WO2020076193A1 - Method for projecting an image from an infrared night vision system onto the internal surface of a vehicle windscreen - Google Patents

Abstract

The group of inventions relates to the field of optical surveillance in conditions of insufficient illumination and can be used for dynamic surveillance in transport on land, water and in the air. The technical result which the group of inventions is directed towards achieving is a reduction in the risk of distortion arising in the image of an object as the image is being projected onto a light-reflecting screen. The essence of the group of inventions consists in a method for projecting an image from an infrared night vision system onto the internal surface of a vehicle windscreen, which method comprises mounting infrared-range light sources in the direction of travel of the vehicle, mounting a night vision camera in the direction of infrared-range light, mounting a light-reflecting screen on a vehicle windscreen in an area of constant visual monitoring by the vehicle driver and mounting a means for outputting data from the night vision camera onto the light-reflecting screen inside the vehicle, characterized in that the night vision camera, the light-reflecting screen and the means for outputting data from the night vision camera onto the light-reflecting screen are mounted in a longitudinal vertical plane of the vehicle.

Description

 METHOD FOR PROJECTING THE IMAGE OF THE INFRARED NIGHT VISION SYSTEM ON THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE VEHICLE WINDSHIELD

The group of inventions relates to the field of optical observation in low light conditions and can be used for dynamic observation in land, water and air transport.

 There is a method of displaying infrared night vision system data on a car dashboard, including installing infrared lamps in a car headlight, installing a night vision camera on the left side of the car radiator grill, and outputting an image from a night vision camera to a car dashboard [https: // www. youtube.com/watch?v=_OwwcU_IlwE, publication date: July 1, 2011].

 There is a method of displaying infrared night vision system data on a car dashboard, including installing infrared lamps in the head optics of a car, installing a night vision camera above the interior rearview mirror of a car, and outputting an image obtained from a night vision camera to a display installed in the car dashboard [htp: //www.mercedes-benz.tj/new- cars / model-overview / item / 788-sistema-nochnogo-videniya-night-view-assist-plus-optsiya, publication date: 12/31/2017] .

 A disadvantage of the known technical solutions is their limited scope, due to the fact that the methods discussed in these technical solutions relate to full-time automotive systems whose components cannot be dismantled and installed on other vehicles without major changes to their design.

A method of projecting an image of an infrared night vision system on the inner surface of a car windshield includes installing infrared light sources in the direction of vehicle movement, installing a night vision camera in the vehicle compartment in the direction of infrared light, installing a reflective screen on the vehicle windshield in the constant area visual control of the driver of the vehicle and the installation of data output from EASURES night vision reflective screen in the vehicle cabin, and the night vision camera installed in the lower right corner of the windshield reflective screen installed on the left side of the windshield, and a means of outputting data from the night-vision camera is installed in the central part of the vehicle dashboard [RU121092, publication date: 03/20/2015, IPC: G02F 1/01].

 The advantage of the prototype is its wide scope due to the versatility of the system components. However, its disadvantage is the distortion of the image of objects and the difference in the position of objects projected on a reflective screen from their actual position on the road in front of the vehicle. This is due to the multi-plane arrangement of the geometric centers of the night vision camera, the data output means and the reflective screen, which is due to the fact that the installation of these devices is carried out, in fact, in different parts of the vehicle. Due to this drawback, when using the vehicle driver's infrared night vision system in low light conditions, its visual and spatial orientation on the road is difficult, and the traffic situation is not correctly estimated and the distance and position from the vehicle to the object located on the road are calculated, which in low light conditions can lead to an unintentional collision of the vehicle on the object, as well as injuring the driver of the conveyor tnoy means and other road users. In view of this drawback, there is a need for a method that provides the opportunity to reduce the risk of distortion of an image of an object when it is projected onto a reflective screen.

 The technical problem to which the group of inventions is directed is to improve the quality of projection of the image of the infrared night vision system on the inner surface of the windshield of the vehicle.

 The technical result, which the group of inventions aims to achieve, is to reduce the risk of distortion of the image of an object when it is projected onto a reflective screen.

 The essence of the group of inventions is as follows.

