Imaging systems for iris authentication and driver monitoring

Abstract

An imaging device includes a first light source configured to project a first illumination onto a vehicle occupant and a second light source configured to project a second illumination onto the vehicle occupant. The system further includes an imager, the imager including a pixel array. A lens device includes a first lens and a second lens, the first lens including a first field of view, the second lens including a second field of view. At least one shutter is selectively controlled to transmit the first illumination from the first lens to the pixel array. The at least one shutter is further controlled to selectively transmit the second illumination from the second lens to the pixel array. The imager is configured to process the first illumination in the first field of view and process the second illumination in the second field of view.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to imaging systems and methods for vehicles, and more particularly to imaging systems and methods for driver identification and monitoring. Summary of the invention

[0002] In one aspect of the present disclosure, an imaging system is disclosed. The system includes a first light source configured to project a first illumination onto a vehicle occupant and a second light source configured to project a second illumination onto the vehicle occupant. The system further includes an imager, the imager including a pixel array. The lens device includes a first lens and a second lens, the first lens including a first field of view, and the second lens including a second field of view. At least one shutter is selectively controlled to transmit the first illumination from the first lens to the pixel array. The at least one shutter is further controlled to selectively transmit the second illumination from the second lens to the pixel array. The imager is configured to process the first illumination in the first field of view and process the second illumination in the second field of view.

[0003] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling an imaging device configured to monitor an occupant of a vehicle is disclosed. The method includes selectively activating a first light source that illuminates a first portion of the occupant and capturing light emitted from the first light source with a first lens. The method further includes directing the light from the first lens to an imager including a pixel array. The method further includes selectively activating a second light source that illuminates a second portion of the occupant and capturing light emitted from the second light source with a second lens. The method further includes reflecting the light emitted from the second light source, thereby generating reflected light, and directing the reflected light to the pixel array of the imager.

[0004] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, an imaging device is disclosed. The device includes a first light source configured to project a first illumination onto a vehicle occupant and a second light source configured to project a second illumination onto the vehicle occupant. The device further includes an imager and a lens device, the imager including a pixel array. The lens device includes a first lens and a second lens and at least one shutter, the first lens including a first field of view, the second lens including a second field of view. The first lens and the second lens are aligned along parallel focal axes. The device further includes at least one mirror element, the at least one mirror element being configured to transmit light received from a first direction from the first lens to the pixel array and to reflect light from the second lens to the pixel array. The controller is configured to control the at least one shutter in a first configuration, the first configuration being configured to selectively transmit the first illumination from the first lens to the pixel array. The controller is further configured to control the at least one shutter in a second configuration to selectively transmit the second illumination from the second lens to the pixel array. The imager is configured to process the first illumination in the first field of view and process the second illumination in the second field of view.

[0005] These and other features, advantages and objects of the present apparatus will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art through a study of the accompanying specification, claims and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The present invention will now be described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0007] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an imaging system incorporated into an interior rearview mirror assembly;

[0008] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an interior rearview mirror assembly is shown;

[0009] Figure 3 is a process diagram representing the operation of an imaging system including multiple fields of view;

[0010] Figure 4A is a process diagram representing the operation of an imaging system that captures image data in a first field of view; and

[0011] Figure 4B is a process diagram showing operation of an imaging system to capture image data in a second field of view in accordance with the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] For the purpose of this description, the terms "upper", "lower", "right", "left", "rear", "front", "vertical", "horizontal" and their derivatives will be used in conjunction with the present invention. Figure 1 . However, it should be understood that the present invention may adopt various alternative orientations, except where the opposite orientation is explicitly specified. It should also be understood that the specific devices and processes shown in the drawings and described in the following specification are merely exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Therefore, unless the claims expressly state otherwise, the specific dimensions and other physical characteristics related to the embodiments disclosed herein should not be considered limiting.

[0013] The terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements, but may also include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Elements preceded by "comprises..." do not, without more constraints, exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the elements.

