Vehicle information acquisition system

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle information acquisition system, which comprises a light source used for emitting a detection light beam to a vehicle of which information is to be acquired; the image acquisition module is used for receiving signal light reflected by the detection light beam after the detection light beam passes through the vehicle through gating exposure; and the control module is connected with the light source and the image acquisition module, is used for controlling the relative time of the detection light beam emitted by the light source and the gating exposure of the image acquisition module based on the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle information acquisition system, and is also used for processing the signal light to obtain the to-be-acquired information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of image acquisition, and in particular to a vehicle information acquisition system. Background Art

[0002] At present, fixed-type in-vehicle occupant image acquisition systems are mainly used for specific scenarios that require observation and statistics of in-vehicle occupants. The main difficulties lie in the low transmittance of windows / films, interference from window reflections, interference and glare from headlights (especially when observing the front and rear windshields), and motion blur caused by high vehicle speeds.

[0003] Existing image acquisition technologies mainly include: polarized light + analyzer lens, flash + short shutter.

[0004] Polarized light solution: The traditional method uses the polarization characteristics of light reflected at the interface, taking the polarization direction where sunlight reflection is weaker to reduce sunlight interference, and combining it with polarized light fill light to observe the situation inside the car; Flash solution: Use a flash with a short shutter to make the instantaneous power higher than the average power of sunlight, thereby reducing sunlight interference; There are problems with the polarization solution: 1. The reduction ratio of sunlight is limited; 2. The fill light interferes with the driver (especially at night); 3. When facing low-transmittance window film, the perspective effect is significantly reduced; 4. Glare and motion blur cannot be solved.

[0005] There are problems with the flash solution: 1. The reduction ratio of sunlight is limited; 2. The fill light interferes with the driver (especially at night).

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a vehicle information collection system to effectively solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0007] The invention provides a vehicle information collection system.

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle information collection system, including: A light source, used to emit a detection beam to the vehicle whose information is to be collected; An image acquisition module, used for receiving, through gated exposure, signal light reflected by the detection light beam after passing through the vehicle; A control module is connected to the light source and the image acquisition module, and is used to control the relative time of the light source emitting the detection light beam and the gated exposure of the image acquisition module based on the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle information acquisition system, and is also used to process the signal light to obtain the information to be collected.

[0009] Preferably, the light source comprises a laser module, the detection beam comprises a laser pulse, the wavelength of the laser pulse is 840-960 nanometers, and the width of the laser pulse is 1-1000 nanoseconds.

[0010] Preferably, the image acquisition module includes a gated camera, and the gate width of the gated camera is 0.5 to 1000 nanoseconds.

[0011] Preferably, the gated camera comprises a filter, the central wavelength of the filter is the same as the wavelength of the laser pulse, and the bandwidth of the filter is 10 to 50 nanometers.

[0012] Preferably, the control module includes a control mainboard, and the control mainboard is used to control the relative time of the light source emitting the detection beam and the gated exposure of the image acquisition module based on the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle information acquisition system, and the gated exposure time of the image acquisition module has a delay time T relative to the time when the light source emits the detection beam. T=1 / 2*d / c Wherein, d is the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle information collection system, and c is the speed of light.

[0013] Preferably, the control main board is also used to perform basic image processing on the signal light to form an original image, and perform image post-processing, image recognition, and streaming media conversion on the original image to output a captured image of the vehicle.

[0014] Preferably, the information to be collected includes at least one of a captured image of persons in the vehicle, the number of persons, and an image of a license plate number.

[0015] Preferably, it also includes: a power supply module, which is connected to the light source, the image acquisition module and the control module for supplying power.

[0016] Preferably, it further comprises a shell, the light source, the image acquisition module and the control module are arranged inside the shell, the outer layer of the shell is a waterproof material, and the shell comprises a transparent panel to transmit the detection light beam and the signal light.

