Monitoring and automatic equipment control systems

• US 8,583,331 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2012
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Stam, Joseph S., Pierce, Mark W., Bechtel, Jon H., Spence, William R., Turnbull, Robert R., Eid, El-Sayed
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US13/692,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20130135475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/49
• 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 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/21 Manual control
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/45 Special conditions, e.g. pedestrians, road signs or potential dangers
• 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 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1215 with information displays
• 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 2001/1284 with communication systems other than radio-receivers, e.g. keyless entry systems, navigation systems; with anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/207 using multi-purpose displays, e.g. camera image and navigation or video on same display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

The present invention relates to monitoring and automatic control systems.

Claims

1. An automotive equipment control system comprising:

at least one imager comprising;

at least one image sensor configured to acquire an image;

a first processor configured to analyze said image, such that a second processor can make a control decision in order to automatically perform a vehicle equipment related function based on information communicated from said first processor configured to analyze said image; and

an interconnection configured to transmit data between said imager and said first processor for analyzing said image;

wherein said interconnection is configured to operate up to at least one megabaud without emitting unacceptable electromagnetic interference.

2. The automotive equipment control system of claim 1, wherein said interconnection is a low voltage differential signal (L VDS) interconnection.

3. The automotive equipment control system of claim 2, wherein said LVDS is configured to have an approximately 300 mV swing.

4. The automotive equipment control system of claim 1, wherein said first processor is a field gate programmable gate array (FPGA).

5. The automotive equipment control system of claim 1, wherein said first processor is an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

6. The automotive equipment control system of claim 1, wherein said vehicle equipment related function is an exterior light control system.

7. The automotive equipment control system of claim 6, wherein said at least one imager is further configured to acquire at least one image at a first integration period and at least one image at a second integration period.

8. The automotive equipment control system of claim 1, wherein said at least one imager comprising multiple imagers for stereoscopic vision, such that two imagers are spaced apart from one another to provide capability for accurate distance measurement of objects.

9. The automotive equipment control system of claim 1 further comprising an illuminator configured to provide supplemental illumination.

10. The automotive equipment control system of claim 9, wherein said illuminator comprising an infrared light emitting diode, which is not visible to the vehicle driver or passengers.

11. The automotive equipment control system of claim 1, wherein said vehicle equipment related function comprises collision warning or avoidance, weather condition detection, lane departure warning, and exterior light control.

12. The automotive equipment control system of claim 1, wherein said interconnection is configured for a data signal and a clock signal encoded onto a same line through Manchester coding.

13. An automotive equipment control system comprising:

at least one imager comprising;

at least one image sensor configured to acquire an image;

a first processor configured to analyze said image, such that a second processor can make a control decision in order to automatically perform a vehicle equipment related function based on information communicated from said first processor configured to analyze said image; and

an interconnection configured to transmit data between said imager and said first processor for analyzing said image;

wherein said interconnection is a low voltage differential signal (LVDS) interconnection;

wherein said vehicle equipment related function comprises exterior light control.

14. The automotive equipment control system of claim 13, wherein said interconnection is configured to operate up to at least one mega baud without emitting unacceptable electromagnetic interference.

15. The automotive equipment control system of claim 13, wherein said LVDS is configured to have at least an approximately 300 mV swing.

16. The automotive equipment control system of claim 13, wherein said first processor is one of a field gate programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

17. The automotive equipment control system of claim 13, wherein said at least one imager comprising multiple imagers for stereoscopic vision, such that two imagers are spaced apart from one another to provide capability for accurate distance measurement of objects.

18. The automotive equipment control system of claim 13 further comprising an illuminator configured to provide supplemental illumination, said illuminator comprising an infrared light emitting diode, which is not visible to the vehicle driver or passengers.

19. The automotive equipment control system of claim 13, wherein said vehicle equipment related function further comprises at least collision warning or avoidance, weather condition detection, and lane departure warning.

20. An automotive equipment control system comprising:

at least one imager comprising;

at least one image sensor configured to acquire an image;

a first processor configured to analyze said image, such that a second processor can make a control decision in order to automatically perform a vehicle equipment related function based on information communicated from said first processor configured to analyze said image;

wherein said first processor is one of a field gate programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and

an interconnection configured to transmit data between said imager and said first processor for analyzing said image;

wherein said interconnection is a low voltage differential signal (LVDS) interconnection;

wherein said interconnection is configured to operate up to at least one megabaud without emitting unacceptable electromagnetic interference;

wherein said vehicle equipment related function comprises exterior light control, collision warning or avoidance, weather condition detection, and lane departure warning.