Vehicle-Mounted Image Sensor Tracking for Traffic Sign Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Images of traffic signs captured by image sensors in vehicles often suffer from blurring due to vehicle movement, leading to low-quality images that are not sufficient for detection and recognition by autonomous vehicles or inattentive drivers.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device equipped with an image sensor that detects traffic signs and adjusts its direction based on the vehicle's motion, reducing motion blur by determining the optimal orientation through processing the captured images and using motor control units to rotate the sensor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If image processing schemes are used to deblur images after capture, then image quality may be improved, but computing time and resources are substantially increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by adjusting the image sensor to track the traffic sign before the image is captured, thereby preventing motion blur from occurring in the first place. This proactive approach eliminates the need for subsequent computationally intensive deblurring processing, resolving the contradiction between image quality and computing time by addressing the blur issue preemptively rather than reactively
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/image processing system with a sensor adjustment system. Instead of using computational image processing schemes to correct blur after capture, the system mechanically adjusts the image sensor's orientation to track the traffic sign during vehicle motion, substituting complex post-processing with a simpler real-time sensor adjustment mechanism that prevents blur without requiring substantial computing resources
2Measurement precision
If conventional image processing schemes are used to enhance blurred images, then some image quality improvement may be achieved, but the processing requires substantial computing resources
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary tracking of the traffic sign by adjusting the image sensor orientation before image capture occurs. This preventive measure ensures that images are captured without motion blur in the first place, eliminating the need for resource-intensive post-capture deblurring processing and thereby reducing computing resource consumption while maintaining high image quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes computational image enhancement methods with a mechanical sensor tracking system. By physically adjusting the image sensor to follow the traffic sign during vehicle motion, the system prevents blur formation without requiring substantial computing resources for post-processing enhancement, thus resolving the contradiction between image quality and computing resource usage
3Measurement precision
If the image sensor remains fixed while the vehicle moves, then the device complexity is low, but the captured images of traffic signs become blurred and low quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by transitioning the image sensor from a fixed static position to a dynamic tracking position. The sensor is continuously adjusted to follow the traffic sign's position relative to the vehicle's motion, enabling the system to maintain high image quality while accounting for the added complexity of dynamic sensor adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the traffic sign's position in captured images and using this information to adjust the image sensor's orientation. This closed-loop control ensures that the sensor tracks the sign accurately despite vehicle motion, maintaining high image quality while managing device complexity through intelligent control algorithms
Data Source
AI summary
A method for capturing an image of a traffic sign by an image sensor is disclosed. The method may include capturing, by the image sensor, at least one image including the traffic sign, wherein the image sensor is mounted in a vehicle. The method may include detecting, by a processor, the traffic sign in the at least one image. The method may also include in response to detecting the traffic sign, determining, by the processor, at least one direction of the image sensor based on the at least one image and motion of the vehicle. In addition, the method may include adjusting, by the processor, the image sensor to the at least one direction.