KR101527810B1 - Infrared Image Pickup Device for Visibility of Road and Image Pickup Method Using the Same - Google Patents

Infrared Image Pickup Device for Visibility of Road and Image Pickup Method Using the Same Download PDF

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Publication number
KR101527810B1
KR101527810B1 KR1020140167331A KR20140167331A KR101527810B1 KR 101527810 B1 KR101527810 B1 KR 101527810B1 KR 1020140167331 A KR1020140167331 A KR 1020140167331A KR 20140167331 A KR20140167331 A KR 20140167331A KR 101527810 B1 KR101527810 B1 KR 101527810B1
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KR
South Korea
Prior art keywords
infrared
light source
air sensor
infrared rays
infrared ray
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KR1020140167331A
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Korean (ko)
Inventor
조남욱
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한국건설기술연구원
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R1/00—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
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R1/00—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
    • B60R1/02—Rear-view mirror arrangements
    • B60R1/08—Rear-view mirror arrangements involving special optical features, e.g. avoiding blind spots, e.g. convex mirrors; Side-by-side associations of rear-view and other mirrors
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S11/00—Systems for determining distance or velocity not using reflection or reradiation
    • G01S11/12—Systems for determining distance or velocity not using reflection or reradiation using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N5/00—Details of television systems
    • H04N5/30—Transforming light or analogous information into electric information
    • H04N5/33—Transforming infrared radiation

Abstract

The present invention uses an infrared light source (LED) that emits infrared rays of various wavelength bands and an infrared camera that receives reflected infrared rays, and emits an infrared light source of an optimal wavelength band at night or in bad weather And an image pickup method using the infrared ray image pickup apparatus. [0002] The present invention relates to an infrared ray image pickup apparatus and an image pickup method using the infrared ray image pickup apparatus, A light source; An infrared camera for receiving infrared rays reflected from the outside of the vehicle; An air sensor for sensing the ambient air environment by detecting the amount of infrared rays incident from the outside; A controller for selecting at least one of the plurality of infrared light sources based on the infrared light amount detected by the air sensor; And a display unit for outputting an image according to infrared rays incident on the infrared camera to the outside.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an infrared image pickup device for securing road visibility and an image pickup method using the same,

More particularly, the present invention relates to an infrared ray image pickup apparatus provided in a vehicle, and more particularly, to an infrared ray image pickup apparatus provided in an automobile, The present invention relates to an infrared ray imaging apparatus and an imaging method using the infrared ray imaging apparatus.

In the case where the vehicle is driven in a situation in which it is difficult to secure a field of view such as nighttime, rainy weather or fog, the driver performs operational operation while visually confirming that no obstacle exists in the light irradiation range from the headlamp. It is difficult to recognize long distance obstacles or pedestrians.

Conventionally, development of a night vision support apparatus that supports a driver's vision at night driving by irradiating near-infrared rays ahead of a light irradiation range from a headlight (downward, etc.) and displaying an image in front of the vehicle to be imaged by a near-infrared camera Is underway.

Since the near infrared rays can not be seen by a person, there is an advantage that the road situation can be recognized by irradiating ahead of the light irradiation range from the headlamp without hindering the operation of the vehicle on the opposite side. In addition, near infrared rays have a wavelength longer than visible light and difficult to scatter, so it is easy to pick up obstacles in front of the vehicle even in the case of no visibility due to rain or mist.

However, conventional visibility products using infrared rays are not optimized for various road environments due to changes in conditions such as day and night, weather, and the like, so that the visibility efficiency is degraded. In particular, visibility in the visible light region can be actively managed by the driver in response to various environments. However, securing the visibility of the infrared region is a method of reading the information from the sensor and displaying it as a terminal.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2004-0041711 (disclosed on May 20, 2004) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-252784 (disclosed on October 16, 2008)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an infrared light source (LED) that emits infrared rays of various wavelength bands and an infrared camera that receives reflected infrared rays, And to provide an infrared imaging apparatus and an imaging method using the same that can automatically select an infrared light source of an optimum wavelength band according to circumstances and environmental conditions to ensure optimum visibility.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an infrared image pickup apparatus provided in a vehicle for detecting an infrared ray reflected from the outside to obtain an image, and visually providing the obtained infrared ray image to a driver, A plurality of infrared light sources for emitting infrared rays of a band towards the front of the vehicle; An infrared camera for receiving infrared rays reflected from the outside of the vehicle; An air sensor for sensing the ambient air environment by detecting the amount of infrared rays incident from the outside; A controller for selecting at least one of the plurality of infrared light sources based on the infrared light amount detected by the air sensor; And a display unit for outputting an image according to infrared rays incident on the infrared camera to the outside.

