GB2311602A - A sensing system for a vehicle - Google Patents
A sensing system for a vehicle Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2311602A GB2311602A GB9706129A GB9706129A GB2311602A GB 2311602 A GB2311602 A GB 2311602A GB 9706129 A GB9706129 A GB 9706129A GB 9706129 A GB9706129 A GB 9706129A GB 2311602 A GB2311602 A GB 2311602A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- vehicle
- sensing
- light
- control
- image
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R25/00—Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles
- B60R25/10—Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles actuating a signalling device
- B60R25/1004—Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60H—ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES
- B60H1/00—Heating, cooling or ventilating [HVAC] devices
- B60H1/00642—Control systems or circuits; Control members or indication devices for heating, cooling or ventilating devices
- B60H1/00735—Control systems or circuits characterised by their input, i.e. by the detection, measurement or calculation of particular conditions, e.g. signal treatment, dynamic models
- B60H1/00785—Control systems or circuits characterised by their input, i.e. by the detection, measurement or calculation of particular conditions, e.g. signal treatment, dynamic models by the detection of humidity or frost
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R11/00—Arrangements for holding or mounting articles, not otherwise provided for
- B60R11/04—Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
- B60R21/01—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents
- B60R21/015—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats, and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
- B60R21/01512—Passenger detection systems
- B60R21/0153—Passenger detection systems using field detection presence sensors
- B60R21/01538—Passenger detection systems using field detection presence sensors for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R22/00—Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles
- B60R22/48—Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness
- B60R2022/4808—Sensing means arrangements therefor
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60S1/00—Cleaning of vehicles
- B60S1/02—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices
- B60S1/04—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers
- B60S1/06—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by the drive
- B60S1/08—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by the drive electrically driven
- B60S1/0818—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by the drive electrically driven including control systems responsive to external conditions, e.g. by detection of moisture, dirt or the like
- B60S1/0822—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by the drive electrically driven including control systems responsive to external conditions, e.g. by detection of moisture, dirt or the like characterized by the arrangement or type of detection means
- B60S1/0833—Optical rain sensor
- B60S1/0837—Optical rain sensor with a particular arrangement of the optical elements
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60S1/00—Cleaning of vehicles
- B60S1/02—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices
- B60S1/04—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers
- B60S1/06—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by the drive
- B60S1/08—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by the drive electrically driven
- B60S1/0818—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by the drive electrically driven including control systems responsive to external conditions, e.g. by detection of moisture, dirt or the like
- B60S1/0822—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by the drive electrically driven including control systems responsive to external conditions, e.g. by detection of moisture, dirt or the like characterized by the arrangement or type of detection means
- B60S1/0833—Optical rain sensor
- B60S1/0844—Optical rain sensor including a camera
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition (AREA)
- Air Bags (AREA)
Description
A Sensing Svstem for a Vehicle
The present invention relates to sensing systems for vehicles.
It is known, for example from GB 2 288 680 and DE 44 17 385 to use relatively sensitive image sensing devices such as C.C.D. cameras in vehicles, in order to perform various functions such as recognition of passengers and detection of water on windscreens. However, these devices tend to be prohibitively expensive except for the most expensive vehicles.
Accordingly the present invention provides a control system for controlling a vehicle subsystem, the control system comprising control means arranged to produce signals for controlling the subsystem, and sensing means comprising a sensing element, and means for focusing light from respective areas of the vehicle and directing the light from each of said areas onto a respective area of the sensing element.
The control system may be used to control a plurality of subsystems of the vehicle, such as a security system and an airbag system, thereby making it more cost effective.
The focusing means may comprise lenses or mirrors. The images may be directed onto the C.C.D. element by separate directing means, such as a prism, or by the focusing means.
The present invention further provides control system for controlling a vehicle subsystem, the control system comprising control means arranged to produce signals for controlling the subsystem, and sensing means comprising a sensing element, and two focusing means, wherein the focusing means are arranged to focus light from an object to form two respective images of the object for sensing by the sensing element, and the control means is arranged to process the two images to determine the distance of the object from the sensor and control the subsystem in a manner determined at least partly by said distance.
This arrangement further increases the number of applications for the sensor unit, and can enable, for example, accurate location of a driver's head to control airbag deployment, or determination of the position of detected movements for use in operating a security system.