[0014] As used herein, the term "and / or" when used in a list of two or more items means that any one of the listed items can be used alone, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be used. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and / or C, the composition can contain: only A; only B; only C; a combination of A and B; a combination of A and C; a combination of B and C; or a combination of A, B, and C.

[0015] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , reference numeral 10 generally designates an imaging system operable to perform one or more identification functions. An exemplary embodiment of the imaging system 10 is shown incorporated into an interior rearview mirror assembly 12 of a motor vehicle. The interior rearview mirror assembly 12 may be configured as an electro-optical rearview mirror assembly that is partially reflective and partially transmissive and has a mirror element 14 coupled to a housing 16. Although shown as being incorporated into the mirror assembly 12, it should be understood that one or more components of the imaging system 10 may be incorporated into other portions of the vehicle (e.g., a panel, an overhead console, a sun visor, a center console, a steering wheel, etc.).

[0016] The first light source 18 and the second light source 20 can be disposed inside the housing 16. Additionally, in some embodiments, the light sources 18, 20 can be located separately from the housing 16 (e.g., in an overhead console, a vehicle pillar, etc.) while still providing illumination in the field of view of the imaging system 10. In the illustrated example, the light sources 18, 20 can be located in the housing 16 behind the mirror element 14. Although the first light source 18 and the second light source 20 are shown as being located on opposite sides of the housing 16, it should be understood that their illustrated locations should not be interpreted as limiting. In alternative embodiments, the first light source 18 and / or the second light source 20 can be located elsewhere in the housing 16, or otherwise disposed on an exterior portion of the housing 16.

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, the first light source 18 is configured to project a first illumination generally indicated by arrow 22, and the second light source 20 is configured to project a second illumination generally indicated by arrow 24. The first illumination and the second illumination are projected onto a vehicle occupant (e.g., driver 25) through the mirror element 14. In some embodiments, the first illumination and the second illumination use the same wavelength. In some embodiments, the first illumination and the second illumination each include a different wavelength selected from a near infrared (NIR) spectrum, and the NIR spectrum includes a wavelength in the range of 800nm ​​to 950nm. The second illumination may have a longer wavelength than the first illumination. In some embodiments, the first illumination may have a wavelength of about 810nm and the second illumination may have a wavelength of about 940nm. In some embodiments, the first illumination may have a wavelength of about 860nm and the second illumination may have a wavelength of about 940nm. In some embodiments, the first illumination may have a wavelength of about 880nm and the second illumination may have a wavelength of 940nm. The wavelengths of the first illumination and the second illumination are provided only as examples and are not intended to be limiting.

[0018] It is generally contemplated that the first light source 18 and the second light source 20 may each include one or more infrared emitter groups 26 that emit the first illumination and the second illumination, respectively. Each emitter group 26 may include a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), which may be grouped in a matrix or otherwise grouped in other arrangements. It should be understood that the emitter group 26 may be positioned anywhere within the housing 16 that enables the first illumination and the second illumination to be projected onto the driver 25.

[0019] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the imager 28 is disposed inside the housing 16 and is exemplarily shown as being located at a substantially central position behind the mirror element 14. The imager 28 is configured to capture one or more images of the biometric features of the driver 25 and generate image data corresponding to the one or more captured images. The imager 28 is also configured with a variable field of view based on which of the first light source 18 and the second light source 20 is activated.

[0020] The first light source 18, the second light source 20, and the imager 28 can be electrically coupled to a printed circuit board (PCB) 30 and communicate with a controller 32. The controller 32 can be located on the PCB 30, elsewhere in the housing 16, or elsewhere in the vehicle. The controller 32 can also communicate with various devices incorporated into the interior rearview mirror assembly 12 and / or the vehicle's equipment. The controller 32 may include one or more processors configured to selectively activate the first light source 18 and the second light source 20, and process image data received from the imager 28 to determine the identity of the driver 25 or monitor the driver 25, etc.

