US 11,778,315 B2
Vehicle occupant monitoring system including an image acquisition device with a rolling shutter image sensor
Istvan Andorko, Galway (IE); Petronel Bigioi, Galway (IE); and Piotr Stec, Galway (IE)
Assigned to FotoNation Limited
Filed by FotoNation Limited, Galway (IE)
Filed on Dec. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/547,090.
Prior Publication US 2023/0188838 A1, Jun. 15, 2023
Int. Cl. H04N 23/667 (2023.01); H04N 5/33 (2023.01); G06V 20/59 (2022.01); H04N 23/73 (2023.01); H04N 23/74 (2023.01); H04N 23/76 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 23/667 (2023.01) [G06V 20/593 (2022.01); H04N 5/33 (2013.01); H04N 23/73 (2023.01); H04N 23/74 (2023.01); H04N 23/76 (2023.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle occupant monitoring system, OMS, comprising:
an image acquisition device with a rolling shutter image sensor comprising an array of sub-pixels which are respectively selectively sensitive to: red and infra-red; blue and infra-red; and green and infra-red light, said device being configured to selectively operate in either: a colour mode where a multi-plane image frame corresponding to the full image sensor is provided, each plane derived from red, green or blue sensitive sub-pixels respectively; or a monochrome mode, where sensor information from sub-pixels is aggregated to provide a single image plane; and
a controller: responsive to detecting light conditions decreasing when operating in a first colour mode to swap to a first monochrome mode for a first subsequent image acquisition; responsive to the detecting light conditions increasing when operating in the first monochrome mode to swap to a second colour mode for a second subsequent image acquisition; responsive to the detecting light conditions decreasing when operating in the second colour mode to increase either exposure time or gain for a third subsequent image acquisition; and responsive to detecting light conditions increasing when operating in the first monochrome mode to decrease either exposure time or gain for a fourth subsequent image acquisition.