The present invention still further provides a system for clearing mist from a vehicle window. the system comprising mist clearing means operable to clear mist from the vehicle window, control means for controlling operation of the mist clearing means, and viewing means arranged to view a scene through the window and form an image thereof, the control means being arranged to determine from said image when misting of the window has occurred, and, when it has so determined, to operate the mist clearing means.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 shows the interior of a vehicle including a sensing system according to a first embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a section through a sensing unit of the system of Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows part of an electrical system of the vehicle of Figure 1; and
Figure 4 is a section through a sensing unit of a second embodiment of the invention.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 a vehicle passenger compartment 10 has a roof 12, a front windscreen 14, a rear windscreen 16, a pair of front seats 18 with front seat belt catches 19 and a rear seat 20. A driver's airbag is mounted on the vehicle steering wheel 21a. A sensor unit 22 is mounted inside the passenger compartment 10 on the roof 12 in the centre of the vehicle over the front seats 18.
The sensor unit comprises a base 24 with a C.C.D. camera element 26 mounted on it. A domed housing 28 is also mounted on the base 24 and has a plurality of apertures 30 in it in which lenses 32 are supported. A prism 34 is mounted in the housing for directing light from the lenses 32 onto the C.C.D. element 26. The lenses include a first lens 32a which faces forwards towards the windscreen 14, a second lens 32b which faces backwards towards the rear windscreen 16, and a pair of lenses 32c, 32d which face downwards towards the driver's seat 18 and provide binocular vision of the driver 33. Further pairs of lenses (not shown) are provided which face towards the front passenger's seat 18 and each of the rear seats 20. Each of the lenses is arranged to receive light from the area of the vehicle towards which it faces. The prism 34 is shaped such that it directs the light from each of the areas of the vehicle onto a respective part of the C.C.D. element.
For example, light entering the vehicle through the front windscreen 14 passes through a front surface 36 of the prism. and is reflected off a rear surface 38 of the prism onto one part of the C.C.D. element 26 where it forms an image of a scene including part of the front windscreen 14, any water thereon, and whatever is in front of the vehicle and visible through the front windscreen 14. Light from the rear windscreen 16 passes through the rear surface 38 of the prism, and is reflected off the front surface 36 onto another part of the C.C.D. element, where it forms an image of part of the rear windscreen 16 and any water thereon. Light from the direction of the driver's seat passes upwards through the pair of lenses 32c, 32d, straight through the parallel bottom and top surfaces 40, 42 of the prism 34 and onto another two parts of the C.C.D. element 26 where it forms two separate images of the driver 33. The pairs of lenses (not shown) facing the front passenger and rear seats 18, 20 produce images on further areas of the
C.C.D. element 26 of the seats or any passengers sitting on them. A tubular light shield 43a, 43b, 43c, 43d, is provided around each of the lenses 32 which restricts the angle at which light can pass through lens, thereby ensuring that only light from the desired area can pass through the lenses and reach the C.C.D. element.
Operation of the vehicle electrical system including the sensor unit 22 will now be described with reference to Figure 3. The sensor unit 22 is connected to an image processing and logic unit 44 which analyses the images on the various areas of the C.C.D. element 26, compares them with images stored in memory, or analyses their characteristics, to determine whether certain conditions exist, and produces a series of signals at outputs 46 which each indicate whether a particular condition exists or not. These signals are input to a control unit 48 which controls the operation of various features if the vehicle including the windscreen wipers for the front and rear screens, the security system, the airbags, and the ventilation system as described below.
The images of each of the seat belt catches 19. and the front seats 18 are monitored and, if either of the seats is occupied without its respective catch being fastened, a seat belt warning light is lit as a warning.
The two images of the driver 33 produced by the two lenses 32c. 32d pointing towards the driver's seat will, if the seat is occupied, include images of the driver. These two images can be compared and processed by the logic unit 44 to determine the distance of each object in the image or each part of the driver from the sensor. This is done by comparing the position of the object within the two images, the difference in the two positions giving an indication of the distance between the object and the sensor. Thus, using this 'binocular' type viewing process, the exact position of, for example, the driver's head can be determined.
