US 11,722,789 B1
Multi-camera imaging system selecting between visible and infrared views in a vehicle
Nithya Somanath, Farmington Hills, MI (US); Arun Dutta, Ann Arbor, MI (US); Colleen M. Cauvet, Canton, MI (US); Collin P. Hurley, Canton, MI (US); Donald P. Bilger, Livonia, MI (US); and Javier Onate, Muncie, IN (US)
Assigned to FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on Feb. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/589,932.
Int. Cl. H04N 23/90 (2023.01); G06V 20/59 (2022.01); G06V 10/764 (2022.01); G06V 40/16 (2022.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); G10L 15/22 (2006.01); G10L 15/08 (2006.01); G06F 3/14 (2006.01); B60R 1/22 (2022.01); G01W 1/02 (2006.01); G05B 13/02 (2006.01); G06V 10/80 (2022.01)
CPC H04N 23/90 (2023.01) [B60R 1/22 (2022.01); G01W 1/02 (2013.01); G05B 13/0265 (2013.01); G06F 3/14 (2013.01); G06V 10/764 (2022.01); G06V 10/811 (2022.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); G06V 20/597 (2022.01); G06V 40/176 (2022.01); G10L 15/08 (2013.01); G10L 15/22 (2013.01); B60R 2300/20 (2013.01); B60R 2300/8053 (2013.01); G10L 2015/088 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle comprising:
a visible light camera mounted for viewing a roadway on which the vehicle travels and capturing visible light images;
an infrared camera mounted for viewing the roadway and capturing infrared images overlapping with the visible light images;
a display screen visible to a driver of the vehicle and configured to selectably display the visible light images or the infrared images in real time, wherein the visible light images are normally selected when a visible light brightness around the vehicle is greater than a brightness threshold;
an impairment monitor configured to monitor trigger conditions indicative of limitations of a driver visibility when directly viewing the roadway, wherein the trigger conditions include driver reaction poses; and
a control circuit configured to (A) classify the monitored driver reaction poses according to a plurality of predetermined pose classifications which indicate an occurrence of an impairment event, and (B) select the infrared images for display on the display screen upon occurrence of the impairment event based on the classifying of the driver reaction poses;
wherein the impairment monitor is comprised of an interior camera capturing images of the driver to obtain the driver reaction poses.