Image processing system to control vehicle headlamps or other vehicle equipment

• US 20040034457A1
• Filed: 08/12/2003
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harold C. Ockerse, Joseph S. Stam, Mark W. Pierce
• Original Assignee: Harold C. Ockerse, Joseph S. Stam, Mark W. Pierce
• Inventors: Pierce, Mark W., Stam, Joseph S., Ockerse, Harold C.
• Granted Patent: US 6,868,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0822 characterized by the arrangement or type of detection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0844 including a camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/087 including an ambient light sensor control of vehicle lights B60Q
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0885 the sensor being integrated in a rear-view mirror module
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/94 Hardware or software architectures specially adapted for image or video understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/08 Detecting or categorising vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof

Abstract

An imaging system of the invention includes an image array sensor including a plurality of pixels. Each of the pixels generate a signal indicative of the amount of light received on the pixel. The imaging system further includes an analog to digital converter for quantizing the signals from the pixels into a digital value. The system further includes a memory including a plurality of allocated storage locations for storing the digital values from the analog to digital converter. The number of allocated storage locations in the memory is less than the number of pixels in the image array sensor. According to another embodiment, an imaging device includes an image sensor having a plurality pixels arranged in an array; and a multi-layer interference filter disposed over said pixel array, said multi-layer interference filter being patterned so as to provide filters of different colors to neighboring pixels or groups of pixels.

Claims

1. An imaging system for a vehicle, comprising:

at least two image sensor arrays, each said image array sensor comprising a plurality of pixels, each said pixel operable to generate a signal indicative of the amount of light received on said pixel; and

a control circuit for processing at least one image, wherein said control circuit is in communication with said at least two image sensor arrays via a bus.

2. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein said bus is a serial bus.

3. The imaging system of claim 2 wherein said bus is a three wire bus that communicates image exposure instructions from a processor to a timing and control circuit and communicates image data from said at least two image sensor arrays to said processor.

4. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein said bus is selected from the group comprising:

a common NTSC video signal, a wireless network, a MOST bus, an IEEE-1394 bus, a CAN bus, and an AMI-C bus.

5. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein said at least two image sensor arrays are connected to said processor via common connections and said at least two image sensor arrays are individually addressable.

6. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein said control circuit is configured to perform at least two functions selected from the group comprising:

headlamp control, rain sensing, windshield wiper control, collision avoidance warning, adaptive cruise control, vehicle climate control, and lane departure indication.

7. The imaging system of claim 1 comprising a first image sensor array and a second image sensor array, wherein said first image sensor array is configured for headlamp control and said second image sensor array is configured for rain sensing.

8. An imaging system for a vehicle, comprising:

an image array sensor including a plurality of pixels, each said pixel operable to generate a signal indicative of the amount of light received on the pixel; and

a control circuit for processing at least one image of a scene obtained from said image array sensor for controlling at least one vehicle apparatus in response to objects detected in the processed scene, wherein said control circuit generates a segment list identifying segments of adjacent ones of said pixels that generate a signal having a grayscale value above a threshold as the signals are received from said pixels.

9. The imaging system of claim 8 wherein said control circuit generates a list of white light sources in the imaged scene based on information in said segment list.

10. The imaging system of claim 8 wherein said control circuit generates a list of red light sources in the imaged scene based on information in said segment list.

11. The imaging system of claim 8, said control circuit comprising a memory comprising a plurality of allocated storage locations for storing digital values from an analog to digital converter.

12. The imaging system of claim 11 wherein the number of allocated storage locations in said memory is less than the number of pixels in said image array sensor.

13. An imaging system for a vehicle, comprising:

an image array sensor;

an optical system configured to image the scene forward of the controlled vehicle onto said image array sensor; and

a control circuit for processing the image of the scene obtained from said image array sensor to control the vehicle headlamps in response to objects detected in the processed scene, said control circuit is in communication with said image array sensor via a bus.

14. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein said bus is a serial interface.

15. The imaging system of claim 14, wherein said serial interface is a three wire serial interface which communicates image exposure instructions from said control circuit to a timing and control circuit and communicates image data from said image array sensor to said control circuit.

16. The imaging system of claim 13, where said bus is a parallel bus.

17. The imaging system of claim 16, wherein said bus is configured to communicate image data with image control parameters on the same signal lines.

18. The imaging system of claim 16, wherein said bus is configured to communicate image data on separate lines from image control parameters.

19. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein said bus comprises analog signals configured as a common NTSC video signal.

20. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein said bus is a MOST bus.

21. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein said bus is an IEEE-1394 bus.

22. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein said bus is a CAN bus.

23. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein said bus conforms to the AMI-C specification.

24. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein said control circuit generates a segment list identifying segments of adjacent pixels that generate a signal having a grayscale value above a threshold as signals are received from said pixels.

25. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein said control circuit generates a list of white light sources in the imaged scene and a list of red light sources in the imaged scene based on information in said segment list.

26. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein said control circuit generates a list of objects in the imaged scene by linking adjacent pixels that generate signals having a grayscale value above a threshold as the pixels are received from said image array sensor.

27. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein said control circuit includes a first processor for processing the signals received from said image array sensor, and a second processor coupled to said first processor for performing additional processing and for controlling the brightness of the headlamps.

28. The imaging system of claim 27, wherein said first processor generates a segment list identifying segments of adjacent pixels that generate a signal having a grayscale value above a threshold as the signals are received from said pixels.

29. The imaging system of claim 28, wherein said second processor receives the segment list from said first processor and identifies objects in the imaged scene based on information in said segment list.

30. The imaging system of claim 29, wherein said second processor generates a list of white light sources in the imaged scene and a list of red light sources in the imaged scene based on information in said segment list.