[0021] In this embodiment, the controller 32 may communicate with a display 33 disposed within the housing 16 of the inside rearview mirror assembly 12 and visible through the mirror element 14. The controller 32 may be configured to operate the display 33 to show image data received from the imager 28. The display 33 may be configured as an LCD, LED, OLED, plasma, DLP, or other display type. Examples of displays that may be utilized are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,233, entitled “Rearview Mirror With Display,” U.S. Pat. No. 8,237,909, entitled “Vehicular Rearview Mirror Assembly Including Integrated Backlighting for a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD),” U.S. Pat. No. 8,411,245, entitled “Multi-Display Mirror System and Method for Expanded View Around a Vehicle,” and U.S. Pat. No. 8,339,526, entitled “Vehicle Rearview Mirror Assembly Including a High-Intensity Display,” all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0022] The controller 32 may also communicate with an indicator 34 that is configured to output a visual notification indicating an operational status of the imaging system 10. The indicator 34 may be configured as an LED or other light source and may be operated by the controller 32 to flash and / or change color to indicate the operational status of the imaging system 10. In one particular embodiment, the indicator 34 may be configured as an RGB LED that is operable to indicate an operational status by emitting light represented by red, green, blue, or any color combination thereof.

[0023] exist Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the depicted embodiment, each of the first light source 18 and the second light source 20 is uniquely associated with an identification function performed by the controller 32. According to the first identification function or the iris scanning function of identifying a vehicle occupant (e.g., the driver 25), the controller 32 activates only the first light source 18 to project a first illumination to the driver 25. As discussed herein, the first illumination may be NIR illumination having a wavelength in the range of about 810nm to 880nm. For example, the first illumination may have a wavelength of 810nm, 860nm, or 880nm. In some embodiments, when only the first light source 18 is activated, the controller 32 may also operate the imager 28 with the first field of view 38 to enable image acquisition of the iris 40 of one or both eyes 41 of the driver 25.

[0024] The controller 32 may process the image data generated by the imager 28 when operating with the first field of view 38 to identify the driver 25. The first field of view 38 is generally a narrow field of view. In some embodiments, the first field of view 38 may have a first horizontal field component 42 of approximately 20 degrees and a similar or different vertical component (not shown). Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the image data generated by the imager 28 can be displayed on the display 33. Using the display 33 as a reference, the driver 25 can adjust the position of the inside rearview mirror assembly 12 so that the image appearing on the display 33 is properly trained with respect to the necessary biometric features (e.g., iris 40) required to identify the driver 25. Driver identification can be used with vehicle security features and can be used to authorize financial transactions.

[0025] According to the second identification function or the driver monitoring function including facial recognition, the controller 32 activates only the second light source 20 to project the second illumination onto the driver 25. As discussed herein, the second illumination can be NIR illumination with a wavelength of 940nm. In some embodiments, when only the second light source 20 is activated, the controller 32 can also operate the imager 28 with the second field of view 44 to achieve image acquisition of the face 46 and / or body 48 of the driver 25.

[0026] Controller 32 can process the image data generated by imager 28 when operating with second field of view 44 to monitor driver 25. Second field of view 44 is generally wide field of view. In some embodiments, second field of view 44 can have second horizontal field component 50 of about 60 degrees and similar or different vertical component (not shown). As described herein, the image data generated by imager 28 can be displayed on display 33, and driver 25 can adjust the position of interior rearview mirror assembly 12, so as to appropriately train the image appearing on display 33 on the necessary biometric features (e.g., face 46 and / or body 48) required for monitoring driver 25. Driver monitoring can include monitoring drowsiness, inattention and other driver states. In addition, imager 28 can be configured to capture image data in second field of view 44 to provide occupancy detection (e.g., passenger occupancy) or detection of each object in the compartment of the vehicle.

