor is higher than a dynamic range of the first sensor, and

wherein a frame frequency of the second sensor is higher than a frame frequency of the first sensor.

9. The mobile unit according to claim 2,

wherein the first sensor comprises a first imaging element,

wherein the second sensor comprises a second imaging element,

wherein the first imaging element is configured to be operated by a rolling shutter method, and

wherein the second imaging element is configured to be operated by a global shutter method.

10. The mobile unit according to claim 2,

wherein the second sensor comprises a pixel comprising a photoelectric conversion element, a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, and a fourth transistor,

wherein one terminal of the photoelectric conversion element is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the first transistor,

wherein the other of the source and the drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the second transistor,

wherein the one of the source and the drain of the second transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the third transistor,

wherein one of a source and a drain of the third transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the fourth transistor,

wherein a channel formation region of each of the first transistor and the second transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises In and Zn.