[0017] Preferably, it further comprises a fixing frame, which is connected to the housing and is used to fix the vehicle information collection system.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention has the following beneficial effects: The vehicle information collection system provided by the embodiment of the present invention achieves the matching of light source and door width, and suppresses other light sources including sunlight and vehicle lights while ensuring the safety of human eyes to the greatest extent, thereby maximizing the detection capability of the vehicle while ensuring minimal visual interference to the driver and passengers. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the prior art descriptions. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative labor.

[0020] Figure 1 A structural block diagram of a vehicle information collection system provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A structural block diagram of a vehicle information collection system provided by another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an in-vehicle snapshot test provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4a~4e An in-vehicle snapshot test image provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a license plate capture test provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 A license plate capture test image provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] The technical solution of the present invention is described in detail with specific embodiments below. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described in detail in some embodiments.

[0023] Based on the problems existing in the prior art, an embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle information collection system.

[0024] Figure 1A structural block diagram of a vehicle information collection system provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, a vehicle information collection system 10 includes: a light source 11, an image collection module 12 and a control module 13. The light source 11 is used to emit a detection beam to the vehicle whose information is to be collected. The image collection module 12 is used to receive the signal light reflected by the detection beam after passing through the vehicle through gated exposure. The control module 13 is connected to the light source 11 and the image collection module 12. The control module 13 is used to control the relative time of the light source 11 emitting the detection beam and the gated exposure of the image collection module 12 based on the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle information collection system 10, and is also used to process the signal light to obtain the information to be collected.

[0025] The vehicle information collection system 10 provided in the embodiment of the present invention achieves the matching of the light source and the gate width by controlling the relative time of the detection beam emitted by the light source 11 and the gated exposure of the image acquisition module 12. On the premise of ensuring the safety of human eyes to the greatest extent, it suppresses other light sources including sunlight and vehicle lights, thereby maximizing the detection capability of the vehicle and ensuring minimal visual interference to the driver and passengers.

[0026] In some embodiments, Figure 2 As shown, the light source 11 includes a laser module 110. The detection beam includes a nanosecond near-infrared laser pulse, the wavelength of the laser pulse is 840-960 nanometers, and the width of the laser pulse is 1-1000 nanoseconds.

[0027] In some implementations, the image acquisition module 12 includes a gated camera 120 , and a gate width of the gated camera 120 is 0.5 to 1000 nanoseconds.

[0028] In some embodiments, the gated camera 120 includes a filter, the center wavelength of the filter is the same as the wavelength of the laser pulse, and the bandwidth of the filter is 10 to 50 nanometers.

[0029] In a specific embodiment, the gate control camera 120 and the laser module 110 can be positioned together. The laser module 110 emits nanosecond near-infrared laser pulses as a detection beam, which is projected onto the vehicle to be tested. After the detection beam is projected onto the vehicle, it is reflected to form a signal light. The gate control camera 120 receives the pulse signal light reflected by the target vehicle through synchronized delayed nanosecond exposure. For example, when it is necessary to capture the image of the person in the vehicle to obtain the information of the person in the vehicle, the angle at which the light source 11 projects the detection beam can be adjusted to project the detection beam onto the front window, side window, rear window, etc. of the vehicle. Preferably, the detection beam can be projected directly onto the side of the vehicle and onto the side window of the vehicle to obtain the image of the person in the vehicle. When it is necessary to capture the license plate information, the angle at which the light source 11 projects the detection beam can be adjusted to project the detection beam onto the front side of the vehicle, the rear side of the vehicle, etc. Preferably, the detection beam can be projected onto the rear side of the vehicle to obtain the image of the license plate.

[0030] In some embodiments, the laser module 110 may be configured to have multiple laser units, and these laser units are evenly distributed or distributed according to needs facing the road side and along the extension direction of the road. In other embodiments, a direction adjustment mechanism may be configured to be connected to the laser module 110, and the position of the laser module 110 may be adjusted according to the direction in which the detection laser needs to be emitted when capturing vehicle images, thereby changing the projection direction of the detection laser.