[0027] According to one embodiment, it is contemplated that the controller 32 may use the output from the imager 28 (e.g., automatic gain threshold) to determine the characteristics (e.g., wavelength, intensity, etc.) of the first and / or second illumination based on current vehicle and / or ambient lighting conditions. In embodiments where the interior rearview mirror assembly 12 is configured as an electro-optical rearview mirror assembly, the controller 32 may additionally or alternatively use an available feedback mechanism from a dimming controller to determine the characteristics of the first and / or second illumination. Additionally or alternatively, the imaging system 10 may be configured to include manually input criteria such as eye color and skin color to assist the controller 32 in determining the characteristics of the first and / or second illumination. The criteria may be input using any available user-input device of the vehicle. By employing one or more of the foregoing features, the imaging system 10 may benefit from improved speed and accuracy for biometric capture and / or user authentication.

[0028] Reference now Figure 3 , 4A 4B, in some embodiments, the imaging system 10 may include an interchangeable lens device 60 that is selectively configured to supply reflected light captured by the imager 28 in the first field of view 38 and the second field of view in the form of a single pixel array 62. In various embodiments, the interchangeable lens device 60 may include one or more optical elements 64 that may be configured to selectively direct the first reflected light 22a from the first illumination 22 to the imager 28 through a first lens 66. Additionally, the lens device 60 may be configured to selectively direct the second reflected light 24a from the second illumination 24 to the imager 28 through a second lens 68. In this configuration, the controller 32 may be used to adjust the field of view of the imaging system 10 from the first field of view 38 to the second field of view 44 to selectively capture image data of the iris 40 and the face 46 or body 48 of the driver 25.

[0029] The lens device 60 may include at least one shutter 70, which may be configured to selectively direct light from each of the lenses 66, 68 to the pixel array 62. In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one shutter 70 may correspond to a first shutter 70a and a second shutter 70b, which may be configured to differ in transmittance in response to one or more electrical control signals supplied by the controller 32. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, each shutter 70a, 70b may correspond to an electro-optical element (e.g., a liquid crystal shutter, an electrochromic element, etc.). Figure 4A As shown, in response to a control signal from the controller 32, the first shutter 70a can be controlled to transmit the first reflected light 22a, thereby processing the first identification function. In addition to controlling the first shutter 70a, the controller 32 can further control the operation of the second shutter 70b to transmit the second reflected light 24a, thereby processing the second identification function, such as Figure 4B In this manner, the imaging system 10 may selectively capture image data for the first identification function or the second identification function via the single pixel array 62 of the imager 28 .

[0030] The lens device 60 may further include a plurality of mirror elements 72. Figure 3 As shown, the mirror element 72 may include a first mirror element 72a and a second mirror element 72b. The first mirror element 72a may be aligned with the first focal axis A1 of the first lens 66. The second mirror element 72b may be aligned with the second focal axis A2 of the second lens 68. In operation, as shown in FIG. Figure 4A As shown, the first reflected light 22a captured by the first lens 66 may be selectively transmitted through the first shutter 70a, wherein the selective transmission is controlled by the controller 32 to enable the first identification function. Once transmitted through the first shutter 70a, the first reflected light 22a may be irradiated onto the first mirror element 72a.

[0031] The first mirror element 72a can be oriented at a first angle α relative to the first focal axis A1 so that the first reflected light 22a can be reflected transversely to the first focal axis A1. The first reflected light 22a can then be transmitted to the second mirror element 72b, which can be aligned with the reflection of the first reflected light 22a from the first mirror element 72a and tilted at a first angle β relative to the second focal axis A2. In this configuration, the first reflected light 22a can be reflected parallel to the second focal axis A2, which can be further aligned with the focal plane of the pixel array 62. In this way, the controller 32 of the system 10 can selectively control the first reflected light 22a to be received by the imager 28 to process the first identification function. During the capture of the first reflected light 22a, the controller 32 can be configured to control the second shutter 70b to block the first reflected light 22a from being transmitted to the imager 28 via the second lens 68 by controlling the second shutter 70b to be darkened, opaque or other non-transmitting state.

