Optical Sensor Scan Pattern Control for Sun Saturation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Optical sensors in devices such as automobiles can become saturated by bright light sources, like the sun or high-intensity headlights, leading to temporary inability to perform measurements in their field of view.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses a controller with a processor and memory to adjust the scan pattern of optical sensors based on the position of the sun and other environmental factors, such as the orientation of the device and external light sources, to prevent saturation by modifying the scanning order, dwell time, or skipping affected areas when the overlap with bright light exceeds a certain threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the optical sensor scans the full field of view including areas with bright light sources, then complete coverage imaging is achieved, but the optical sensor becomes saturated and temporarily unable to perform measurements
Solution Approach 1:
The field of view is divided into multiple scan portions, with at least one portion corresponding to a bright light source area. The controller selectively modifies scanning of specific portions based on sun position calculations, allowing other portions to be scanned normally while avoiding saturation in the bright light portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller calculates the position of the sun and determines the sun striking zone before the optical sensor begins scanning. Based on this preliminary information, the controller pre-determines which scan portions will be affected by bright light and adjusts the scan pattern in advance to skip or modify scanning of those portions, preventing saturation before it occurs.
2Reliability
If the scan pattern is modified to skip or reduce dwell time in sun overlap regions, then sensor saturation is prevented, but imaging coverage or detail in those regions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of completely skipping the sun overlap region, the controller applies partial action by reducing the dwell time in affected scan portions rather than eliminating scanning entirely. This allows some imaging data to be collected while still preventing saturation, representing a compromise between complete coverage and saturation prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller dynamically changes the dwell time parameter for different scan portions based on their overlap with the sun striking zone. Scan portions with high sun overlap have reduced dwell times or are skipped, while portions with low or no overlap maintain normal dwell times, optimizing both saturation prevention and imaging coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
System and method of controlling operation of an optical sensor in a device. The optical sensor is configured to employ a scan pattern to scan respective portions of a full field of view. A navigation sensor is configured to obtain location coordinates of the device. An inertial sensor is configured to obtain an acceleration data of the device in a plurality of directions. A controller is configured to determine a position of the device at the present time based in part on the location coordinates and the acceleration data. The controller is configured to determine a sun striking zone based in part on a relative position of the sun and the device. When a sun overlap region between the respective portions of the full field of view and sun striking zone exceeds a first overlap threshold, operation of the optical sensor is modified.