Object recognition in low-lux and high-lux conditions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016176348-A1
Application number	US-201615054503-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 26, 2016
Priority date	Oct 24, 2012
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system for capturing image data for gestures from a passenger or a driver in a vehicle with a dynamic illumination level comprises a low-lux sensor equipped to capture image data in an environment with an illumination level below an illumination threshold, a high-lux sensor equipped to capture image data in the environment with the illumination level above the illumination threshold, and an object recognition module for activating the sensors. The object recognition module determines the illumination level of the environment and activates the low-lux sensor if the illumination level is below the illumination threshold. If the illumination level is above the threshold, the object recognition module activates the high-lux sensor.

First claim

1 - 20 . (canceled)

21 - 30 . (canceled)

31 . A computer-implemented method for capturing image data in a vehicle, the method comprising:
determining an illumination level using a low-lux sensor and a high-lux sensor, the low-lux sensor assigned to capture image data when illumination levels are below a threshold illumination level, the high-lux sensor assigned to capture image data when illumination levels are above a threshold illumination level, the image data indicating gestures from a driver or a passenger in a vehicle; determining, by an illumination threshold module, whether the determined illumination level is below a threshold illumination level; processing image data captured by the low-lux sensor when the illumination level is below the threshold illumination level; and processing image data captured by the highlux sensor when the illumination level is above the threshold illumination level.

32 . The computer-implemented method of claim 31 , further comprising:
determining that the illumination level is below the threshold illumination level; processing image data captured by the low-lux sensor; determining that the illumination level is above the threshold illumination level; and processing image data captured by the high-lux sensor.

33 . The computer-implemented method of claim 31 , further comprising activating an illumination source responsive to determining that the illumination level is below the threshold illumination level.

34 . The computer-implemented method of claim 31 , wherein the low-lux sensor and the high-lux sensor have different luminance ranges, wherein luminance range of a sensor is a range of scene luminance under which the sensor is equipped to capture image data.

35 . The computer-implemented method of claim 34 , wherein the luminance ranges of the low-lux sensor and the high-lux sensor overlap, and the threshold illumination level is within the overlap of the luminance ranges.

36 . The computer-implemented method of claim 31 , wherein the high-lux sensor comprises an infrared filter to reduce an amount of infrared light reaching the high-lux sensor.

37 . The computer-implemented method of claim 33 , wherein the illumination source emits a light with a spectrum that lies within a range at a peak of a response curve of the low-lux sensor.

38 . The computer-implemented method of claim 31 , further comprising:
responsive to determining that the illumination level is below the threshold illumination level, determining whether the high-lux sensor is active; and responsive to determining that the high-lux sensor is active, deactivating the active high-lux sensor.

39 . A computer program product for capturing image data in a vehicle, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including computer program code for:
determining an illumination level in the vehicle using a low-lux sensor and a high-lux sensor, the low-lux sensor assigned to capture image data when illumination levels are below a threshold illumination level, the high-lux sensor assigned to capture image data when illumination levels are above a threshold illumination level; determining, by an illumination threshold module mounted within the vehicle, whether the determined illumination level is below a threshold illumination level; processing image data captured by the lowlux sensor indicating gestures from a driver or a passenger in a vehicle when the illumination level is below the threshold illumination level; and processing image data captured by the high-lux sensor indicating gestures from a driver or a passenger in a vehicle when the illumination level is above the threshold illumination level.

40 . The computer program product of claim 39 , further comprising computer program code for:
determining that the illumination level is below the threshold illumination level; processing image data captured by the low-lux sensor; determining that the illumination level is above the threshold illumination level; and processing image data captured by the high-lux sensor.

41 . The computer program product of claim 39 , further comprising computer program code for activating an illumination source responsive to determining that the illumination level is below the threshold illumination level.

42 . The computer program product of claim 39 , wherein the low-lux sensor and the high-lux sensor have different luminance ranges, wherein luminance range of a sensor is a range of scene luminance under which the sensor is equipped to capture image data.

43 . The computer program product of claim 42 , wherein the luminance ranges of the low-lux sensor and the high-lux sensor overlap, and the threshold illumination level is within the overlap of the luminance ranges.

44 . The computer program product of claim 39 , wherein the high-lux sensor comprises an infrared filter to reduce an amount of infrared light reaching the high-lux sensor.

45 . The computer program product of claim 41 , wherein the illumination source emits a light with a spectrum that lies within a range at a peak of a response curve of the low-lux sensor.

46 . The computer program product of claim 39 , further comprising computer program code for: responsive to determining that the illumination level is below the threshold illumination level, determining whether the high-lux sensor is active; and responsive to determining that the high-lux sensor is active, deactivating the active highlux sensor.

47 . A computer system for capturing image data in a vehicle, the computer system comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer readable medium including computer program code for:
determining an illumination level using a low-lux sensor and a high-lux sensor, the low-lux sensor assigned to capture image data when illumination levels are below a threshold illumination level, the highlux sensor assigned to capture image data when illumination levels above a threshold illumination level; determining, by an illumination threshold module, whether the determined illumination level is below the threshold illumination level; processing image data captured by the low-lux sensor indicating gestures from a driver or a passenger in a vehicle when the illumination level is below the threshold illumination level; and processing image data captured by the high-lux sensor indicating gestures from a driver or a passenger in a vehicle when the illumination level is above the threshold illumination level.

48 . The computer system of claim 47 , further comprising computer program code for:
determining that the illumination level is below the threshold illumination level; processing image data captured by the low-lux sensor; determining that the illumination level is above the threshold illumination level; and processing image data captured by the high-lux sensor.

49 . The computer system of claim 47 , further comprising computer program code for activating an illumination source responsive to determining that the illumination level is below the threshold illumination level.

50 . The computer system of claim 47 , wherein the low-lux sensor and the high-lux sensor have different luminance ranges, wherein luminance range of a sensor is a range of scene luminance under which the sensor is equipped to capture image data.

51 . The computer system of claim 50 , wherein the luminance ranges of the low-lux sensor and t

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd
• Edge 3 Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Vaghefinazari Pedram
• Yamamoto Stuart Masakazu
• Huang Ritchie Winson
• King Josh Tyler
• El Doker Tarek

Classifications

• G06V20/59 Primary

  inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions · CPC title

• G06V40/20

  Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition (recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16) · CPC title

• H04N23/71

  Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation · CPC title

• H04N23/61

  based on recognised objects · CPC title

• G06V10/147

  Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses (fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19) · CPC title