[0032] In addition, if Figure 4B As shown, the controller 32 can be configured to control the lens device 60 to selectively guide the second reflected light 24a to the pixel array 62 of the imager 28 through the second lens 68, thereby processing the second identification function. When processing the second identification function, the controller 32 can be configured to control the first shutter 70a to block the second reflected light 24a from being transmitted to the imager 28 via the first lens 66 by controlling the first shutter 70a to be darkened, opaque or other non-transmitting state. At the same time, the controller 32 can control the second shutter 70b to transmit the second reflected light 24a in a transmitting state. In this configuration, the second reflected light 24a can be transmitted to the second mirror element 72b. Instead of reflecting the second reflected light 24a, the second mirror element 72b can be configured to allow the wavelength of the second reflected light 24a to pass through one or more filters 74, and the one or more filters can be configured to block or reflect the first reflected light 22a while transmitting the second reflected light 24a. In this configuration, the second reflected light 24a may be transmitted through the filter 74 so that the second reflected light 24a is received by the pixel array 62. In this manner, the controller 32 may selectively control the lens device 60 to process the second identification routine.

[0033] In some embodiments, each of the shutters 70a, 70b may include a plurality of pixels 76 and 78. As shown, the plurality of pixels 76 may include a first pixel 76a and a second pixel 76b aligned with the first lens 66. The plurality of pixels 78 may include a first pixel 78a and a second pixel 78b. The pixels 76 and 78 may enable the system 10 to gradually or sequentially change from a first identification function to a second identification function. Such operation may be particularly advantageous in embodiments in which the imager is configured to capture image data via a rolling shutter.

[0034] For example, the controller 32 of the system can be configured to change from a first identification function using the first lens 66 to a second identification function using the second lens 68 in the order of a rolling shutter and during the capture of image frames by the pixel array 62. In this way, if the pixel array 62 is operated in a rolling configuration, the controller 32 can selectively control the first pixel 76a aligned with the first lens 66 to change from a transmissive configuration to a light-proof or blocking configuration. In addition, the controller 32 can selectively control the first pixel 78a aligned with the second lens 68 to change from a light-proof or blocking configuration to a transmissive configuration. The controller 32 can control such changes when the rolling shutter exposes pixels in the pixel array 62 corresponding to the second pixels 76b and 78b.

[0035] Additionally and similar to the transformation of the first pixels 76a and 78a, the controller 32 can be configured to transform from the first lens 66 to the second lens 68 in a rolling shutter sequence of the pixel array 62. The controller 32 can process the transformation when the rolling shutter exposes the pixels in the pixel array 62 corresponding to the first pixels 76a and 78a. Thus, the transformation from the first identification configuration to the second identification configuration can include the controller 32 selectively controlling the second pixel 76b aligned with the first lens 66 to transform from a transmissive configuration to a light-proof or blocking configuration. Additionally, the controller 32 can selectively control the second pixel 78b aligned with the second lens 68 to transform from a light-proof or blocking configuration to a transmissive configuration. Thus, the pixels 76 and 78 can enable the system to seamlessly transform from the first identification configuration to the second identification configuration without interrupting the capture of image data by the pixel array 62.

[0036] In an exemplary embodiment, the first shutter 70a and the second shutter 70b can be implemented as liquid crystal shutter elements. In such embodiments, the shutters 70 can each include polarizing filters 80a and 80b, which can be configured to pass light under the first polarization or the second polarization. The first polarization and the second polarization can be orthogonal to each other. In this configuration, the first shutter 70a can be configured to selectively pass the first polarization, and the second shutter 70b can be configured to pass the second polarization. In such embodiments, the filter 74 of the second mirror element 72b can include a reflective polarizer, which is configured to reflect the first polarization and transmit the second polarization. In this configuration, the first reflected light 22a can be reflected from the second mirror element 72b, and the second reflected light 24a can be transmitted through the second mirror element 72b, as previously discussed herein.

