DYNAMIC ADJUSTMENT OF IMAGING PARAMETERS

• US 20150049168A1
• Filed: 08/14/2013
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: DIELACHER, Markus, PRAINSACK, Josef, FLATSCHER, Martin, MARK, Michael, LOBNIK, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,721,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/894 3D imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a 2D array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/254 in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Representative implementations of devices and techniques provide adjustable parameters for imaging devices and systems. Dynamic adjustments to one or more parameters of an imaging component may be performed based on changes to the relative velocity of the imaging component or to the proximity of an object to the imaging component.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a detection component arranged to at least one of detect a relative velocity of an adjustable imaging sensor with respect to an environment of the adjustable imaging sensor or detect a proximity of an object to the adjustable imaging sensor; and

an adjustable imaging sensor arranged to be adjusted based on at least one of the relative velocity of the adjustable imaging sensor or the proximity of the object to the adjustable imaging sensor, the adjustable imaging sensor arranged to capture an image of an area.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an illumination source arranged to illuminate the area and to be adjusted based on the at least one of the relative velocity of the adjustable imaging sensor or the proximity of the object to the adjustable imaging sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein an illumination time of the illumination source is arranged to be increased when the object is outside a threshold proximity to the adjustable imaging sensor and wherein the illumination time of the illumination source is arranged to be decreased when the object is within the threshold proximity to the adjustable imaging sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the adjustable imaging sensor is arranged to be continuously adjusted based on changes to the at least one of the relative velocity of the adjustable imaging sensor or the proximity of the object to the adjustable imaging sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of a modulation frequency or a binning of pixels of the adjustable imaging sensor is arranged to be adjusted based on the at least one of the relative velocity of the adjustable imaging sensor or the proximity of the object to the adjustable imaging sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a sensitivity of the adjustable imaging sensor is arranged to increase as the relative velocity of the adjustable imaging sensor increases or as the distance of the object from the adjustable imaging sensor increases and the sensitivity of the adjustable imaging sensor is arranged to decrease as the relative velocity of the adjustable imaging sensor decreases or as the distance of the object from the adjustable imaging sensor decreases.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a lateral resolution of the adjustable imaging sensor is arranged to decrease as the relative velocity of the adjustable imaging sensor increases or as the distance of the object from the adjustable imaging sensor increases and the lateral resolution of the adjustable imaging sensor is arranged to increase as the relative velocity of the adjustable imaging sensor decreases or as the distance of the object from the adjustable imaging sensor decreases.

8. A system, comprising:

an illumination module arranged to emit light radiation;

a sensor module arranged to capture an image of an area based on receiving a reflection of the light radiation; and

a control module arranged to adjust one or more parameters of the sensor module based on a relative velocity of the system with respect to an environment of the system or based on a proximity of an object to the system.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a modulation component arranged to modulate an illumination of the illumination module and/or modulate one or more pixels of the sensor module, wherein a frequency of modulation of the modulation component is adjustable based on the relative velocity of the system or the proximity of the object to the system.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein one or more properties of the light radiation are adjustable based on the relative velocity of the system or the proximity of the object to the system.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the sensor module comprises multiple pixels, and wherein one or more quantities of the multiple pixels are grouped and processed as composite pixels based on the relative velocity of the system or the proximity of the object to the system.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein a lateral resolution and/or a sensitivity of the sensor module is adjustable based on the relative velocity of the system or the proximity of the object to the system.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the control module is further arranged to output at least one of distance information or a three-dimensional image of one or more elements of the area, based on time-of-flight principles.

14. A method, comprising:

detecting a relative velocity of an imaging system with respect to an environment of the imaging system or detecting a proximity of an object to the imaging system; and

adjusting one or more parameters of the imaging system based on the relative velocity of the imaging system or the proximity of the object to the imaging system, the imaging system arranged to capture an image of an area.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising adjusting a sensitivity and/or a resolution of the imaging system based on the relative velocity of the imaging system or the proximity of the object to the imaging system.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising adjusting the one or more parameters to increase a detection range of the imaging system based on detecting a relative velocity of the imaging system above a threshold value or detecting the object at a distance greater than a threshold proximity to the imaging system.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising adjusting the one or more parameters to increase a lateral resolution of the imaging system based on detecting a relative velocity of the imaging system below a threshold value or detecting the object at a distance within a threshold proximity to the imaging system.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising adjusting a modulation frequency of one or more pixels of the imaging system and/or of an illumination source of the imaging system based on the relative velocity of the imaging system or the proximity of the object to the imaging system.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising increasing the modulation frequency of the imaging system when a relative velocity of the imaging system is below a threshold value or when the object is within a threshold proximity to the imaging system, and reducing the modulation frequency of the imaging system when a relative velocity of the imaging system is above a threshold value or when the object is at a distance greater than the threshold proximity to the imaging system.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising adjusting a binning of pixels of the imaging system based on the relative velocity of the imaging system or the proximity of the object to the imaging system, the binning comprising combining a quantity of adjacent pixels into a group and processing the group as a single composite pixel.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising reducing the quantity of pixels combined into the group or discontinuing binning the pixels when a relative velocity of the imaging system is below a threshold value or when the object is within a threshold proximity to the imaging system, and increasing the quantity of pixels combined into the group when a relative velocity of the imaging system is greater than the threshold value or when the object is a distance greater than the threshold proximity to the imaging system.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising adjusting an illumination time of an illumination source of the imaging system based on the relative velocity of the imaging system or the proximity of the object to the imaging system.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising increasing the illumination time of the illumination source when the object is at a distance greater than a threshold proximity to the imaging system, and reducing the illumination time of the illumination source when the object is at a distance within the threshold proximity to the imaging system.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising capturing a three-dimensional image of the area using the one or more adjusted parameters.

25. A three-dimensional imaging device, comprising:

a detection component arranged to at least one of detect a relative velocity of the imaging device with respect to an environment of the imaging device or detect a proximity of an object to the imaging device; and

an adjustable imaging sensor arranged to capture a three-dimensional image of an area based on time-of-flight principles, a sensitivity and/or a resolution of the adjustable imaging sensor arranged to be continuously adjusted based on at least one of the relative velocity of the imaging device or the proximity of the object to the imaging device.