DETECTION OF MOTOR VEHICLE LIGHTS WITH A CAMERA

• US 20100061594A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADC GmbH (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Original Assignee: ADC Automotive Distance Systems GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Schuler, Reinhard, Heinrich, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 8,254,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• 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: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights

Abstract

A method for detecting front headlights and tail lights of a motor vehicle with a colour camera sensor is presented. The colour camera sensor comprises a plurality of red pixels, i.e. image points which are only sensitive in the red spectral range, and a plurality of pixels of other colours. In a first evaluation stage, only the intensity of the red pixels in the image is analysed in order to select relevant points of light in the image.

Claims

1. A method for detecting front headlights and/or tail lights of a motor vehicle with a color camera sensor and a data processing unit, wherein the color camera sensor comprises a plurality of pixels which are sensitive only to red light, and a plurality of pixels which are sensitive to light colors other than red,

characterized in that

in a first evaluation stage for selecting potential motor vehicle headlights or tail lights in the image, only the intensity of those pixels which are sensitive to red light is evaluated.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that

i) points of light with an intensity of the red light above a specified first threshold value are identified as potential motor vehicle headlights, and

ii) points of light with an intensity below a specified second value are identified as potential motor vehicle tail lights.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that with points of light which are potential motor vehicle tail lights, the intensity of the pixels which are only sensitive to red light is compared with the intensity of at least one pixel which is sensitive to a color other than red, and red lights are identified as motor vehicle tail lights.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that with points of light which are potential motor vehicle tail lights, the time intensity progression and/or the absolute intensity and/or the time-dependent movement of the point of light are observed in the image, in order to differentiate between motor vehicle tail lights and other points of light.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that with points of light which are potential motor vehicle headlights, the time intensity progression and/or the absolute intensity and/or the time-dependent movement of the point of light in the image is observed, in order to differentiate between motor vehicle headlights and other points of light.

10. A motor vehicle with a camera sensor and an image data processing program adapted to execute a method according to claim 1.

3-6. -6. (canceled)