[0037] In some embodiments, one or more shutters 70a and 70b may be implemented as electrochromic devices as discussed herein. In such embodiments, the controller 32 may similarly supply control signals to the shutters 70 and 70b to adjust the transmittance of the first reflected light 22a and the second reflected light 24a passing therethrough. In this way, the electrochromic device may provide improved transmission to the imager 28 under limited attenuation. The transition from the first identification configuration to the second identification configuration may require a transition period, during which the imager 28 may not capture image data. In such embodiments, the filter 74 of the second mirror may correspond to a spectral filter. For example, the spectral filter may be configured to pass the wavelength of the second reflected light 24a (e.g., a wavelength greater than 900nm [940nm]) while reflecting the first reflected light 22a (e.g., a wavelength of about 810nm to 880nm [810nm, 860nm and / or 880nm]). In this configuration, the lens device 60 can be controlled by the controller to selectively supply the first reflected light 22a and / or the second reflected light to the imager 28.

[0038] Additional information regarding the construction of the mirror element 14 and the semi-transmissive, semi-reflective coating may be found in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017 / 0177935 to Weller et al., entitled “MIRROR ASSEMBLY INCORPORATING A SCANNING APPARATUS,” and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017 / 0166134 to Gao et al., entitled “IR TRANSMITTING COATING FOR ELECTRO-OPTIC ELEMENT,” which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0039] In some embodiments, the mirror element 14 may be an electrochromic element or an element such as a prism. A non-limiting example of an electrochromic element is an electrochromic medium, which includes at least one solvent, at least one anode material and at least one cathode material. Typically, both the anode material and the cathode material are electroactive materials, and at least one of them is an electrochromic material. It should be understood that the term "electroactive" will be defined herein as a material that undergoes a change in its oxidation state when exposed to a specific potential difference, regardless of its usual meaning. In addition, it should be understood that the term "electrochromic" is defined herein as a material that exhibits a change in its extinction coefficient at one or more wavelengths when exposed to a specific potential difference, regardless of its usual meaning. As described herein, an electrochromic component includes a material whose color or opacity is affected by an electric current, so that when an electric current is applied to the material, the color or opacity changes from a first phase to a second phase. The electrochromic component can be a single layer, a single phase component, a multi-layer component, or a multi-phase component, as described in the following: U.S. Patent No. 5,928,572, entitled "Electrochromic Layer and Devices Comprising Same"; U.S. Patent No. 5,998,617, entitled "Electrochromic Compounds"; U.S. Patent No. 6,020,987, entitled "Electrochromic Medium Capable of Producing a Pre-Selected Color"; U.S. Patent No. 6,037,471, entitled "Electrochromic Compounds"; U.S. Patent No. 6,141,137, entitled "Electrochromic Media for Producing a Preselected Color"; U.S. Patent No. 6,141,137, entitled "Electrochromic System"; U.S. Patent No. 6,141,137, entitled "Electrochromic System"; U.S. Patent No. 6,141,137, entitled "Electrochromic Compounds"; U.S. Patent No. 6,141,137, entitled "Electrochromic Medium Capable of Producing a Preselected Color ... U.S. Patent No. 6,241,916 entitled “Near Infrared-Absorbing Electrochromic Compounds and Devices Comprising Same”; U.S. Patent No. 6,193,912 entitled “Near Infrared-Absorbing Electrochromic Compounds and Devices Comprising Same”;No. 6,249,369, entitled “Coupled Electrochromic Compounds with Photostable Dication Oxidation States”; and No. 6,137,620, entitled “Electrochromic Media With Concentration-Enhanced Stability, Process for the Preparation Thereof and Use In Electrochromic Devices”; and No. 6,519,072, entitled “Electrochromic Device”; and No. 7,694,676, entitled “Electrochromic Polymeric Solid Films, Manufacturing Electrochromic Devices Using Such Solid Films, and Processes for Making Such Solid Films and Devices”. International Patent Publication No. 98 / 42796; and International Patent Publication No. WO 99 / 02621 entitled "Electrochromic Polymer Systems", which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. ;

