OBJECT DETECTION SYSTEM

• US 20100052885A1
• Filed: 11/07/2007
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arriver Software AB (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hanqvist, Mattias
• Granted Patent: US 8,446,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0022 for sensing the radiation of moving bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/485 Temperature profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

An object detection system for a vehicle comprising an infrared camera for gathering an image of at least a part of the surroundings of the vehicle; and a processor for applying an algorithm to at least a part of the image gathered by the camera, the algorithm identifying non-relevant hot or warm objects (5,6,7) detected by the camera and reducing the brightness and/or distinctiveness of the non-relevant objects (5,6,7) in the image; and a display for displaying the image to a driver of the vehicle, characterised in that the infrared camera forms an image in the far infrared; and the algorithm identifies non-relevant hot or warm objects (5,6,7) detected by the camera.

Claims

1. In a vehicle of the type having an object detection system for assisting a driver of the vehicle, the object detection system including an infrared camera operatively connected to a processor, the improvement comprising:

the infrared camera for gathering an image of at least a partial surrounding of the vehicle;

the processor for applying an algorithm to at least a part of the image gathered by the camera, the algorithm identifying non-relevant hot or warm objects detected by the infrared camera and reducing at least one of a brightness and distinctiveness of the non-relevant objects in the image; and

a display for displaying the image to the driver of the vehicle,

wherein the infrared camera forms the image from wavelengths of light ranging generally from 5 μ

m to 20 μ

m.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein non-relevant objects include at least one of exhaust pipes, warm buildings, and lamps.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the non-relevant objects include objects having a shape which changes at a rate below a predetermined threshold.

4. A system according claim 1, wherein the non-relevant objects include objects having a shape which does not correspond to one of a set of predetermined templates.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the non-relevant objects include objects having a size outside a predetermined range.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the non-relevant objects include objects having a temperature outside a predetermined range.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the algorithm further identifies relevant hot or warm objects in the image.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein at least one of a brightness and distinctiveness of the relevant objects in the image is increased.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the relevant objects in the image are displayed with at least one of an increased brightness, a different colour, or having a border applied thereto.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the camera forms an image from wavelengths of light ranging generally from 7.5 μ

m to 14 μ

m.

11. A method of enhancing images, comprising the steps of:

gathering an infrared view of at least a partial surrounding of a vehicle;

applying an algorithm to the gathered image to identify non-relevant hot or warm objects in the image,

reducing at least one of a brightness and distinctiveness of the non-relevant objects in the image; and

displaying the image to a driver of the vehicle, wherein the view is formed from wavelengths of light ranging generally from 5 μ

m to 20 μ

m.

12. A computer program comprising computer program code adapted to execute the method of claim 11 when run on a computer.

13. A computer program according to claim 12, wherein the computer program is embodied on a computer readable medium.