Referring to Figure 1, it will be appreciated that the height of the driver's head above the driver's seat will affect the way in which the airbag 21 needs to be operated for maximum safety of the driver. In the example shown, the airbag is positioned such that a short driver's head is closer to it than a tall driver's head. Thus, for a short driver it is desirable to inflate the airbag more quickly than for a tall driver. The control unit 48 can thus control the airbag actuation to suit the height of the driver.
Moreover, the logic unit 44 is arranged to determine the nature and position of the occupant of the front passenger seat. It can therefore distinguish whether the front passenger seat is occupied by a normal sized adult, a small child, or a baby in a rear-facing car seat. Actuation of the passenger side airbag can then be controlled to take this information into account.
The image produced by the forward facing lens 32a will be of the view through the front windscreen of the vehicle. This will normally include the vehicle bonnet. The normal outline of the vehicle bonnet is stored in memory in the image processing unit 44. The view of the bonnet can therefore be monitored and, if all or part of it becomes indistinct, or features of the stored image cease to be present in the viewed image, this can be taken as an indication that the windscreen has become misted over. In response to this the control unit 48 controls the vehicle's heating and ventilation system so as to clear the mist from the windscreen. It does this by actuating control flaps in the ventilating system to allow fresh air from outside the vehicle to enter the passenger compartment, and directing a proportion of that air towards the windscreen.
It will be appreciated that other factors apart from misting could lead to an unclear image of the vehicle bonnet. However, in order to overcome this problem use can be made of the fact that mist-covered glass transmits a high proportion of the light incident on it, although that light is scattered and diffracted. The control unit is therefore arranged to monitor the total amount of light received by the forward facing lens 32a. If the image becomes indistinct while the total amount of light received remains high, this indicates that the windscreen has misted over. If the total amount of light received is low, then this indicates simply that there is not sufficient light to produce a clear image, or possibly that an opaque object is obscuring the view of the lens 32a. and the ventilation system is not affected. The comparison of image clarity and total light level can be carried out for separate parts of the field of view of the forward facing lens 32a to determine whether any part of the windscreen has become misted over, and the ventilation system adjusted accordingly.
As well as controlling the ventilation system, the control unit 48 is also arranged to turn on a screen heater, comprising a thin electrically conductive film incorporated in the windscreen, to help clear the windscreen if mist is detected.
For the rear screen 16, there is no specific object outside the screen which can be used as a reference to determine whether the rear screen is misted or clear. However there will be a significant difference between the image produced by a misted screen and that produced by a clear screen. A misted screen will produce a relatively even distribution of light with no clear features discernible in it. A clear screen will produce an image with contrasting light and dark areas and sharp edges and, when the vehicle is moving, these features will move within the image. These features can be recognized by means of image processing and the control unit 48 can therefore determine whether the rear screen is misted or not. As with the front screen, the total light level can be used to distinguish mist from an opaque object. When misting is detected, the control unit operates a rear screen heater to clear the rear screen.
The control unit 48 is also connected to a control unit for a security system for the vehicle. The security system will generally only be activated when the vehicle is stationary and unoccupied, and the sensor unit 22 can therefore be used solely for security purposes. In this mode the main function of the sensor unit 22 is to monitor for movement within the vehicle, which would indicate the presence of an intruder and be used to actuate an alarm. However, because the sensor detects light of optical wavelengths it will detect through the windows movement of things outside the vehicle, such as people walking past. This is because the field of the lenses, including those monitoring the vehicle seats and their occupants, needs to be quite wide to cover all likely positions of, for example, a passenger's head, and will therefore include the side windows of the vehicle and things seen through them.
With this system. however, the 'binocuiar' viewing ability of the sensor unit 22 enables the exact position of a moving object to be determined. The image processing unit 44 can therefore determine whether the moving object detected is inside or outside the vehicle. The security control unit can therefore be arranged to trigger an alarm if movement is detected within the vehicle when the security system is activated, but not if movement is detected which is determined to be outside the vehicle.