The infrared imaging method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: (a) the controller activating an air sensor to measure an amount of infrared light incident on the air sensor; (b) selecting one or more of the plurality of infrared light sources according to an amount of infrared light measured by the air sensor to emit infrared rays; (c) When an infrared ray reflected from the outside is incident on the infrared camera, the controller forms an image according to infrared rays incident on the infrared camera and outputs the image to the outside through a display unit.

According to the present invention, a plurality of infrared light sources that emit infrared rays of different wavelength ranges and an air sensor that emits infrared rays in the air and measure the amount of reflected infrared rays are provided, So that an infrared image can be obtained. Therefore, since the infrared image optimized for the road environment can be obtained, the visibility can be greatly improved as compared with the conventional infrared image sensing device.

1 is a view schematically showing a configuration of an infrared ray imaging apparatus according to the present invention.
2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an infrared ray imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an infrared ray imaging apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view showing an example of an infrared camera constituting the infrared ray imaging apparatus according to the present invention.
5 is a perspective view showing an example of an air sensor constituting the infrared ray imaging apparatus according to the present invention.
6 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment of an imaging method using the infrared ray imaging apparatus according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an infrared ray imaging apparatus and an imaging method using the same will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2, an infrared imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of infrared light sources 10 installed in a vehicle, an infrared camera 20, an air sensor 30, a controller 40, , And a display unit (not shown). The infrared ray detecting unit detects the infrared ray reflected from the outside to acquire an image, and provides the obtained infrared ray image to the driver visually.

More specifically, the infrared imaging device of the present invention includes a plurality of infrared light sources 10 for emitting infrared rays of different wavelength bands toward the front of the vehicle, an infrared camera 20 for receiving infrared rays reflected from the outside of the vehicle, An air sensor 30 that senses the amount of infrared rays incident from the outside and senses an ambient air environment around the infrared sensor 30 and a plurality of infrared light sources And a display unit 50 for outputting an image according to infrared rays incident on the infrared camera 20 to the outside. The controller 40 controls the operation of the infrared light source 10 by selecting one or more of the infrared light sources 10.

The plurality of infrared light sources 10 and the infrared camera 20 are installed in a headlight of a vehicle or a vehicle body on the front side of the vehicle. The plurality of infrared light sources 10 may be configured using infrared LEDs emitting near infrared rays having a wavelength range of 700 nm to 1100 nm. In this embodiment, near infrared rays having wavelengths of 800 nm, 850 nm, 940 nm, and 1020 nm The infrared light source 10 is constructed by using four infrared LEDs that emit light.

The infrared light source 10 and the infrared camera 20 may be installed together at one position as shown in FIG. 2. However, as shown in FIG. 3, the infrared light source 10 and the infrared camera 20 may be separately installed . For example, the infrared light source 10 may be installed in a headlight of a vehicle, and the infrared camera 20 may be installed at a central portion of the front window of the vehicle.

2, when the infrared light source 10 and the infrared camera 20 are installed together, the plurality of infrared light sources 10 are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction around the infrared camera 20 desirable.

As shown in FIG. 4, the infrared camera 20 may be configured using a CMOS IR camera or the like having a CMOS-based two-dimensional array chip, and the infrared camera 20 may have a wavelength range of 700 nm to 1100 nm The near infrared ray is detected. It is preferable that a wide-angle lens 22 having an angle of view (FOV) of 90 degrees or more is attached to the front portion of the infrared camera 20 so as to ensure visibility with a wider angle of view.

The air sensor 30 can be mounted at a desired position such as the headlight of the vehicle, the front of the vehicle body, the front side of the window, or the like. The air sensor 30 is configured to emit infrared rays and to measure the amount of infrared rays reflected by particles of the air after they are emitted.

5, the air sensor 30 includes a mount frame 31 mounted on a vehicle, a plurality of infrared light sources 10 arranged at regular intervals along the circumferential direction of the mount frame 31, A plurality of measurement light sources 32 for emitting infrared rays of the same wavelength band to the atmosphere and infrared rays emitted from infrared rays emitted from the infrared light source 10 and incident on the mount frame 31, And a detector (33). The air sensor 30 may further include a protective cap 34 of a light transmitting material mounted on the mount frame 31 to cover the measurement light source 32 and the infrared detector 33 have.