[0040] The present disclosure may be used with mounting systems, such as those described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 8,814,373; 8,201,800; 8,210,695; 9,174,577; 8,925,891; and 9,838,653; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 61 / 709,716, 61 / 707,676, and 61 / 704,869, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In addition, the present disclosure may be used with a rear view package assembly, such as the rear view package assembly described in the following: No. 8,814,373; No. 8,646,924; No. 8,643,931; No. 8,264,761; and No. 8,885,240; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 61 / 707,625 and 61 / 590,259, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In addition, it is contemplated that the present disclosure may include a glass bezel, such as the glass bezel described in the following: No. 8,827,517; No. 8,210,695; and No. 8,201,800; which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0041] It should be understood that the embodiments of the invention described herein may include one or more conventional processors and stored specific program instructions, which control one or more processors to implement some, most or all functions of the interior rearview mirror assembly 12 in combination with certain non-processor circuits, as described herein. The non-processor circuits may include, but are not limited to, signal drivers, clock circuits, power supply circuits and / or user input devices. Thus, these functions may be interpreted as steps for using or constructing a method for a classification system. Alternatively, some or all functions may be implemented by a state machine without stored program instructions, or in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), where each function or some combination of certain functions is implemented as custom logic. Of course, a combination of both approaches may be used. Therefore, methods and components for these functions have been described herein. In addition, despite the many design choices that may be driven by, for example, available time, current technology and economic considerations, it is expected that a person of ordinary skill will be able to easily generate such software instructions and programs and ICs using minimal experimentation when guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein.

[0042] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the described invention and the construction of other components are not limited to any particular material. Unless otherwise described herein, other exemplary embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may be formed from a variety of materials.

[0043] For purposes of this disclosure, the term "coupled" (in all its forms: couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two (electrical or mechanical) components directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved using two components (electrical or mechanical) and any additional intermediate members that are integrally formed as a single entity with one another or with the two components. Unless otherwise stated, such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature.

[0044] It is also worth noting that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the present invention as shown in the exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative. Although only a few embodiments of the present innovation are described in detail in the present disclosure, it should be easily understood by those skilled in the art who review the present disclosure that many modifications are possible (e.g., changes in the size, dimensions, structure, shape and proportion, parameter values, installation arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc. of various elements) without substantially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the stated subject matter. For example, an integrally formed element may be constructed of multiple parts, or an element shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, the operation of the interface may be reversed or otherwise changed, the length or width of the structure and / or the components or connectors or other elements of the system may be changed, and the nature or number of the adjustment positions between the elements may be changed. It should be noted that the elements and / or assemblies of the system may be composed of any of a wide variety of materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, and may be in any of a wide variety of colors, textures, and combinations. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included in the scope of the present innovation. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangements of desired and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present innovation.

[0045] It should be understood that any described process or step within the described process can be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form a structure within the scope of the present invention. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting.

[0046] It will also be understood that changes and modifications may be made to the structures and methods described above without departing from the concepts of the inventive apparatus and that such concepts are intended to be covered by the appended claims unless the language of such claims expressly states otherwise.

[0047] The above description is to be regarded as a description of the illustrated embodiment only. Modifications may be made to the device by those skilled in the art and those who make or use the device. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the device, which is defined by the appended claims interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law (including the doctrine of equivalents).