[0031] In some embodiments, only one gated camera 120 may be configured, and the gated camera 120 has a wide-angle image acquisition function. No matter from which direction the detection beam is projected to the vehicle to be tested, the gated camera 120 can collect the signal light reflected by the vehicle. In other embodiments, multiple gated cameras 120 may be configured, and their distribution is the same as the number of multiple laser units and corresponds one to one to collect the signal light reflected by the corresponding detection beam. In some embodiments, the direction adjustment mechanism is connected to the laser module 110 and to the gated camera 120, so as to adjust the positions of the two at the same time, so that the gated camera 120 can collect the signal light reflected by the detection beam emitted by the laser module 110.

[0032] In some embodiments, the control module 13 includes a control mainboard 130, and the control mainboard 130 is used to control the relative time of the light source 11 emitting the detection beam and the image acquisition module 12 gated exposure based on the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle information acquisition system 10. The time of the gated exposure of the image acquisition module 12 has a delay time T relative to the time when the light source 11 emits the detection beam. T=1 / 2*d / c Wherein, d is the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle information collection system 10, and c is the speed of light.

[0033] In some embodiments, the laser module 110 may be directly controlled by the control mainboard 130 to emit pulsed laser and the gated camera 120 may be gated for exposure. In other embodiments, a timing controller controlled by the control mainboard 130 may be configured to issue a synchronization delay time to coordinate the relative time of the laser module 110 emitting pulsed laser and the gated camera 120 for gated exposure.

[0034] In some embodiments, the control mainboard 130 is also used to perform basic image processing on the signal light to form an original image, and perform image post-processing, image recognition, and streaming media conversion on the original image to output the information to be collected.

[0035] Specifically, basic image processing includes but is not limited to gain. Image post-processing includes but is not limited to enhancement, denoising, compression, etc. In specific scenarios, image post-processing requires the synthesis of multiple frames. Image recognition can use artificial intelligence technologies such as neural networks or large language models. The recognition results can be synthesized onto the output image or output to an independent record file (log). The output streaming media format can include rtsp, etc. Other output formats can be (log-based) short messages, one or more pictures, etc. After streaming media conversion, the information to be collected can be output through the external interface, which can be a network video recorder (NVR), a network streaming media player (such as VLCPlayer), an HDMI screen display, a computer host or a camera memory, etc.

[0036] In some embodiments, the information to be collected includes at least one of a captured image of people in the vehicle, the number of people, and an image of a license plate number.

[0037] In some embodiments, the vehicle information collection system 10 further includes a power module 140. The power module 140 is connected to the light source 11, the image acquisition module 12, and the control module 13 for power supply. Specifically, the power module 140 is connected to the laser module 110, the door control camera 120, and the control mainboard 130 for power supply.

[0038] In some embodiments, the vehicle information collection system 10 further includes a housing, the light source 11, the image collection module 12 and the control module 13 are arranged inside the housing, the outer layer of the housing is a waterproof material, and the housing includes a transparent panel to transmit the detection light beam and the signal light. In this embodiment, the housing can be used for waterproofing and dustproofing. In other embodiments, the housing can also include a line opening to ensure the passage of power supply lines, signal transmission lines and other lines.

[0039] In some embodiments, the vehicle information collection system 10 further includes a fixing bracket. The fixing bracket is connected to the housing and is used to fix the vehicle information collection system 10 so as to install and fix it in a desired position and orientation.

[0040] In some specific applications, the information to be collected includes captured images of people in the vehicle and headcount. Figure 3 As shown, when capturing the occupants and the number of people in the vehicle, the vehicle information collection system 10 is perpendicular to the driving direction, with a distance of about 4.5 meters from the center line of the lane, and the vehicle speed is not more than 100 km / h.

[0041] The control mainboard 130 controls the laser module 110 to emit nanosecond (pulse width 200ns) near-infrared (wavelength 905nm) laser pulses, and the gated camera 120 receives the pulse signal light reflected by the target through a synchronous delay (0.1us) nanosecond exposure (gate width 350ns, repetition rate 8kHz, accumulation 6 times), and forms the original image through basic image processing (gain 18dB) to feed back to the mainboard. The mainboard receives the original image, and after image post-processing (denoising, image enhancement), image recognition (personnel identification, result selection and superposition on the image), streaming media conversion and other processes, forms a media format output to the external interface (5 consecutive snapshot images).

