Object detection by indexed optical fiber fabrics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11773518-B2
Application number	US-202016778838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2020
Priority date	Jan 31, 2020
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

An apparatus comprises a first plurality of optical fibers embedded in a first plurality of fabric strands, a second plurality of optical fibers embedded in a second plurality of fabric strands, and a detector. The first plurality of optical fibers are positioned adjacent to each other and oriented along a first direction and the second plurality of optical fibers are positioned adjacent to each other and oriented along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The first and second plurality of optical fibers are configured to receive ambient light emitted onto them. The detector detects the light received into at least some of the first and second plurality of optical fibers and creates data configured to be processed to identify an object adjacent to the apparatus. The data is based on the light received into the first plurality of optical fibers and the second plurality of optical fibers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An object detection apparatus comprising:
a first plurality of optical fibers embedded in a first plurality of fabric strands, wherein the first plurality of optical fibers comprise an inner core and an outer cladding positioned around the core, wherein the first plurality of optical fibers are positioned adjacent to each other and oriented along a first direction and are configured to receive ambient light impinging onto an outer surface of one or more of the first plurality of optical fibers;
a second plurality of optical fibers embedded in a second plurality of fabric strands, wherein the second plurality of optical fibers comprise an inner core and an outer cladding positioned around the core, and wherein the second plurality of optical fibers are positioned adjacent to each other and oriented along a second direction transverse to the first direction and are configured to receive ambient light impinging onto an outer surface of one or more of the second plurality of optical fibers; and
a detector configured to:
detect the light received into at least some of the first plurality of optical fibers and into at least some of the second plurality of optical fibers;
create training data to be processed to identify an object adjacent to the object detection apparatus, wherein the training data is based on the light received into the first plurality of optical fibers and the light received into the second plurality of optical fibers; and
train a machine learning model to recreate an image of the object based on the training data.

2. The object detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of optical fibers and the second plurality of optical fibers are optically coupled to the detector.

3. The object detection apparatus of claim 1 ;
wherein the first plurality of optical fibers and the second plurality of optical fibers define a two-dimensional grid of pixels at points where one of the first plurality of optical fibers crosses one of the second plurality of optical fibers; and
wherein the detector detects light emitted onto each pixel of the grid of pixels and the data is based on the light emitted onto each pixel.

4. The object detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a portion of at least one of the first plurality of optical fibers and a portion of at least one of the second plurality of optical fibers comprise a grating.

5. The object detection apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the grating of the at least one of the first plurality of optical fibers or the at least one of the second plurality of optical fibers is configured such that the at least one of the first plurality of optical fibers or the at least one of the second plurality of optical fibers only receive light having a wavelength within a predetermined range of wavelengths.

6. The object detection apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the grating of the at least one of the first plurality of optical fibers or the at least one of the second plurality of optical fibers is configured such that the at least one of the first plurality of optical fibers or the at least one of the second plurality of optical fibers only receive light having an angle of incidence within a predetermined range of angles of incidence.

7. The object detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a first set of optical fibers are embedded in at least one of the first plurality of fabric strands.

8. The object detection apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a portion of a first fiber of the first set of optical fibers comprises a first grating configured such that the first fiber of the first set of optical fibers receives light having a first wavelength and a portion of a second fiber of the first set of optical fibers comprises a second grating configured such that the second fiber of the first set of optical fibers receives light having a second wavelength.

9. A system comprising the object detection apparatus of claim 1 and a light source positioned adjacent to the object detection apparatus such that when the object is positioned between the light source and the object detection apparatus, light emitted by the light source will be partially blocked by the object such that the light will illuminate a first subset of the first plurality of optical fibers and the second plurality of optical fibers and will not illuminate a second subset of the first plurality of optical fibers and the second plurality of optical fibers.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the light source emits light at a first wavelength and at least one of the first plurality of optical fibers and at least one of the second plurality of optical fibers are configured to receive light at the first wavelength.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the light source emits infrared light.

12. An object detection apparatus comprising:
a first plurality of optical fibers embedded in a first plurality of fabric strands, wherein the first plurality of optical fibers comprise an inner core and an outer cladding positioned around the core, wherein the first plurality of optical fibers are positioned adjacent to each other and oriented along a first direction and are configured to receive ambient light impinging onto an outer surface of one or more of the first plurality of optical fibers;
a second plurality of optical fibers embedded in a second plurality of fabric strands, wherein the second plurality of optical fibers comprise an inner core and an outer cladding positioned around the core, and wherein the second plurality of optical fibers are positioned adjacent to each other and oriented along a second direction transverse to the first direction and are configured to receive ambient light impinging onto an outer surface of one or more of the second plurality of optical fibers;
a detector configured to detect the light received into at least some of the first plurality of optical fibers and into at least some of the second plurality of optical fibers;
a processor;
one or more memory modules; and
machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that; when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
create training data to be processed to identify an object adjacent to the object detection apparatus based on the light received into the first plurality of optical fibers and the light received into the second plurality of optical fibers; and
train a machine learning model to recreate an image of the object based on the training data.

13. The object detection apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to identify one or more characteristics of the object based on the light emitted onto the first plurality of optical fibers and the second plurality of optical fibers.

14. A vehicle comprising:
a first plurality of optical fibers embedded in a surface of the vehicle, wherein the first plurality of optical fibers comprise an inner core and an outer cladding positioned around the core, wherein the first plurality of optical fibers are positioned adjacent to each other and oriented along a first direction and are configured to receive ambient light impinging onto an outer surface of one or more of the first plurality of optical fibers;
a second plurality of optical fibers embedded in the surface of the vehicle, wherein the second plurality of optical fibers comprise an inner core and an outer cladding positioned around the core, and wherein the second plurality of optical fibers are positioned adjacent to each other and oriented along a second direction transverse to the first direction

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Schmalenberg Paul
• Dede Ercan M

Classifications

• D03D15/267 Primary

  Glass · CPC title

• B60R21/01538

  for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays · CPC title

• D10B2101/06

  Glass · CPC title

• B60R21/01512 Primary

  Passenger detection systems · CPC title