Referring to Figure 4, in a second embodiment of the invention the lenses and prism are replaced by a plurality of concave curved mirrors 52a, 52b, 52c, 52d, each of which receives light from a respective aperture 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d in the housing 56 and reflects and focuses it as an image directly onto a respective area on the C.C.D. element 58. The mirrors are shaped and arranged such that each one of them will only reflect light from one of the apertures 54 onto the C.C.D. element, and light reflected from each mirror will only impinge upon a part of the C.C.D. element. This means that there will be separate areas of the C.C.D. element each with only one image directed onto it. Tubular light shields 60 are provided around each of the apertures 54. These restrict the angle at which light can pass through the apertures 54, and can be made of sufficient length to ensure that light from each aperture 54 can only reach one of the mirrors 52. This would be useful if it were not otherwise possible to shape the mirrors as described above to avoid overlapping of images on the C.C.D.
element. They can also restrict the area of the vehicle from which light can be passed through each aperture 54 to its respective mirror 52, and therefore the area of which an image will be formed on the C.C.D. element.
It will be appreciated that the arrangement shown could be modified by having light from two or more of the apertures focused onto different parts of the C.C.D. element by the same mirror, or by having two or more mirrors receiving light from different directions through the same aperture, and focusing it onto different parts of the C.C.D. element.
Claims (31)
1. A control system for controlling a vehicle subsystem, the control system
comprising control means arranged to produce signals for controlling
the subsystem, and sensing means comprising a sensing element, and
means for focusing light from respective areas of the vehicle and
directing the light from each of said areas onto a respective area of the
sensing element.
2. A control system according to claim 1 wherein said means is arranged
to direct light from at least two of said areas onto different parts of the
sensing element.
3. A control system according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said means
comprises focusing means for focusing the light, and directing means for
directing the light onto the image sensing element.
4. A sensing system according to claim 3 wherein the directing means
comprises a prism.
5. A sensing system according to claim 4 wherein the prism is arranged to
direct light from a plurality of said areas onto the sensing element.
6. A sensing system according to claim 5 wherein the prism has at least
one surface arranged to transmit light from one of said areas and to
reflect light from another of said areas.
7. A system according to any one of claims 3 to 6 wherein the focusing
means comprises at least one lens.
8. A system according to claim 7 wherein the sensing means further
comprises a housing enclosing the prism, said at least one lens being
mounted in an aperture in the housing.
9. A sensing system according to claim 8 further comprising light
shielding means for restricting the angle at which light can pass
through at least one of the apertures.
10. A system according to claim 9 wherein said light shielding means is
substantially tubular.
11. A system according to any foregoing claim wherein at least on of the
focusing means comprises a curved mirror.
12. A sensing system according to claim 11 wherein the mirror also acts as
directing means to direct its image towards the image sensing element.
13. A control system for controlling a vehicle subsystem, the control system
comprising control means arranged to produce signals for controlling
the subsystem, and sensing means comprising a sensing element, and
two focusing means, wherein the focusing means are arranged to focus
light from an object to form two respective images of the object for
sensing by the sensing element, and the control means is arranged to
process the two images to determine the distance of the object from the
sensor and control the subsystem in a manner determined at least
partly by said distance.
14. A system according to claim 13 wherein the subsystem is an airbag
control system.
15. A system according to claim 14 wherein the sensing means is arranged
to form said images of a part of an occupant of the vehicle.
16. A system according to claim 15 wherein the sensing means is arranged
to form said images of the head of an occupant of the vehicle and the
control means is arranged to control the airbag system in a manner
determined at least partly by the position of said head.
17. A system according to claim 16 wherein the control means is arranged
to control the airbag system in a manner determined at least partly by
the height of said head.
18. A system according to claim 16 or claim 17 wherein the control means is
arranged to control the airbag system in a manner determined at least
partly by the lateral position of said head.
19. A system according to claim 13 wherein said subsystem is a vehicle
security system.
20. A system according to claim 19 wherein the sensing means is arranged
to form images of objects both inside and outside the vehicle, and to
determine from an estimated distance of the object whether it is inside
or outside the vehicle.
21. A system according to claim 20 wherein the control means is arranged
to actuate the security system in a predetermined manner if, in a
predetermined set of circumstances, a detected object is determined to
be inside the vehicle, but not so to actuate the security system if the
object is determined to be outside the vehicle.
