Vehicle Interior Lighting Modules for Uniform Camera Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wide-angle cameras in vehicle interior monitoring systems face issues with non-uniform illumination due to the limited angular range of lighting modules, leading to artifacts in image interpretation and disparities between the left and right halves of the camera's field of view.
Innovation Solution
The use of two lighting modules, each illuminating a specific domain of the camera's field of view with a common overlapping area, ensuring uniform illumination by structuring the light beam with a plate that modifies the spatial distribution to maintain a constant reference value in the overlapping domain, and linearly decreasing illumination from this value to zero.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If two lighting modules are used to illuminate the entire camera field of view, then the illuminated area is improved, but uniformity of illumination deteriorates at the boundaries and center of the field of view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making each lighting module illuminate its specific domain with uniform intensity while creating a controlled gradient in the overlap area. The illuminance decreases continuously from the reference value at the edges of the specific domain to zero at the boundaries, ensuring that each region has the appropriate illumination characteristics for its function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the camera field of view into two specific domains illuminated by separate lighting modules, with a common overlap area between them. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized for its specific domain while the overlap area provides seamless transition and uniform combined illumination.
2Illumination intensity
If lighting modules illuminate specific areas with uniform intensity, then illumination uniformity in each domain is improved, but artifacts are generated in image interpretation due to discontinuities at boundaries
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by pre-structuring the light beam to create a continuous gradient that decreases from the reference value to zero at the overlap boundaries. This preliminary structuring prevents the formation of discontinuities and artifacts that would otherwise occur at the boundaries between illuminated areas, ensuring seamless image interpretation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the illumination parameter from uniform intensity across the entire field to a spatially varying intensity profile where illuminance decreases continuously from the reference value in the specific domain to zero at the overlap boundaries. This parameter change eliminates abrupt transitions and ensures continuous, artifact-free illumination across the entire field of view.
3Illumination intensity
If the illuminance decreases continuously from reference value to zero in the overlap domain, then uniform combined illuminance is achieved, but the lighting module complexity increases due to beam structuring requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a beam structuring element as an intermediary component within the lighting module. This intermediary structures the light beam to create the required continuous gradient from the reference value to zero in the overlap domain, enabling uniform combined illuminance without requiring complex control systems or multiple light sources.
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 configuration achieves uniform illumination over the entire field of view, reducing artifacts and disparities, thereby enhancing the accuracy of image interpretation for gesture recognition and driver vigilance monitoring.
Implementation Method 1
These lighting modules include a light source, usually one or more diodes that emit light at a wavelength outside the visible spectrum (infrared)
Implementation Method 2
a free-surface reflector (usually a truncated parabolic reflector) that directs the light emitted by the diode towards the camera's field of view
Implementation Method 3
a structuring plate, at least partially transparent to the light beam, and arranged in the path of the conical light beam
Implementation Method 4
the structuring means being configured to modify the spatial distribution of the illumination of the light beam coming from the reflector by deviation or attenuation
Data Source
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Figure 3~5b
Figure 5c~8
AI summary
The subject of the invention is an observing module for a vehicle passenger compartment, said module comprising: ◦ a camera (101), and ◦ two lighting modules (103a, 103b) that each light one section of a field of view of the camera (101), characterised in that the lighting modules (103a, 103b) each light a specific domain (E 1 ,E 2 ) of the field of view of the camera (101), and both light a common domain of overlap (E 1 , E 2 ) of said field of view, which common domain is located between the specific domains (E 1 , E 2 ), the lighting modules (103a,103b) each generating: • a uniform illuminance of a reference value (E 0 ), which value is common to the two lighting modules (103a, 103b), in their specific domain (E 1 , E 2 ), and • an illuminance that decreases continuously from the reference value (E 0 ) in their specific domain (E 1 , E 2 ) to zero in the specific domain (E 1 , E 2 ) of the other lighting module (103a, 103b), such that the combined illuminance of the two lighting modules (103a, 103b) in the common domain of overlap (E 1 ∩ 2 ) is constant and equal to the reference value (E 0 ).