Vehicle Optical Sensor System Shared Lens Multi-Function
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle optical sensor systems face performance tradeoffs due to light sensitivity, spectrum sensitivity, and field-of-view requirements for various vehicle warning and control systems, making it challenging to achieve optimum performance with a single sensor system.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle optical sensor system with a shared lens and multiple optoelectronic devices, where an optical device expands the effective field-of-view by directing light from outside the primary field-of-view to additional optoelectronic devices, allowing for simultaneous detection of images and light conditions without increasing packaging size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a larger aperture lens is used to increase light sensitivity, then more light reaches the pixels improving night vision performance, but the lens size increases leading to larger packaging requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple optoelectronic devices (imaging sensor, rain sensor, ambient light sensor) into a single integrated sensor system that shares one lens. This merging allows the system to achieve high light sensitivity through the shared lens while maintaining compact packaging, as all sensors benefit from the same optical path without requiring separate lenses for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared lens serves multiple functions by directing light to different optoelectronic devices for different sensing purposes. The single lens provides illumination for night vision, rain detection, and ambient light sensing simultaneously, eliminating the need for multiple specialized lenses and reducing overall system size while maintaining high light sensitivity for each function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate optical sensor systems are used to meet different vehicle warning and control system requirements, then each system can be optimized for its specific function, but the device complexity and packaging challenges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate optical sensor systems into a single integrated system where multiple optoelectronic devices share one lens. Each optoelectronic device can be optimized for its specific function (imaging, rain detection, ambient light sensing) while sharing the common optical path, thereby reducing packaging complexity and the number of components without sacrificing functional optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The single lens system provides universal functionality by serving multiple sensing purposes simultaneously. The lens captures light that is then distributed to different optoelectronic devices based on their specific requirements, allowing each device to be optimized for its function while the shared lens reduces overall system complexity and packaging requirements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the field-of-view is expanded to capture more environmental data, then more areas can be monitored for vehicle warning systems, but the lens size and packaging requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple optoelectronic devices with different field-of-view requirements into a single sensor system sharing one lens. This allows the system to achieve expanded effective field-of-view coverage by processing data from multiple sensors simultaneously, without requiring each individual sensor to have a large lens, thus maintaining compact packaging while monitoring more areas.
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 enables efficient and cost-effective operation of multiple sensors, such as rain and ambient light sensors, while maintaining image quality and flexibility in design, reducing the need for separate sensors and improving economic efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The lens is configured to direct light from a field-of-view toward a focal plane
Implementation Method 2
an optoelectronic device is a component of an optical sensor system that may be operable to generate a video signal
Implementation Method 3
The optical device is configured to direct light from outside the field-of-view toward the second portion
Data Source
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AI summary
An optical sensor system (20) adapted to operate through a window (12) of a vehicle (10) includes a lens (24), a plurality of optoelectronic devices (28), and an optical device (40). The lens (24) is configured to direct light from a field-of-view (22) toward a focal plane (26). The plurality of optoelectronic devices (28) are arranged proximate to the focal plane (26). The plurality of optoelectronic devices (28) includes a first optoelectronic device (28A) operable to detect an image from a first portion (34) of the field-of-view (22), and a second optoelectronic device (28B) operable to detect light from a second portion (36) of the field-of-view (22) distinct from the first portion (34). The optical device (40) is configured to direct light from outside the field-of-view (22) toward the second portion (36).