22. A system for clearing mist from a vehicle window, the system
comprising mist clearing means operable to clear mist from the vehicle
window, control means for controlling operation of the mist clearing
means, and viewing means arranged to view a scene through the
window and form an image thereof, the control means being arranged
to determine from said image when misting of the window has occurred,
and, when it has so determined, to operate the mist clearing means.
23. A system according to claim 22 wherein the mist clearing means
comprises air controlling means for controlling the flow of air into the
passenger compartment.
24. A system according to claim 23 which is arranged to increase the
amount of air directed towards said window when said misting is
detected.
25. A system according to claim 23 or claim 24 wherein the air controlling
means controls the amounts of fresh air and recirculated air entering
the passenger compartment and the control means is arranged to
increase the amount of fresh air entering the passenger compartment
when said misting is detected.
26. A system according to any one of claims 23 to 25 wherein the mist
clearing means comprises a heating means for heating the window.
27. A system according to any one of claims 23 to 26 wherein said scene
includes a part of the vehicle on the opposite side of the window to the
viewing means, and the control means is arranged to compare the
image of said part detected by the viewing means with an image of said
part stored in memory.
28. A system according to claim 27 wherein the viewing means is inside the
passenger compartment and said part of the vehicle is outside the
passenger compartment.
29. A system according to any one of claims 22 to 28 wherein the control
means is arranged to detect the total level of light received through at
least an area of the window and to use the detected light level to help
determine whether the window is misted.
30. A sensing system according to any foregoing claim wherein the image
sensing element comprises an array of light sensitive devices.
31. A sensing system according to claim 10 wherein the image sensing
element is a C.C.D. camera element.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9927984A GB2340938B (en) | 1996-03-27 | 1997-03-25 | A System For Clearing Mist From A Vehicle Window |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9606477A GB9606477D0 (en) | 1996-03-27 | 1996-03-27 | A sensing system for a vehicle |
Publications (3)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9706129D0 GB9706129D0 (en) | 1997-05-14 |
| GB2311602A true GB2311602A (en) | 1997-10-01 |
| GB2311602B GB2311602B (en) | 2000-03-01 |
Family
ID=10791144
Family Applications (2)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9606477A Pending GB9606477D0 (en) | 1996-03-27 | 1996-03-27 | A sensing system for a vehicle |
| GB9706129A Expired - Fee Related GB2311602B (en) | 1996-03-27 | 1997-03-25 | A sensing system for a vehicle |
Family Applications Before (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9606477A Pending GB9606477D0 (en) | 1996-03-27 | 1996-03-27 | A sensing system for a vehicle |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (2) | GB9606477D0 (en) |
Cited By (19)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2325993A (en) * | 1997-06-06 | 1998-12-09 | Bosch Gmbh Robert | Controlling a windscreen or window heater using a moisture sensor |
| WO1999015381A1 (en) * | 1997-09-24 | 1999-04-01 | Leopold Kostal Gmbh & Co. Kg | Optoelectronic monitoring device for a motor vehicle |
| EP1037181A2 (en) * | 1999-03-12 | 2000-09-20 | Delphi Technologies, Inc. | Method and system for monitoring an interior |
| EP1049046A1 (en) * | 1999-04-23 | 2000-11-02 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Method and apparatus for determining the position of objects in a Scene |
| EP1093982A1 (en) * | 1999-10-22 | 2001-04-25 | Ascom Systec AG | Method for monitoring the use of safety belt and device therefore |
| EP1013518A3 (en) * | 1998-12-22 | 2003-08-13 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Monitoring device for the interior of a motor vehicle |
| WO2004007255A3 (en) * | 2002-07-16 | 2004-04-29 | Trw Ltd | Rain detection apparatus and method |
| WO2004110811A1 (en) * | 2003-05-26 | 2004-12-23 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Camera and device for determining the brightness in the surroundings of a motor vehicle |
| EP1555174A2 (en) * | 2004-01-14 | 2005-07-20 | Omron Corporation | In-vehicle camera applications selecting system |