[0042] The results are as follows Figure 4a~4e As shown, through the combination of gated distance-gated imaging technology and image enhancement and recognition algorithms, clear observation of the situation inside the vehicle is achieved under conditions of low window transmittance and low visibility.

[0043] In some other specific applications, the information to be collected includes captured images of motor vehicle license plates. Figure 5 As shown, the vehicle information collection system 10 forms a certain angle with the driving direction, is about 4.5 meters away from the center line of the lane, has a target distance of 30-100 meters, and a vehicle speed of no more than 80 km / h.

[0044] The control mainboard 130 controls the laser module 110 to emit nanosecond (pulse width 200ns) near-infrared (wavelength 905nm) laser pulses, and the gated camera 120 receives the pulse signal light reflected by the target vehicle through synchronized delayed (0.6us) nanosecond exposure (gate width 350ns, repetition rate 8kHz, accumulation 20 times), and forms the original image through basic image processing (gain 0dB) to feed back to the mainboard. The mainboard receives the original image, and after image post-processing (denoising, image enhancement), image recognition (license plate recognition, intercepting the image output of the recognition area and outputting the message), streaming media conversion and other processes, forms a (streaming) media format output to the external interface (1 recognition result image & streaming media).

[0045] The results are as follows Figure 6 As shown in the figure, the gated range-gated imaging technology combined with image enhancement and recognition algorithms enables clear observation of the vehicle appearance, including the motor vehicle license plate, under various visibility conditions.

[0046] The present invention achieves the matching of nanosecond pulses and gate width and complete near-infrared fill light. Under the premise of ensuring the safety of human eyes to the greatest extent, it suppresses other light sources including sunlight and vehicle lights, thereby maximizing the detection capability of vehicles while ensuring minimal visual interference to drivers and passengers.

[0047] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle information collection system, characterized in that: include: A light source, used to emit a detection beam to the vehicle whose information is to be collected; An image acquisition module, used for receiving, through gated exposure, signal light reflected by the detection light beam after passing through the vehicle; A control module is connected to the light source and the image acquisition module, and is used to control the relative time of the light source emitting the detection light beam and the gated exposure of the image acquisition module based on the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle information acquisition system, and is also used to process the signal light to obtain the information to be collected.

2. The vehicle information collection system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light source includes a laser module, the detection beam includes a nanosecond near-infrared laser pulse, the wavelength of the laser pulse is 840-960 nanometers, and the width of the laser pulse is 1-1000 nanoseconds.

3. The vehicle information collection system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The image acquisition module includes a gated camera, and the gate width of the gated camera is 0.5 to 1000 nanoseconds.

4. The vehicle information collection system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The gated camera includes a filter, the central wavelength of the filter is the same as the wavelength of the laser pulse, and the bandwidth of the filter is 10 to 50 nanometers.

5. The vehicle information collection system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control module includes a control mainboard, and the control mainboard is used to control the relative time of the light source emitting the detection beam and the image acquisition module gated exposure based on the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle information acquisition system, and the time of the image acquisition module gated exposure has a delay time T relative to the time when the light source emits the detection beam. T=1 / 2*d / c Wherein, d is the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle information collection system, and c is the speed of light.

6. The vehicle information collection system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The control mainboard is also used to perform basic image processing on the signal light to form an original image, and perform image post-processing, image recognition, and streaming media conversion on the original image to output the information to be collected.

7. The vehicle information collection system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The information to be collected includes at least one of a captured image of persons in the vehicle, the number of persons, and an image of a license plate number.

8. The vehicle information collection system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A power supply module is connected to the light source, the image acquisition module and the control module for supplying power.

9. The vehicle information collection system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a shell, the light source, the image acquisition module and the control module are arranged inside the shell, the outer layer of the shell is a waterproof material, and the shell includes a transparent panel to transmit the detection light beam and the signal light.

10. The vehicle information collection system according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes a fixing frame, which is connected to the shell and is used to fix the vehicle information collection system.

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