Color-IR HDR Imaging With IR Suppression and Dual Exposure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cabin sensing cameras face challenges in generating high dynamic range (HDR) images while maintaining a high frame rate for infrared (IR) images, leading to unsatisfactory image quality due to motion blurring and ghosting effects, especially in varying light conditions.

Innovation Solution

A method involving capturing short and long exposure color-IR images with and without IR illumination, respectively, mitigating IR light impact, and merging these images to generate an HDR image, allowing for simultaneous high frame rate IR and HDR image generation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If three-frame capture sequence (IR-RGB long exposure-RGB short exposure) is used to generate HDR images, then HDR image quality is improved, but IR image frame rate decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveHDR image qualityVSAvoidIR image frame rate

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the IR light component from the short exposure RGB image by subtracting a scaled version of the short exposure IR image from it. This separation allows independent processing of color information (from RGB) and IR information, enabling HDR generation without requiring three frames, thus maintaining high IR frame rate while achieving HDR quality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges the long exposure RGB image (for dark regions) and short exposure RGB image (for bright regions) to create the final HDR image. By combining information from these two exposures and integrating IR suppression, the system achieves HDR quality while using only two frames per HDR output, doubling the IR frame rate compared to the three-frame approach

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If alternating RGB-IR capture mode is used, then both RGB and IR images can be captured, but motion blurring and ghosting effects occur in HDR images

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedual RGB and IR capture capabilityVSAvoidHDR image quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs IR suppression on the short exposure RGB image before merging with the long exposure RGB image. By removing the IR component in advance from the short exposure frame, the system eliminates the source of ghosting and motion blurring that would occur during HDR merging, while still capturing both RGB and IR information in the alternating sequence

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent separates the image processing into distinct components: IR component extraction from short exposure frames, and HDR merging of RGB components from long and short exposure frames. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each process, maintaining dual capture capability while preventing motion artifacts in the final HDR image

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Manufacturing precision

If RGB images with different exposure times are stacked to generate HDR images, then acceptable image quality is achieved, but the captured scene may have changed between frames causing motion artifacts

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveHDR image qualityVSAvoidconsistency of captured scene

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different processing treatments to different parts of the image based on local characteristics. Bright regions use the short exposure frame (with IR suppressed) while dark regions use the long exposure frame, with smooth blending between them. This local adaptation maintains scene consistency within each region while achieving HDR quality across the entire image

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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

This approach produces HDR images with improved quality and flexibility, suitable for both human and computer vision tasks, while maintaining a high frame rate for IR images, reducing computational time, and simplifying processing with standard color camera accelerators.

Implementation Method 1

captured with an activated infrared (IR) illuminator

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLight emission from IR illuminator: Light Emitting Diode

Implementation Method 2

Native IR pixels are primarily sensitive to IR light, having a wavelength of around 940 nanometers (nm)

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectInfrared detection: Photoelectric Effect

Data Source

PatentUS12518350B2Method for generating a high dynamic range image

Publication Date: 2026.01.06 APTIV TECHNOLOGIES AG

AI summary

A method includes obtaining a short exposure color-infrared (color-IR) image captured with an activated infrared (IR) illuminator and a long exposure color-IR image captured with a deactivated IR illuminator. The short exposure color-IR image is captured with a shorter exposure time than the long exposure color-IR image. The method includes determining an IR light impact of the of the short exposure color-IR image and of the long exposure color-IR image. The method includes mitigating the IR light impact in the short exposure color-IR image to obtain a short exposure IR-suppressed color image. The method includes mitigating the IR light impact in the long exposure color-IR image to obtain a long exposure IR-suppressed color image. The method includes merging the short exposure IR-suppressed color image with the long exposure IR-suppressed color image to obtain a merged HDR image.