Light source detection and categorization system for automatic vehicle exterior light control and method of manufacturing
First Claim
1. A distant taillight detection system for use with an automatic vehicle exterior light control system, comprising:
- at least one optical system having a lens system assembly that projects light rays emitted by an 8 to 20 centimeter diameter, red, taillight assembly, located between 100 and 250 meters away from said lens system assembly, onto a pixel array such that said projected light rays substantially spans at least one pixel pitch.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The optical system of the present invention includes a lens system assembly, a spectral filter material and a pixel array configured such that small, distant, light sources can be reliably detected. The optical system of the present invention provides accurate measurement of the brightness of the detected light sources and identification of the peak wavelength and dominant wavelength of the detected light sources. Use of the optical system of the present invention provides the ability to distinguish headlights of oncoming vehicles and taillights of leading vehicles from one another, as well as, from other light sources.
101 Citations
127 Claims
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1. A distant taillight detection system for use with an automatic vehicle exterior light control system, comprising:
at least one optical system having a lens system assembly that projects light rays emitted by an 8 to 20 centimeter diameter, red, taillight assembly, located between 100 and 250 meters away from said lens system assembly, onto a pixel array such that said projected light rays substantially spans at least one pixel pitch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A light source detection and classification system, for use in an automatic vehicle exterior light control system, capable of detecting small, distant, light sources, comprising:
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at least one optical system with a spatial frequency cutoff; and
at least one pixel array with a Nyquist frequency limit, wherein said spatial frequency cutoff is less than, or equal, to said Nyquist frequency limit. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A light source detection and classification system, for use in an automatic vehicle exterior light control system, comprising:
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at least one pixel array; and
at least one pigment spectral filter material disposed between light sources to be detected and said pixel array. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A reflected light ray detection and classification system for use in an automatic vehicle exterior light control system, comprising:
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at least one pixel array; and
a red spectral filter material disposed between reflected light rays to be detected and said pixel array. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. An optical system, for use in an automatic vehicle exterior light control, capable of detecting small, distant, light sources, comprising:
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at least one pixel array having a plurality of pixels; and
a modulation transfer function that first drops to e−
1 at a spatial frequency that is less than, or equal to, the reciprocal of the minimum center-to-center distance between any two adjacent pixels. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73)
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74. An optical system, for use in an automatic vehicle exterior light control, capable of detecting small, narrow spectral band, distant light sources, comprising:
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at least one pixel array having a plurality of pixels, at least a portion of said pixels being spectral filtered; and
a polychromatic modulation transfer function that first drops to e−
1 at a spatial frequency that is less than, or equal to, the reciprocal of the minimum center-to-center distance between any two similarly filtered pixels. - View Dependent Claims (75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93)
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94. An optical system, for use in a vehicle exterior light control system, capable of detecting small, distant light sources, comprising:
a lens system that projects a distant, point source, of light onto a pixel array such that said projected distant point source of light substantially spans at least one pixel pitch. - View Dependent Claims (95, 96, 97)
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98. An optical system, for use in an automatic vehicle exterior light control system, comprising:
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a dual lens system assembly for projecting a field of view onto a pixel array such that a first image of said field of view is formed on a first portion of said pixel array and a second image of said field of view is formed on a second portion of said pixel array; and
at least one pigment spectral filter material disposed between said field of view and said pixel array. - View Dependent Claims (99, 100, 101)
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102. An optical system, comprising:
a dual lens system assembly for projecting a field of view onto a pixel array such that a first image of said field of view is formed on a first portion of said pixel array and a second image of said field of view is formed on a second portion of said pixel array, wherein each lens system of said dual lens system assembly is symmetrically truncated.
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103. An optical system for use in an automatic vehicle exterior light control system, comprising:
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a pixel array attached to a printed circuit board; and
an encapsulate block molded over said pixel array and attached to said printed circuit board. - View Dependent Claims (104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114)
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115. A method of manufacturing an optical system for use in an automatic vehicle exterior light control system, comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a printed circuit board with an attached pixel array having an encapsulate block molded over said pixel array and attached to said printed circuit board;
b) providing a lens system assembly and a precision lens placement machine; and
c) placing said lens system proximate said encapsulate block in the desired position utilizing said precision lens placement machine. - View Dependent Claims (116, 117, 118)
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120. A method of manufacturing an optical system for use in an automatic vehicle exterior light control system, comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a printed circuit board with an attached pixel array; and
b) molding a lens system assembly over said pixel array such that said lens system assembly is attached to said printed circuit board. - View Dependent Claims (121, 122, 123)
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124. An optical system, for use in a vehicle exterior light control system, comprising:
a secondary substrate and a secondary substrate having an integral spectral filter material. - View Dependent Claims (119, 125, 126, 127)
Specification