METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECORDING AN IMAGE SEQUENCE OF AN AREA SURROUNDING A VEHICLE

• US 20110310249A1
• Filed: 06/17/2011
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: LAMBERT, Georg, KATZWINKEL, Reiner
• Granted Patent: US 10,122,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/75 by influencing optical camera components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/53 Control of the integration time

Abstract

Optical radiation from an area surrounding a vehicle is detected by a sensor in order to record an image sequence of the surrounding area. The sensor may be exposed continuously to the radiation which is incident on it while the image sequence is being recorded in order to detect a light pulse of an indefinitely short time duration.

Claims

1. A method for recording an image sequence of an area surrounding a vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting optical radiation from the surrounding area by a sensor to record the image sequence; and

continuously exposing the sensor to the optical radiation which is incident on the sensor while recording the image sequence to detect a light pulse of an indefinitely short time duration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an amount of light from the radiation which is incident on the sensor is regulated such that the amount of light per unit time is kept below a predetermined threshold value.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting a pause time of the sensor, in which the sensor does not convert the radiation which is incident on it to electrical signals, such that the pause time is shorter than a predetermined time duration.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting an exposure time, in which the sensor converts the radiation which is incident on the sensor to electrical signals, independently of a light intensity of the radiation from the surrounding area.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising damping the radiation which is incident on the sensor by a damping filter depending on a light intensity of the radiation from the surrounding area such that the sensor is not overloaded.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling an amount of light of the radiation which is incident on the sensor by a variable aperture depending on a light intensity of the radiation from the surrounding area such that the sensor is not overloaded.

7. An apparatus configured to record an image sequence of an area surrounding a vehicle, the apparatus comprising;

a controller; and

a sensor coupled to the controller and configured to detect optical radiation from the surrounding area to record the image sequence,

wherein the sensor is exposed continuously to the radiation which is incident on the sensor while the image sequence is being recorded.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a damping filter arranged with respect to the sensor such that the optical radiation from the surrounding area is incident on the sensor through the damping filter, and

wherein the controller is configured to control operation of the damping filter depending on a light intensity of the radiation from the surrounding area such that the damping filter dampens the radiation which is incident on the sensor such that the sensor is not overloaded.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a variable aperture arranged with respect to the sensor such that the optical radiation from the surrounding area is incident on the sensor through the variable aperture (3), and

wherein the controller is configured to control operation of the variable aperture depending on a light intensity of the radiation from the surrounding area, such that the variable aperture controls an amount of light of the radiation which is incident on the sensor such that the sensor is not overloaded.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is configured to:

detect optical radiation from the surrounding area by the sensor to record the image sequence; and

continuously expose the sensor to the optical radiation which is incident on the sensor while recording the image sequence to detect a light pulse of an indefinitely short time duration.

13. The apparatus of claim 7 included in a digital external mirror in a vehicle.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 included in a digital external mirror in a vehicle.

11. A vehicle including an apparatus configured to record an image sequence of an area surrounding the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a controller; and

a sensor coupled to the controller and configured to detect optical radiation from the surrounding area to record the image sequence,

wherein the sensor is exposed continuously to the radiation which is incident on the sensor while the image sequence is being recorded.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the vehicle further comprises a monitor on which the recorded image sequence is reproduced.