Vehicle control system and method

• US 6,523,964 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2001
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schofield, Kenneth, Larson, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): SIKDER, MOHAMMAD YUNUS
• Application Number:
  US09/975,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20020036830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 359/601, 359/602-610, 359/882, 359/264-267, 359/613, 250/204, 250/205, 250/206.1, 250/206.2, 250/208.2, 250/210, 250/221, 250/221.1, 315/82, 315/159
• US Class Current: 359/601
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/04 the devices being headlights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• 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 2300/052 Switching delay, i.e. the beam is not switched or changed instantaneously upon occurrence of a condition change
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/21 Manual control
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/312 Adverse weather
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/3321 Detection of streetlights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/43 following vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/30 Daytime running lights [DRL], e.g. circuits or arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/088 using a cell of electrically changeable optical characteristic, e.g. liquid-crystal or electrochromic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/29 for viewing an area inside the vehicle, e.g. for viewing passengers or cargo
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/30 providing vision in the non-visible spectrum, e.g. night or infrared vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1223 : with sensors or transducers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 : with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01538 : for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/103 : using camera systems provided with artificial illumination device, e.g. IR light source
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 : characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8006 : for monitoring and displaying scenes of vehicle interior, e.g. for monitoring passengers or cargo
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8026 : in addition to a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8046 : for replacing a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 : for monitoring rearward traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8073 : for vehicle security, e.g. parked vehicle surveillance, burglar detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 : for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0822 : characterized by the arrangement or type of detection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0844 : including a camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0885 : the sensor being integrated in a rear-view mirror module
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4204 : with determination of ambient light solar light G01J2001/4266
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4228 : arrangements with two or more detectors, e.g. for sensitivity compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 : Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 : Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30268 : Vehicle interior
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/97 : Determining parameters from multiple pictures depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 : using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/243 : using three or more 2D image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 : Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 : by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/443 : by reading pixels from selected 2D regions of the array, e.g. for windowing or digital zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 : Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 : Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A system apparatus, means and method for controlling a plurality of variable reflectance mirrors (or mirror segments), including a rearview mirror and side view mirrors, which change their reflectance level in response to a plurality of drive voltages applied thereto, for controlling the vehicle lighting system and for monitoring a vehicle interior for an automotive vehicle. The system includes a light sensing device and a control circuit formed as a single VLSI CMOS circuit. The light sensing device comprises a photosensor array having a field of view encompassing a vehicle interior. The logic and control circuit determines a background light signal from photosensor element signals generated by the photosensor elements in the photosensor array indicative of light levels incident on the photosensor elements. The circuit also determines a peak light signal in three different zones or sub-arrays of the photosensor array. The zones or sub-arrays may correspond to three mirrors or mirror segments. The peak light signals in each of the zones and a common background light signal are used to determine independent and separate control signals, which are then output to separate mirror drive circuits for independently controlling the reflectance level of the rearview mirror and the left and right side view mirrors, or alternatively the segments of a mirror. The logic and control circuit uses the background light signal to control the vehicle lighting system. The logic and control circuit also determines a vehicle intrusion condition if there is movement within the vehicle in a vehicle intrusion detection mode of the vehicle interior monitoring system. The logic and control circuit also stores image data in memory in the compartment image data storage mode of the vehicle interior monitoring system.

Claims

1. A vehicle monitoring system, comprising:

a photosensor array having a field of view of an area of interest in an interior compartment of a vehicle and positioned for capturing an image of at least one imaged object at said area of interest, said photosensor array comprising a plurality of photosensor elements arranged in a predefined array;

an illumination source illuminating said area of interest, said illumination source comprising an infrared illumination source for radiating in a bandwidth that is outside the visible light spectrum; and

a control responsive to an output of said photosensor array for detecting the at least one imaged object, said photosensor array resolving said area of interest in accordance with said predefined array, said control processing image data that are geometrically associated with a geometric arrangement of said predefined array, and said control selecting particular image information by analyzing particular groupings of said predefined array while ignoring other image information imaged by other groupings of said predefined array so as to be responsive to image information chosen from at least one of presence, size, shape, contour and motion of the at least one object at said area of interest.

2. The monitoring system in claim 1 wherein said compartment comprises an interior cabin of the vehicle.

3. The monitoring system in claim 2 wherein said illumination source comprises a near-infrared source.

4. The monitoring system in claim 1 wherein said infrared illumination source comprises a near-infrared source.

5. The monitoring system in claim 1 wherein said illumination source illuminates at east between about 700 nm and 1200 nm.

6. The monitoring system in claim 3 wherein said illumination source is chosen from at least one of a light-emitting diode and a laser.

7. The monitoring system in claim 4 wherein said illumination source is chosen from at least one of a light-emitting diode and a laser.

8. The monitoring system in claim 6 wherein said illumination source comprises at least one of a light-emitting diode and a laser.

9. The monitoring system in claim 1 wherein said illumination source comprises at least one of a light-emitting diode and a laser.

10. The monitoring system in claim 9 wherein said light-emitting diode is chosen from the group consisting of a gallium arsenide light-emitting diode and a gallium aluminum arsenide light-emitting diode.

11. The monitoring system in claim 1 including a lens to distribute the illumination of said illumination source.

12. The monitoring system in claim 11 wherein said lens provides illumination in a cone of at least about 100 degrees.

13. The monitoring system in claim 11 wherein said lens provides illumination in a cone in the range from about 100 degrees to about 160 degrees.

14. The monitoring system in claim 11 including an optical filter for said source.

15. The monitoring system in claim 14 wherein said filter is chosen from one of an absorption filter and an interference filter.

16. The monitoring system in claim 14 wherein said filter comprises a long-wave pass absorption filter.

17. The monitoring system in claim 1 wherein said illumination source is adjacent said imaging sensor.

18. The monitoring system in claim 17 including an opaque barrier between said illumination source and said imaging sensor.

19. The monitoring system in claim 1 wherein said supplemental illumination source provides illumination only during an exposure period of said imaging sensor.

20. The monitoring system in claim 1 wherein said control determines a peak light level of at least one sub-array of said imaging array.

21. The monitoring system in claim 20 wherein said control determines peak light levels of a plurality of sub-arrays of said imaging array.

22. The monitoring system in claim 1 wherein said photosensor array comprises a CMOS camera.