Vehicle Vision System Lens Contamination Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vision systems for vehicles, particularly those using camera systems, face challenges in reliably detecting foreign bodies on optical elements due to environmental influences like dirt and rain, leading to impaired image quality and potential accidents.
Innovation Solution
A vision system incorporating a light source arranged outside the image recording unit to illuminate the optical element, enhancing the visibility of foreign bodies on the image sensor with high contrast, eliminating the need for image processing based on known patterns and reducing the risk of image distortion or loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a camera system is mounted on the exterior of a vehicle to record the area around it, then the driver's field of vision can be captured, but the camera lens is exposed to environmental factors such as dirt and precipitation, impairing image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of lens contamination by analyzing captured images for patterns indicating dirt or precipitation on the lens. This early detection allows for timely intervention before image quality is severely degraded, maintaining reliable operation of the vision system
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors image data for signs of lens contamination and provides feedback about the contamination state. This feedback mechanism enables real-time assessment of image quality degradation and triggers appropriate responses such as warning the driver or initiating cleaning procedures
2Extent of automation
If image recognition software is used to detect lens contamination, then detection can be automated, but accuracy is insufficient due to the infinite number of contamination patterns that cannot be stored in a database
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the approach from storing contamination patterns to detecting parameter changes in image data that indicate contamination. By analyzing optical properties such as light scattering, reflection patterns, and focus degradation, the system can detect various contamination types without needing to store examples of each pattern
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the database-based pattern matching approach with an optical physics-based detection method. Instead of comparing images against stored contamination patterns, the system uses knowledge of how contaminants affect light transmission and image formation to detect their presence automatically and accurately
3Device complexity
If drivers visually inspect the camera to detect contamination, then no additional detection system is needed, but inspection can only be performed when the vehicle is stationary, reducing safety
Solution Approach 1:
The vision system performs self-diagnosis by automatically analyzing its own captured images to detect lens contamination. This self-service capability eliminates the need for driver intervention, allowing continuous monitoring while the vehicle is in motion and maintaining safety without adding complex external detection systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the same image capture device for both its primary function (recording the driver's field of vision) and the secondary function (detecting lens contamination). This multi-functionality approach allows contamination detection without requiring additional sensors or systems, maintaining simplicity while improving safety
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 solution provides a reliable and clear representation of foreign bodies, enabling the driver or image recognition units to detect them accurately, reducing the reliance on cumbersome image editing programs and minimizing the occurrence of accidents caused by obscured views.
Implementation Method 1
the light source is arranged in the vision system such that it illuminates the optical element of the image acquisition unit from outside the unit... if a foreign object is present on the optical element, the foreign object is clearly depicted on the image sensor
Data Source
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Figure 3
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AI summary
A vision system (100A, 100B) for a vehicle (1) has at least one image acquisition unit (10A, 10B) for capturing image data of an area around the vehicle (1), wherein the image acquisition unit (10A, 10B) has an image sensor (11A, 11B) and an optical element (12A, 12B), at least one image processing unit (20A, 20B) for processing the image data captured by the image acquisition unit (10A, 10B), and at least one light source (40, 40.1, 40.2) for illuminating the optical element (12A, 12B). The vision system is designed to make the detectability of a foreign body (S, T) located on the optical element (12A, 12B) more apparent on the image sensor (11A, 11B) of the playback unit (30A, 30B) by illuminating the optical element (12A, 12B).