| EP1693254A2 (en) | 2005-02-18 | 2006-08-23 | Takata Corporation | Detection system, informing system, actuation system and vehicle |
| DE102006031677A1 (en) * | 2006-07-08 | 2008-01-10 | Hella Kgaa Hueck & Co. | Light sensor for e.g. mounting at windscreen of motor vehicle, has sensor matrix for converting light into electrical signals, imaging system lying in optical path of light, and processing unit equipped for processing signals |
| US7460161B2 (en) * | 2002-11-05 | 2008-12-02 | Crf Societa Consortile Per Azioni | Multifunctional integrated visual system with CMOS or CCD technology matrix |
| EP1925476A3 (en) * | 2006-11-21 | 2009-01-07 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Method and system for operating the air conditioning in a motor vehicle |
| US7817183B2 (en) * | 2003-10-02 | 2010-10-19 | Crf Societa Consortile Per Azioni | Detection device to be installed on a road for detecting environmental conditions and monitoring and controlling traffic |
| CN102431503A (en) * | 2010-09-29 | 2012-05-02 | 富士重工业株式会社 | Display apparatus for vehicle |
| US8180099B2 (en) | 2002-07-16 | 2012-05-15 | Trw Limited | Rain detection apparatus and method |
| CN102826065A (en) * | 2012-09-12 | 2012-12-19 | 浙江吉利汽车研究院有限公司杭州分公司 | Intelligent safety protection system for automobile |
| GB2534625A (en) * | 2015-09-02 | 2016-08-03 | Ford Global Tech Llc | Heating system and method of control |
| DE102021107287A1 (en) | 2021-03-24 | 2022-09-29 | Valeo Schalter Und Sensoren Gmbh | Optical detection device, optical imaging system for an optical detection device, optical sensor unit for an optical detection device and vehicle with at least one optical detection device |
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| US4288819A (en) * | 1979-05-10 | 1981-09-08 | Williams Robert T | Multi-field imaging device |
| GB2250967A (en) * | 1990-12-21 | 1992-06-24 | Gec Ferranti Defence Syst | Ice detector |
| GB2288680A (en) * | 1994-04-23 | 1995-10-25 | Daimler Benz Ag | Device for protecting a motor vehicle against use by third parties |
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS60152904A (en) * | 1984-01-20 | 1985-08-12 | Nippon Denso Co Ltd | Vehicle-driver-position recognizing apparatus |
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1996
- 1996-03-27 GB GB9606477A patent/GB9606477D0/en active Pending
-
1997
- 1997-03-25 GB GB9706129A patent/GB2311602B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4288819A (en) * | 1979-05-10 | 1981-09-08 | Williams Robert T | Multi-field imaging device |
| GB2250967A (en) * | 1990-12-21 | 1992-06-24 | Gec Ferranti Defence Syst | Ice detector |
| GB2288680A (en) * | 1994-04-23 | 1995-10-25 | Daimler Benz Ag | Device for protecting a motor vehicle against use by third parties |
Cited By (37)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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| DE102006031677A1 (en) * | 2006-07-08 | 2008-01-10 | Hella Kgaa Hueck & Co. | Light sensor for e.g. mounting at windscreen of motor vehicle, has sensor matrix for converting light into electrical signals, imaging system lying in optical path of light, and processing unit equipped for processing signals |
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| CN102431503B (en) * | 2010-09-29 | 2014-09-03 | 富士重工业株式会社 | Display apparatus for vehicle |
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| CN102826065A (en) * | 2012-09-12 | 2012-12-19 | 浙江吉利汽车研究院有限公司杭州分公司 | Intelligent safety protection system for automobile |
| GB2534625A (en) * | 2015-09-02 | 2016-08-03 | Ford Global Tech Llc | Heating system and method of control |
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| GB2534625B (en) * | 2015-09-02 | 2017-03-22 | Ford Global Tech Llc | A Heating system for a vehicle window and method of control |
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| DE102021107287A1 (en) | 2021-03-24 | 2022-09-29 | Valeo Schalter Und Sensoren Gmbh | Optical detection device, optical imaging system for an optical detection device, optical sensor unit for an optical detection device and vehicle with at least one optical detection device |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9706129D0 (en) | 1997-05-14 |
| GB9606477D0 (en) | 1996-06-05 |
| GB2311602B (en) | 2000-03-01 |
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| 732E | Amendments to the register in respect of changes of name or changes affecting rights (sect. 32/1977) | ||
| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
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| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
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