In this embodiment, the infrared light source 10 is composed of four pieces that emit near-infrared rays having wavelengths of 800 nm, 850 nm, 940 nm, and 1020 nm. Therefore, the measurement light source 32 is also divided into 800 nm, 850 nm, It is preferable to use four IR LED lamps which emit near infrared rays having a wavelength of 1020 nm. It is preferable that the plurality of measurement light sources 32 emit infrared rays having the same wavelength band as that of the plurality of infrared light sources 10 but have a relatively low luminance.

The air sensor 30 constructed as described above is connected to a measurement light source 32 (hereinafter, referred to as " measurement light source ") for receiving the highest one of the infrared rays emitted from the measurement light source 32 and incident on the infrared ray detector 33, ) To detect the atmospheric environment around the vehicle.

Unlike the infrared camera 20, the infrared detector 33 may be configured using a single chip.

The display unit 50 is configured to receive a video signal from the controller 40 and to visually output the state or form of the road to the driver. As the display unit 50, a display device such as an LCD installed in a vehicle may be used, but a head-up displayer (HUD) is preferably used.

An infrared imaging method for acquiring an infrared image using the imaging apparatus of the present invention constructed as above will be described in detail as follows.

First, the controller 40 operates the air sensor 30 to measure the amount of infrared light incident on the air sensor 30. At this stage, one or more of the plurality of measurement light sources 32 mounted on the air sensor 30 are combined to emit infrared rays in the set order and the amount of infrared light incident on the infrared ray detector 33 in each combination is measured And the controller 40 senses the ambient air environment.

For example, assume that the four measurement light sources 32 emitting infrared rays of 800 nm, 850 nm, 940 nm and 1020 nm wavelengths constituted in the air sensor 30 are respectively lamps 1, 2, 3 and 4. 6, the lamps 1 and 2 of the measurement light source 32 are operated first to emit infrared rays, and then the reflected infrared light amount is measured. Then, the lamps 2 and 3 are operated to measure the infrared light amount After measuring, operate the lamps 1 and 3 to measure the amount of infrared light. Of course, it is also possible to operate the lamp 1 of the measuring light source 32, successively operate the lamp 2, the lamp 3 and the lamp 4 sequentially to measure the amount of infrared light, Etc. can be operated simultaneously to measure the amount of infrared light.

In this way, the measurement light source 32 can be used alone, or two or three of the measurement light sources 32 can be combined to emit infrared rays, and the amount of infrared rays incident on the infrared ray detector 33 can be measured to measure the atmospheric environment around the road. For example, when the surrounding environment is fume or smog, the amount of infrared light detected by the infrared ray detector 33 in the 940 nm and 1020 nm wavelength bands is the maximum, and smoke and smog are mixed The infrared light intensity is maximum in the 850 nm and 940 nm wavelength bands, and the infrared light intensity is maximum in the 800 nm and 850 nm wavelength bands in the case of a dusty environment.

When the combination of the measurement light sources 32 in which the maximum amount of light is incident is calculated by the air sensor 30, the controller 40 controls the infrared light source 10 having the wavelength corresponding to the combination of the measurement light sources 32, To emit infrared rays.

For example, when the surrounding environment is covered with a fume or a smog and the amount of infrared light is maximized in the 940 nm and 1020 nm wavelength bands in the air sensor 30, the infrared light source 10 of this wavelength band When the ambient light is covered with dust and the infrared light intensity is maximum in the 800 nm and 850 nm wavelength bands in the air sensor 30, the infrared light sources 10 of this wavelength band are used in combination do.

If the infrared light source 10 is selected and used according to the infrared light amount measured by the air sensor 30 as described above, it is possible to minimize the loss of infrared rays due to scattering by emitting infrared rays having a wave number suitable for the particle characteristics of the surrounding atmosphere So that optimum visibility can be ensured.

The infrared rays emitted from the infrared light source 10 are reflected by an external object and then incident on the infrared camera 20. The controller 40 configures an image according to an infrared signal incident on the infrared camera 20, and outputs the image to the outside through the display unit 50.

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of infrared light sources 10 that emit infrared rays of various wavelengths different from each other, and an air sensor 30 that emits infrared rays in the air and measures the amount of reflected infrared rays are provided, An infrared ray image can be obtained by emitting infrared ray of a wavelength band. Therefore, since the infrared image optimized for the road environment can be obtained, the visibility can be greatly improved as compared with the conventional infrared image sensing device.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. And it is to be understood that such modified embodiments belong to the scope of protection of the present invention defined by the appended claims.

