Illumination and imaging system and method
First Claim
1. An active illumination imaging system for monitoring a subject, said system comprising:
- a video imaging camera oriented to generate images of a subject;
a first light source located at a first location and operable for illuminating the subject;
a second light source located at a second location and operable for illuminating the subject; and
a controller for processing the images generated with the video imaging camera during illumination of the subject and controlling operation of the first and second light sources, said controller detecting presence of sufficient glare and controlling activation of the first and second light sources to reduce the glare.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method are provided for actively illuminating and monitoring a subject, such as a driver of a vehicle. The system includes a video imaging camera orientated to generate images of the subject eye(s). The system also includes first and second light sources offset from each other and operable to illuminate the subject. The system further includes a controller for controlling illumination of the first and second light sources such that when the imaging camera detects sufficient glare, the controller controls the first and second light sources to minimize the glare. This is achieved by turning off the illuminating source causing the glare.
49 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An active illumination imaging system for monitoring a subject, said system comprising:
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a video imaging camera oriented to generate images of a subject;
a first light source located at a first location and operable for illuminating the subject;
a second light source located at a second location and operable for illuminating the subject; and
a controller for processing the images generated with the video imaging camera during illumination of the subject and controlling operation of the first and second light sources, said controller detecting presence of sufficient glare and controlling activation of the first and second light sources to reduce the glare. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An active illumination vehicle eye monitoring system for monitoring an eye of a person in a vehicle, said system comprising:
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a video imaging camera located on a vehicle and oriented to generate images of a subject eye of a person in the vehicle;
a first light source located on the vehicle and arranged along a first axis for illuminating the eye;
a second light source located on the vehicle and arranged along a second axis offset from the first axis for illuminating the eye; and
a controller for processing the images generated with the video imaging camera during illumination of the subject eye and controlling operation of the first and second light sources, said controller detecting presence of sufficient glare and controlling activation of the first and second light sources to reduce the glare. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for actively illuminating and monitoring a subject, said method comprising the steps of:
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arranging a video imaging camera to generate images of a subject;
arranging a first light source at a first location;
arranging a second light source at a second location;
illuminating the subject with light generated by the first light source;
generating a first image of the subject while the subject is illuminated with light from the first light source;
detecting the presence of sufficient glare; and
controlling the first and second light sources to reduce the light provided by the first light source when sufficient glare is detected. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification