Detection of motor vehicle lights with a camera
First Claim
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 thatin 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, wherein first points of light with an intensity of the red light above a specified first threshold value are identified as potential motor vehicle headlights, andsecond points of light with an intensity below a specified second threshold value are identified as potential motor vehicle tail lights.
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Abstract
A method for detecting front headlights and tail lights of a motor vehicle uses a color camera sensor that has 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 colors. In a first evaluation stage, only the intensity of the red pixels in the image is analyzed in order to select relevant points of light in the image.
20 Citations
21 Claims
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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, wherein first points of light with an intensity of the red light above a specified first threshold value are identified as potential motor vehicle headlights, and second points of light with an intensity below a specified second threshold value are identified as potential motor vehicle tail lights.
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11. A method of detecting head lights and tail lights of motor vehicles using a color camera sensor that includes first pixels sensitive to red light and second pixels sensitive to at least one color of light other than red, and a data processing unit, wherein said method comprises the steps:
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a) detecting a light source in a field of view of said color camera sensor as a point of light on at least one illuminated first pixel among said first pixels and on at least one illuminated second pixel among said second pixels; b) in said data processing unit, comparing an output of only said at least one illuminated first pixel to a first threshold, and identifying said light source as a potential head light if said output of only said at least one illuminated first pixel is above said first threshold, and c) in said data processing unit, comparing an output of said at least one illuminated first pixel and/or said at least one illuminated second pixel to a second threshold, and identifying said light source as a potential tail light if said output of said at least one illuminated first pixel and/or said at least one illuminated second pixel is below said second threshold. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of detecting head lights and tail lights of motor vehicles using an RGB color light sensor having R pixels sensitive to red light, G pixels sensitive to green light and B pixels sensitive to blue light arranged in an alternating two-dimensional array pattern, and using an image data processing unit, wherein said method comprises:
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a) detecting a point of light on at least one illuminated R pixel and at least one illuminated G pixel or B pixel of said sensor; b) in said data processing unit, comparing an output intensity of only said at least one illuminated R pixel to a first threshold and to a second threshold; c) in said data processing unit, identifying said point of light as a potential head light if said output intensity of only said at least one illuminated R pixel is greater than said first threshold; d) in said data processing unit, identifying said point of light as a potential tail light if said output intensity of only said at least one illuminated R pixel is less than said second threshold; e) in said data processing unit, if said point of light was identified as a potential head light, then further evaluating an output of at least one of said illuminated pixels to determine whether said point of light is a head light, and f) in said data processing unit, if said point of light was identified as a potential tail light, then further evaluating an output of at least one of said illuminated pixels to determine whether said point of light is a tail light.
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Specification