Monitoring Unit for a Motor Vehicle, Having Partial Color Encoding

• US 20150215550A1
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: FRENZEL, Henryk, KOEHLER, Thorsten, VOLTZ, Stephan, WAGNER, Ulrich
• Granted Patent: US 10,055,654 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/20 Filters polarising elements G02B5/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/10 for generating image signals from different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/135 based on four or more different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/64 Circuits for processing colour signals H04N9/77 takes precedence; camera processing pipelines for processing colour signals H04N23/84

Abstract

A monitoring unit for monitoring an environment outside of a motor vehicle includes a camera with an imaging sensor that has both color pixels and monochrome pixels. Pixel groups each include one or two color pixels and respectively three or two monochrome pixels. The pixel groups are arranged in a repeating pattern of partial color encoding.

Claims

1. A monitoring unit for monitoring an exterior scene outside of a motor vehicle, comprising a camera system including an imaging sensor made up of photosensitive pixels including color pixels and monochrome pixels, and having a repeating pattern of 2×

2 pixel groups that each include one said color pixel, and remaining pixels of said imaging sensor are said monochrome pixels.

2. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, wherein all of said color pixels are coded for the same color.

3. The monitoring unit according to claim 2, wherein said same color is red.

4. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, wherein said repeating pattern forms columns and rows of said pixels, and said pixel groups are arranged so that alternating ones of said rows and alternating ones of said columns consist only of said monochrome pixels.

5. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, wherein said color pixels cover 25% and said monochrome pixels cover 750 of a sensor surface of said imaging sensor.

6. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, wherein said color pixels are 25% of all of said photosensitive pixels making up said imaging sensor.

7. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, wherein said imaging sensor comprises a photosensitive sensor and a color filter arranged over said photosensitive sensor, said photosensitive sensor consists of rows and columns of photosensitive sensor cells, said color filter comprises color filter cells arranged over first ones of said sensor cells and without color filter cells over second ones of said sensor cells, said color pixels comprise said first sensor cells and said color filter cells arranged thereover, and said monochrome pixels comprise said second sensor cells without color filter cells arranged thereover.

8. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, further comprising an image processing system connected to an output of said imaging sensor, and configured and adapted to detect and recognize traffic signs and traffic lane markings in said exterior scene.

9. A monitoring unit for monitoring an exterior scene outside of a motor vehicle, comprising a camera system including an imaging sensor made up of photosensitive pixels including color pixels and monochrome pixels, and having a repeating pattern of 2×

2 pixel groups that each include two of said color pixels, and remaining pixels of said imaging sensor are said monochrome pixels.

10. The monitoring unit according to claim 9, wherein all of said color pixels are coded for the same color.

11. The monitoring unit according to claim 10, wherein said same color is red.

12. The monitoring unit according to claim 9, wherein said color pixels include first color pixels coded for a first color and second color pixels coded for a second color different from said first color.

13. The monitoring unit according to claim 12, wherein said first color is red and said second color is green.

14. The monitoring unit according to claim 9, wherein said repeating pattern forms columns and rows of said pixels, and said pixel groups are arranged so that alternating ones of said rows or alternating ones of said columns consist only of said monochrome pixels.

15. The monitoring unit according to claim 9, wherein said color pixels cover 50% and said monochrome pixels cover 50% of a sensor surface of said imaging sensor.

16. The monitoring unit according to claim 9, wherein said color pixels are 50% of all of said photosensitive pixels making up said imaging sensor.

17. The monitoring unit according to claim 9, wherein said imaging sensor comprises a photosensitive sensor and a color filter arranged over said photosensitive sensor, said photosensitive sensor consists of rows and columns of photosensitive sensor cells, said color filter comprises color filter cells arranged over first ones of said sensor cells and without color filter cells over second ones of said sensor cells, said color pixels comprise said first sensor cells and said color filter cells arranged thereover, and said monochrome pixels comprise said second sensor cells without color filter cells arranged thereover.

18. The monitoring unit according to claim 9, further comprising an image processing system connected to an output of said imaging sensor, and configured and adapted to detect and recognize traffic signs and traffic lane markings in said exterior scene.