A method of projecting an image of an infrared night vision system on the inner surface of a vehicle’s windshield includes installing infrared light sources in the direction of vehicle movement, installing a night vision camera in the direction of infrared light, installing a reflective screen on the vehicle’s windshield in the area of constant visual control of the driver vehicle and installation of a means of outputting data from a night vision camera on the reflective screen in the cabin vehicle. Unlike the prototype, the night-vision camera, the reflective screen and the means for outputting data from the night-vision camera to the reflective screen are mounted in the longitudinal vertical plane of the vehicle.

 The projection system of the infrared night vision image on the inner surface of the windshield of the vehicle consists of infrared light sources mounted in the direction of travel of the vehicle, a night vision camera mounted in the direction of infrared light, a reflective screen mounted on the windshield of the vehicle, and output means data from the night-vision camera on a reflective screen installed in the passenger compartment. Unlike the prototype, the night-vision camera, the reflective screen and the means for outputting data from the night-vision camera to the reflective screen are located in the longitudinal vertical plane of the vehicle.

 The installation of infrared light sources in the direction of vehicle movement enables the illumination of objects on the vehicle path in low light conditions without interfering with oncoming traffic. At the same time, to ensure the automatic adjustment of the direction of light of the infrared range while the vehicle is moving and to reduce the risk of distortion of the image of the object, the main beam lamps of the vehicle configured in the infrared light emission mode can be used as infrared light sources.

 Installing a night-vision camera in the vehicle interior in the direction of infrared light allows light reflected from objects to enter the optical circuit of the night-vision camera. In this case, the camera can be fixed by means of fastening, which can be represented by brackets, flexible holders or silicone inserts on the camera body.

 The installation of the means for outputting data from the night-vision camera to the reflective screen in the passenger compartment of the vehicle provides the ability to convert data from the night-vision camera to a video image. At the same time, a monitor or projector can be used as a means of outputting data.

The installation of a reflective screen on the windshield of the vehicle in the field of constant visual control of the driver of the vehicle provides the driver with the possibility of obtaining data about objects on the way of the vehicle. In this case, the reflective screen can be mounted on the windshield by an adhesive layer on the back of the screen or double-sided tape, and a retroreflective film based on lavsan, polyester or polypropylene can be used as a reflective screen.

 The installation of a night vision camera, a reflective screen and means for outputting data from the night vision camera to a reflective screen in the longitudinal vertical plane of the vehicle implies such arrangement of devices relative to each other, in which their geometric centers will be located on one line, while the devices themselves can be on different heights and can be installed in different parts of the vehicle. This arrangement provides the ability to project images of objects on the road onto a reflective screen located in the visual control area of the vehicle driver without distorting their actual position in the horizontal plane.

 Installation of devices can be carried out in a vertical plane along the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the vehicle and / or through the geometric center of the interior rear view mirror and / or through the center of the steering wheel and / or through the geometric center of the windshield.

 The installation of devices in a vertical plane passing through the axis of symmetry of the vehicle reduces the risk of distortion of the image of the object when it is projected onto a reflective screen in vehicles whose width does not exceed 2200 mm. With a vehicle width exceeding 2200 mm, this arrangement of devices may lead to a difficulty in perceiving the driver of the vehicle an image projected onto a reflective screen.

 Installing devices in a vertical plane passing through the geometric center of the vehicle’s interior rear-view mirror reduces the risk of image distortion when projecting onto a reflective screen in vehicles whose width exceeds 2200 mm, which is caused by the location of the interior rear-view mirror in the area of constant visual control the driver of the vehicle.

 Installing devices in a vertical plane passing through the center of the steering wheel reduces the risk of image distortion when projecting onto a reflective screen in vehicles whose width exceeds 2200 mm and / or in the absence of a rear-view mirror.

Installing devices in a vertical plane passing through the geometric center of the windshield provides the opportunity to reduce the risk of distortion of the image of the object when it is projected onto a reflective screen in vehicles with a cabin offset from the axis of symmetry of the vehicle. Additionally, to reduce the risk of image distortion, the devices can be installed in a vertical plane passing through the geometric center of the bottom of the windshield from the driver’s side of the vehicle

 Additionally, to reduce the risk of distortion of the image of the object when it is projected onto the reflective screen, the means for outputting data from the night-vision camera to the reflective screen can be located in space so that the angle of reflection of the image from the reflective screen is parallel to the horizontal plane of the vehicle.

