Lamp Detection Device Edge Smoothing Circuit Noise Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

When a vehicle-mounted camera captures images, the movement of edge portions with luminance differences causes step responses and noise, leading to false detection of lamps due to wide frequency components.

Innovation Solution

The lamp detection device reduces luminance gradients at edge portions by smoothing pixel luminance differences, using edge detection and smoothing circuits to generate synchronized images that filter out noise, thereby stabilizing lamp detection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If edge detection is performed to detect lamps with high precision, then measurement precision is improved, but noise having wide frequency components is generated causing false detection

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelamp detection precisionVSAvoidnoise intensity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary smoothing action to the image data before lamp detection. The edge smoothing circuit performs smoothing processing on edge portions of the image before the lamp detection circuit analyzes the data. This preliminary action reduces the luminance gradients that cause step responses and noise, allowing accurate lamp detection without false positives from edge-induced noise.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If the detection threshold is lowered to detect dim lamps, then measurement precision is improved, but false detection of noise increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelamp detection sensitivityVSAvoidfalse detection rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating processing between edge portions and non-edge portions of the image. Edge smoothing is selectively applied to edge portions identified through edge detection, while non-edge areas maintain their original luminance characteristics. This localized approach preserves lamp detection sensitivity in all areas while reducing noise specifically in edge regions where step responses occur.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3321911B1Lamp detection device and lamp detection method
Publication Date: 2019.09.11 NISSAN MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP3321911B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3321911B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B(c)
  • EP3321911B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3C(b)

AI summary

A lamp detection device detects (21) an edge portion (31a, 31b) from a camera image, the edge portion having a luminance difference equal to or above a predetermined value, and generates (22) a smoothed image by diminishing the luminance difference of the edge portion. Then, the lamp detection device extracts (24) synchronized pixels from the smoothed image, the synchronized pixels having luminances varying synchronously with an alternating current cycle of power supplied to a lamp, and detects (26) the lamp from the synchronized pixels.