Claims

1. An imaging device, comprising: a first light source configured to project a first illumination onto a vehicle occupant; a second light source configured to project second illumination onto the vehicle occupant; an imager comprising a pixel array; A lens device, comprising: a first lens, the first lens comprising a first field of view; a second lens, the second lens comprising a second field of view; at least one mirror element, the at least one mirror element being configured to transmit light received from a first direction from the first lens to the pixel array, and being configured to reflect light received from a second direction from the second lens to the pixel array; wherein the light received from the first direction has a second polarization, the light received from the second direction has a first polarization, the at least one mirror element transmitting the second polarization and reflecting the first polarization; and at least one shutter; and A controller configured to control the shutter to selectively transmit light from the first illumination or the second illumination from one of the first lens or the second lens to the pixel array.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: The at least one shutter is controlled in a first configuration configured to selectively transmit the first illumination from the first lens to the pixel array.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to: The at least one shutter is controlled in a second configuration to selectively transmit the second illumination from the second lens to the pixel array, wherein the imager is configured to process the first illumination in the first field of view and the second illumination in the second field of view.

4. The imaging device of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first illumination and the second illumination comprise light in the near infrared (NIR) spectrum of 700 nm to 1000 nm.

5. The imaging device of claim 4, wherein the second illumination comprises a longer wavelength than the first illumination. 6 . The imaging device of claim 5 , wherein the first illumination comprises a wavelength of 820 nm to 920 nm, and the second illumination comprises a wavelength of 900 nm to 1000 nm.

7. An imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one shutter comprises a first shutter and a second shutter, wherein the controller is configured to control the first shutter in a transmissive state to transmit the first light to the imager, and simultaneously control the second shutter in a light-proof state. 8 . The imaging device according to claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to control the second shutter in a transmissive state to transmit the second light to the imager, while controlling the first shutter in a light-blocking state.

9. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one shutter comprises a liquid crystal shutter element.

10. The imaging apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one shutter comprises an electrochromic device.

11. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein the first lens and the second lens are aligned along parallel focal axes, and wherein the first direction and the second direction extend to intersect proximate to the at least one mirror element.

12. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein the at least one mirror comprises a filter extending above a light receiving surface, wherein the filter is configured to transmit light received from the first lens and reflect light received from the second lens.

13. A method for controlling an imaging device configured to monitor an occupant of a vehicle, the method comprising: selectively activating a first light source to illuminate a first portion of the occupant; capturing light emitted from the first light source with a first lens; directing the light from the first lens to an imager comprising a pixel array; selectively activating a second light source to illuminate a second portion of the occupant; capturing light emitted from the second light source with a second lens; reflecting the light emitted from the second light source to generate reflected light; as well as directing the reflected light to the pixel array of the imager; wherein light received from a first direction is transmitted from the first lens to the pixel array by at least one mirror element, and light received from a second direction is reflected from the second lens to the pixel array; The light received from the first direction has a second polarization, the light received from the second direction has a first polarization, and the second polarization is transmitted and the first polarization is reflected by the at least one mirror element.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: At least one shutter device is controlled to selectively transmit light from the first lens or the second lens to the pixel array of the imager in response to activating the first light source or the second light source, respectively.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first lens is configured to capture image data depicting the first portion in a first field of view.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second lens is configured to capture image data depicting the second portion in a second field of view. The method of claim 16 , wherein the second portion and the second field of view are positioned within the first field of view.

18. An imaging device comprising: a first light source configured to project a first illumination onto a vehicle occupant; a second light source configured to project second illumination onto the vehicle occupant; an imager comprising a pixel array; A lens device, comprising: a first lens, the first lens comprising a first field of view; a second lens comprising a second field of view, wherein the first lens and the second lens are aligned along parallel focal axes; and At least one shutter; at least one mirror element, the at least one mirror element configured to transmit light received from a first direction from the first lens to the pixel array and reflect light received from a second direction from the second lens to the pixel array; wherein the light received from the first direction has a second polarization, the light received from the second direction has a first polarization, the at least one mirror element transmits the second polarization and reflects the first polarization; and A controller, the controller being configured to: controlling the at least one shutter in a first configuration, the first configuration configured to selectively transmit the first illumination from the first lens to the pixel array; and The at least one shutter is controlled in a second configuration to selectively transmit the second illumination from the second lens to the pixel array, wherein the imager is configured to process the first illumination in the first field of view and the second illumination in the second field of view.

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