Koito Manufacturing Company, Ltd.

Brightway Vision Ltd.

Koji Itaba

Jun Kano

Daiki Kato

Masayuki Takahashi

Yasuo Nakamura

Toru Nagashima

Kensuke Arai

Shun Tanemoto

Kenichi Hoshi

An object identification system includes a camera and a processing device. The processing device includes a classifier subjected to machine learning based on the output image of the camera so as to allow it to identify an object. A gating camera divides a field of view in the depth direction into multiple ranges, and captures an image while changing the time difference between light projection and exposure for each range. The classifier is subjected to machine learning using multiple images IMGthrough IMGgenerated by the gating camera as the learning data.

Object identification system

An illumination device irradiates a field of view with pulsed illumination light. In a multi-tap type image sensor, one pixel has a plurality of FD (floating diffusion) regions. A camera controller controls a light emission timing of the illumination device and an exposure timing of the image sensor. A pulse exposure region, which is one of the plurality of FD regions, is allocated to generation of a slice image, and a continuous exposure region, which is another one of the plurality of FD regions, is allocated to generation of a normal image. The image sensor generates the slice image by performing multiple exposure of reflected light of the pulsed illumination light from the field of view using the pulse exposure region, and generates the normal image by performing exposure using the continuous exposure region in a section where the pulse exposure region is not used.

Gating camera, sensing system for vehicle, vehicle lamp

A gating camera divides a field of view in a depth direction into multiple ranges, and generates multiple slice images that correspond to the multiple ranges. An illumination apparatus emits probe light. A controller controls a timing of emission of the probe light Lby the illumination apparatus and a timing of image capture by a first image sensor and a second image sensor. The controller controls the first image sensor and the second image sensor such that they receive reflected light from different respective ranges in response to one emission of the probe light from the illumination apparatus.

Gating camera

A gated camera divides a depth direction into a plurality of ranges and generates a plurality of slice images corresponding to the plurality of ranges. An illumination device radiates probe light. A controller controls a light emission timing of the illumination device and an exposure timing of an image sensor. An image processing device generates a slice image based on a sensor image transmitted from the image sensor. The image processing device selects M (M≥2) pixel values in ascending order of pixel values for each line of the sensor image, calculates an average value of the M pixel values, and subtracts the average value from each pixel value of the corresponding line.

Gating camera, sensing system for vehicle, and lighting unit for vehicle

An illumination apparatus illuminates probe light. A gating camera captures an image for each of image capture ranges divided in the depth direction. A camera controller controls a timing at which the illumination apparatus illuminates the probe light and a timing at which an image sensor is exposed such that each slice image output from the image sensor for each image capture range includes only an object included in the corresponding image capture range while changing the image capture range. An image processing unit generates a final image including the entire object of interest based on the multiple slice images that correspond to the multiple image capture ranges.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Koji Itaba