Illumination state monitoring apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11190712-B2
Application number	US-202016740294-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2020
Priority date	Feb 1, 2019
Publication date	Nov 30, 2021
Grant date	Nov 30, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an illumination state monitoring apparatus, the illumination state monitoring apparatus, including a dual band pass filter having a first pass band in the visible wavelength area and having a second pass band in the infrared wavelength area, an optical sensor detecting light having passed through the dual band pass filter through a three primary color pixel and an infrared pixel, and a processor deducting an intensity value of a signal detected by the infrared pixel from an intensity value of a signal detected by the three primary color pixel, calculating an illuminance parameter, and determining an illumination state on the basis of the illuminance parameter, wherein sensitivity of the three primary color pixel toward light having passed through the second pass band and sensitivity of the infrared pixel toward light having passed through the second pass band are within a predetermined range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An illumination state monitoring apparatus, comprising:
a dual band pass filter having a first pass band in the visible wavelength area and having a second pass band in the infrared wavelength area;
an optical sensor including a three primary color pixel and an infrared pixel each configured to detect a particular wavelength range of light having passed through the dual band pass filter; and
a processor configured to: obtain a result of deducting an intensity value of a signal detected by the infrared pixel from an intensity value of a signal detected by the three primary color pixel, calculate an illuminance parameter based on the result, and determine an illumination state on the basis of the illuminance parameter, and
wherein sensitivity of the three primary color pixel to light having passed through the second pass band and sensitivity of the infrared pixel to light having passed through the second pass band are within a predetermined range,
wherein the intensity value of the signal detected by the three primary color pixel corresponds to a sum of an intensity value of the signal sensed by the three primary color pixel in the first pass band and an intensity value of the signal sensed by the three primary color pixel in the second pass band, and
wherein the intensity value of the signal detected by the infrared pixel corresponds to a sum of an intensity value of the signal sensed by the infrared pixel in the first pass band and an intensity value of the signal sensed by the infrared pixel in the second pass band.

2. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first pass band is formed within a range of 380 nm to 700 nm, and
the second pass band is formed within a range of 850 nm to 1100 nm.

3. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein sensitivity of the infrared pixel to light having passed through the first pass band is less than predetermined sensitivity.

4. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical sensor includes a plurality of unit pixels including the three primary color pixel and the infrared pixel.

5. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the three primary color pixel includes an R pixel, a G pixel, and a B pixel respectively detecting three colors of light.

6. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: calculate a brightness value on the basis of an average value of signals detected by the three primary color pixel, obtain a second result by deducting an intensity value of a signal detected by the infrared pixel from the brightness value, and calculate the illuminance parameter based on the second result.

7. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the brightness value on the basis of the average value of signals detected respectively by an R pixel, a G pixel, and a B pixel included in the three primary color pixel.

8. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to obtain a third result by deducting an intensity value of an average value of signals detected by the infrared pixel from the calculated brightness value, and calculate the illuminance parameter based on the third result.

9. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to obtain a second result by deducting an intensity value of an average value of signals detected by the infrared pixel from an intensity value of an average value of signals detected by the three primary color pixel, and calculate the illuminance parameter based on the second result.

10. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, when the illuminance parameter is greater than a reference value, the processor is configured to determine that the illumination state is a day state, and
wherein, when the illuminance parameter is less than the reference value, the processor is configured to determine that the illumination state is a night state.

11. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate at least one of a visible image or an infrared image using light detected by the optical sensor.

12. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 11 , wherein, when the illumination state is determined as the day state, the visible image is generated, and, when the illumination state is determined as the night state, the infrared image is generated.

13. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an IR lighting configured to output infrared light,
wherein the optical sensor is configured to detect infrared light output by the IR lighting and reflected from an obstacle.

14. The illumination state monitoring apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to control an output from the IR lighting according to the illumination state.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Oh Jae Yoon

Classifications

• H04N23/11

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