Camera Test System Using LED Matrix and Mirror for Lighting Simulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current test systems for vehicle camera modules cannot simulate automotive and environmental lighting effectively at a bench or lab level, requiring in-vehicle testing during nighttime conditions, which is tedious, time-consuming, and expensive, and unable to recreate scenarios for failure analysis.
Innovation Solution
A testing system that uses a display screen and an LED matrix to simulate vehicle headlights, taillights, and street lights, with a partially reflective mirror to combine light from both sources, allowing for simultaneous display of video images and high-intensity light patterns to test camera module lighting features in an automated and controlled manner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If in-vehicle testing during nighttime conditions is used to test camera module lighting features, then the testing can capture real-world lighting scenarios, but the testing becomes tedious, time-consuming, and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of real-world nighttime lighting scenarios using an LED matrix that simulates various light sources (headlights, taillights, street lights, traffic lights) and a display screen showing video images. This copying approach eliminates the need for actual nighttime road testing while maintaining testing reliability through controlled simulation of diverse lighting conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary setup of lighting conditions in a controlled lab environment before actual camera testing. The LED matrix and display screen are pre-configured to create specific lighting scenarios, allowing multiple camera modules to be tested efficiently without requiring repeated nighttime field tests.
2Reliability
If in-vehicle testing during nighttime conditions is used to test camera module lighting features, then the testing can capture real-world lighting scenarios, but the testing becomes expensive
Solution Approach 1:
By creating virtual copies of expensive nighttime field test conditions using affordable LED matrices and display screens, the system eliminates travel, vehicle operation, and personnel costs associated with real-world testing while maintaining scenario fidelity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical complexity of actual nighttime road testing with an optical-electronic simulation system. The LED matrix and display screen substitute for physical nighttime environments, converting an expensive field operation into an affordable lab-based optical simulation.
3Device complexity
If current test systems are used, then the testing setup is simple, but the systems cannot simulate automotive and environmental lighting effectively at a bench or lab level
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two separate lighting sources into a unified simulation system: an LED matrix providing high-intensity automotive lighting simulation and a display screen providing video image display. A partially reflective mirror combines these sources, allowing simultaneous illumination and image display without requiring complex mechanical switching or reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The LED matrix serves multiple functions by simulating various light sources (headlights, taillights, street lights, traffic lights) through programmable control. The system can recreate diverse nighttime scenarios without requiring separate physical light sources for each condition, achieving versatility through a single multi-functional device.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables thorough and efficient testing of camera module lighting features at a bench level, reducing testing time and costs, and allowing for automated simulation of various lighting scenarios, improving the evaluation of camera module functionality.
Implementation Method 1
The system uses a display screen and a LED matrix to provide the desired video images and lighting characteristics
Implementation Method 2
with a partially reflective mirror to combine light from both sources
Data Source
AI summary
A method of testing a vehicular camera includes providing a camera that has a field of view, providing a display screen that displays video images, providing an LED matrix having a plurality of LEDs that emit patterns of light of different colors, and providing a partially light reflecting and partially light transmitting mirror in the field of view of the camera and between the camera and the display screen or between the camera and the LED matrix. A simulator control generates video control signals and LED control signals. Displayed video images either pass through the mirror or reflect off the mirror to be imaged by the camera. The emitted patterns of light either reflect off the mirror or pass through the mirror to be imaged by the camera. A processor may process captured image data to determine whether or not the camera is functioning properly.