Camera apparatus for generating an image representation of a surround and headlight arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12055840-B2
Application number	US-202117926039-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2021
Priority date	May 19, 2020
Publication date	Aug 6, 2024
Grant date	Aug 6, 2024

Abstract

A camera apparatus records only those objects in a surround which are situated in a predetermined object plane at a distance from the camera apparatus. To this end, the camera apparatus includes an illumination device for illuminating the desired object with an illumination light and an image capture device (for capturing the illumination light reflected by the object. For recording that is dependent on the object plane, the camera apparatus additionally comprises a control device for driving the illumination device to provide the illumination light in the form of light pulses and for controlling the image capture device to capture the reflected illumination light within recording intervals assigned to the light pulses. To avoid interference effects on a resultant image representation, provision is additionally made for a deflection unit for deflecting the respective illumination light between the surround and the illumination device and the image capture device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A camera apparatus for generating at least one image representation of at least one object in an environment, comprising:
a light guide, including a first deflection element and a second deflection element, to transfer light between the first and the second deflection element by internal reflection;
an illumination device, to provide illumination light to illuminate the at least one object in the environment to the second deflection element, the second deflection element to couple the illumination light into the light guide to transfer the illumination light to the first deflection element and the first deflection element to couple the transferred illumination light out of the light guide to illuminate the object;
an image capture device, upon reflection of the illumination light on the respective object, to capture the reflected illumination light and to generate the at least one image representation, wherein to provide the reflected illumination light to the image capture device, the first deflection element to couple the reflected illumination light into the light guide to transfer the reflected illumination light to the second deflection element, and the second deflection element to couple the transferred reflected illumination light out of the light guide to transfer the reflected illumination light to the image capture device; and
a control device to operate the illumination device and the image capture device in a predetermined switching operation, wherein the illumination device and the image capture device have an activated state to provide the illumination light and to capture the reflected illumination light offset in time from each other in the switching operation.

2. The camera apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the switching operation the control device to increase or reduce a pause interval between an activated state of the illumination device and an activated state of the image capture device according to a predetermined switching criterion with each switching procedure.

3. The camera apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the image capture device includes a mechanically movable closure element and/or an electrically switchable foil layer for switching between the activated state and a deactivated state.

4. The camera apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the illumination device and the image capture device are at a predetermined distance (a) to each other in a transfer region of the light guide formed by the second deflection element.

5. The camera apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the illumination device includes a laser light source to provide the illumination light.

6. The camera apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the illumination device is to generate illumination light in the infrared frequency range.

7. The camera apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first and the second deflection elements include optical gratings including surface holographic gratings or volume holographic gratings.

8. The camera apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image capture device includes a mechanically movable closure element and/or an electrically switchable foil layer for switching between the activated state and a deactivated state.

9. The camera apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the illumination device and the image capture device are at a predetermined distance (a) to each other in a transfer region of the light guide formed by the second deflection element.

10. The camera apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the illumination device includes a laser light source to provide the illumination light.

11. The camera apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the illumination device is to generate illumination light in the infrared frequency range.

12. The camera apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination device and the image capture device are at a predetermined distance (a) to each other in a transfer region of the light guide formed by the second deflection element.

13. The camera apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the illumination device includes a laser light source to provide the illumination light.

14. The camera apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination device includes a laser light source to provide the illumination light.

15. The camera apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the illumination device is to generate illumination light in the infrared frequency range.

16. The camera apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination device is to generate illumination light in the infrared frequency range.

17. The camera apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second deflection elements include optical gratings including surface holographic gratings or volume holographic gratings.

18. The camera apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second deflection elements each include an input coupling deflection structure to couple the illumination light into the light guide and an output coupling deflection structure to couple the illumination light out of the light guide, and
the input coupling deflection structure of the second deflection element and the output coupling deflection structure of the first deflection element to deflect the illumination light at a predetermined first diffraction angle, and
the input coupling deflection structure of the first deflection element and the output coupling deflection structure of the second deflection element to deflect the reflected illumination light at a predetermined second diffraction angle different from the first diffraction angle.

19. The camera apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image capture device comprises an image sensor with at least two detection regions and the light guide comprises an own deflection region with the first and the second deflection elements for each of the detection regions, wherein each of the deflection regions to capture an environmental region of the environment different at least in certain areas.

20. A headlight system for a motor vehicle, the headlight system comprising:
a headlight light source; and
a camera apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the light guide is transparent and is in front of the headlight light source in a radiation direction of the headlight light source such that the headlight light source is configured to provide a headlight light through the light guide between the first and the second deflection elements.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Moll Tobias
• Klug Markus
• Scheuchenpflug Johannes

Classifications

• G03B2217/002

  Details of arrangement of components in or on camera body · CPC title

• G03B2215/0567

  Solid-state light source, e.g. LED, laser · CPC title

• G02B2207/101

  Nanooptics · CPC title

• G02B6/4259

  of the transparent type · CPC title

• G02B6/4214

  the intermediate optical element having redirecting reflective means, e.g. mirrors, prisms for deflecting the radiation from horizontal to down- or upward direction toward a device (G02B6/4246 takes precedence) · CPC title