US 11,877,066 B2
Adaptive illumination for a time-of-flight camera on a vehicle
Ke Xu, San Diego, CA (US); Xue Mei, San Diego, CA (US); and Zehua Huang, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to TUSIMPLE, INC., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed by TUSIMPLE, INC., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/986,744.
Application 17/986,744 is a continuation of application No. 17/325,135, filed on May 19, 2021, granted, now 11,523,067.
Application 17/325,135 is a continuation of application No. 16/127,022, filed on Sep. 10, 2018, granted, now 11,019,274, issued on May 25, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0074491 A1, Mar. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. H04N 23/73 (2023.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G05D 1/02 (2020.01); B60R 11/04 (2006.01); H04N 25/534 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 23/73 (2023.01) [B60R 11/04 (2013.01); G05D 1/0088 (2013.01); G05D 1/0246 (2013.01); H04N 25/534 (2023.01); G05D 2201/0213 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of generating an image using an electronic camera, comprising:
determining, for each object in one or more objects imaged by an image sensor of the electronic camera, a distance between the object and the image sensor using a distance sensor;
associating, for each object in the one or more objects, one or more pixel regions of the image sensor with the object;
determining, for each pixel region, a start time for an exposure of the pixel region using the distance determined for the object associated with the pixel region and an exposure duration, wherein the start time corresponds to a time of flight of light from a light source to the object and back from the object to the pixel region; and
gating, for each pixel region associated with the object, the exposure of the pixel region at the start time and continuing the exposure for the exposure duration.