10: Infrared light source 20: Infrared camera
30: air sensor 31: mount frame
32: light source for measurement 33: infrared detector
34: protective cap 40: controller
50: display unit

Claims (9)

An infrared ray image pickup apparatus installed in a vehicle and detecting an infrared ray reflected from the outside to acquire an image and visually provide the obtained infrared ray image to a driver,
A plurality of infrared light sources 10 for emitting infrared rays of different wavelength bands toward the front of the vehicle;
An infrared camera 20 for receiving infrared rays reflected from the outside of the vehicle;
An air sensor 30 for detecting the amount of infrared rays incident from the outside and sensing the ambient air environment;
A controller for selecting and operating one or more of the plurality of infrared light sources 10 based on the infrared light amount sensed by the air sensor 30;
And a display unit for externally outputting an image according to infrared rays incident on the infrared camera 20,
The air sensor 30 includes a mount frame 31 mounted on the vehicle and a plurality of measurement units 31 mounted on the mount frame 31 for emitting infrared rays of the same wavelength band as the plurality of infrared light sources 10 to the atmosphere And an infrared ray detector (33) installed on the mount frame (31) and emitting infrared rays reflected by particles in the air after emitted from the measurement light source (32) Infrared imaging device for securing visibility. delete The infrared imaging apparatus for securing road visibility according to claim 1, wherein the light source (32) for measurement of the air sensor (30) is arranged on the mount frame (31) at regular intervals along the circumferential direction. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein the air sensor (30) comprises a light-transmitting protective cap (34) mounted on the mount frame (31) so as to cover the measurement light source (32) Further comprising an infrared sensor for detecting the infrared ray. 2. The infrared imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the infrared light source (10) emits near infrared rays in a wavelength range of 700 nm to 1100 nm. The infrared imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of infrared light sources (10) are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction around the infrared camera (20). An infrared imaging method for acquiring an infrared image on a road using the infrared imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 and 6,
(a) the controller 40 operates the air sensor 30 to measure the amount of infrared light incident on the air sensor 30;
(b) the controller (40) selecting one or more infrared light sources (10) according to the amount of infrared light measured by the air sensor (30) to emit infrared light;
(c) When an infrared ray reflected from the outside is incident on the infrared camera 20, the controller forms an image according to infrared rays incident on the infrared camera 20 and outputs the image to the outside through a display unit Infrared ray imaging method for ensuring road visibility. 10. The method according to claim 7, wherein in the step (a), one or more of the plurality of measurement light sources (32) are combined to emit infrared rays in the set order, and the infrared ray detector (33) And the light amount of the infrared ray incident on the infrared ray detector is measured. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the controller selects the infrared light source (10) of the wavelength range corresponding to the combination of the measurement light source (31) from which the maximum light amount of the infrared light measured in the step (a) Wherein the infrared ray is reflected by the infrared ray sensor.
KR1020140167331A 2014-11-27 2014-11-27 Infrared Image Pickup Device for Visibility of Road and Image Pickup Method Using the Same KR101527810B1 (en)

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102016120969A1 (en) * 2016-11-03 2018-05-03 Preh Gmbh Fog sensor with reflection analysis
KR20190068047A (en) * 2017-12-08 2019-06-18 주식회사 레드로터 Camera for Vehicle and Control Method thereof
US10771665B1 (en) 2019-02-27 2020-09-08 Ford Global Technologies, Llc Determination of illuminator obstruction by known optical properties

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20060075327A (en) * 2004-12-28 2006-07-04 현대자동차주식회사 Variable infrared ray wavelength type active night system and the method therefor
KR20090114856A (en) * 2008-04-30 2009-11-04 콘티넨탈 오토모티브 시스템 주식회사 Exterior vehicle light control system and exterior vehicle light control method

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20060075327A (en) * 2004-12-28 2006-07-04 현대자동차주식회사 Variable infrared ray wavelength type active night system and the method therefor
KR20090114856A (en) * 2008-04-30 2009-11-04 콘티넨탈 오토모티브 시스템 주식회사 Exterior vehicle light control system and exterior vehicle light control method

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102016120969A1 (en) * 2016-11-03 2018-05-03 Preh Gmbh Fog sensor with reflection analysis
DE102016120969B4 (en) 2016-11-03 2021-08-19 Preh Gmbh Fog sensor with reflection analysis
KR20190068047A (en) * 2017-12-08 2019-06-18 주식회사 레드로터 Camera for Vehicle and Control Method thereof
KR102052462B1 (en) * 2017-12-08 2020-01-08 주식회사 레드로터 Camera for Vehicle and Control Method thereof
US10771665B1 (en) 2019-02-27 2020-09-08 Ford Global Technologies, Llc Determination of illuminator obstruction by known optical properties

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