 The group of inventions possesses previously unknown from the prior art significant distinguishing features, namely, that the night vision camera, a reflective screen and means for outputting data from the night vision camera to the reflective screen are installed in the longitudinal vertical plane of the vehicle, thereby eliminating the risk of image distortion, obtained by the night-vision camera when projecting it by means of outputting data to a reflective screen. This is due to the location of the optical center of the night-vision camera and the center of the field of its visual coverage in the same plane as the geometric centers of the image projected by the data output means and the image projected onto the reflective screen, which makes it possible to ensure that the location of the object on the image on the reflective screen fully corresponds to the position of the object on the road, thereby ensuring the achievement of a technical result, which consists in reducing the risk of distortion Nia image object when it Front projection, thereby improving the image quality of the projection system infrared night vision on the inner surface of the vehicle windshield.

 The presence of new distinctive essential features indicates the compliance of the group of inventions with the patentability criterion of "novelty."

The prior art methods for projecting images of infrared night vision systems on the inner surface of the windshield of a vehicle, which include installing a night vision camera in the lower right part of the windshield and installing a reflective screen and means for outputting data from the night vision camera in the field of constant visual control the driver of the vehicle. Also known from the prior art is a method that It includes installing a night-vision camera above the vehicle’s rear-view mirror and outputting data from the night-vision camera to the vehicle dashboard. However, the method of projecting an image of an infrared night vision system on the inner surface of the windshield, comprising installing a night vision camera, a reflective screen and means for outputting data from the night vision camera on the reflective screen in the longitudinal vertical plane of the vehicle, reducing the risk of image distortion when projecting it onto reflective screen, the prior art is not known, which allows us to conclude that the group of inventions meets the criterion patentability "inventive step".

 The group of inventions can be implemented using known means, materials and technologies, which indicates the compliance of the group of inventions with the patentability criterion of "industrial applicability".

 The group of inventions is interconnected and forms a single inventive concept, since the system for projecting an infrared night vision image on the inner surface of the windshield of a vehicle is designed to implement a method for projecting an infrared night vision image on the inner surface of a windshield of a vehicle, which allows us to conclude that it meets the criterion “Unity of invention”.

 The group of inventions is illustrated by the following figures.

 Figure 1 - Layout of the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the vehicle.

Figure 2 - Arrangement of devices in one vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the vehicle.

 Fig.Z - Arrangement of devices in one vertical plane passing through the geometric center of the cabin rear view mirror.

 Figure 4 - Layout of the center of the steering wheel of the vehicle.

Figure 5 - Arrangement of devices in one vertical plane passing through the center of the steering wheel.

The projection system of the infrared night vision image on the inner surface of the windshield of the vehicle includes infrared light sources 1, a night vision camera 2, a reflective screen 3 and a data output means 4 from the night vision camera 2 to the reflective screen 3. The infrared light sources 1 are installed in the direction of movement of the vehicle 5, the night vision camera 2 is mounted in the IR light direction and connected to the data output means 4 to the reflective screen 3, while sources 1, camera 2 and data output means 4 are connected to the vehicle electrical system 5.

 A method for projecting an infrared night vision image onto an inner surface of a vehicle windshield is implemented as follows.

 The night vision camera 2, the data output means 4 and the reflective screen 3 are oriented in space so that they are mounted in the longitudinal vertical plane of the vehicle 5 (FIG. 2). In this case, depending on the configuration of the vehicle 5, several layouts were used, including the installation of devices in one vertical plane passing through the geometric center of the rear-view mirror 6 (Fig. 3) and through the center of the steering wheel 7 (Fig. 4). To change the layout, we changed the location of camera 2, data output means 4 and reflective screen 3 under the windshield 8. At nightfall, PC light sources 1 were activated and objects 9 were illuminated. The light was reflected from objects 9 and hit the camera lens 2 at night vision, it was processed and projected by means of data output 4 to the reflective screen 3. Moreover, in all the considered layouts, the position of the objects 9 on the reflective screen 3 completely coincided with their position in front of the transport 5.

 Thus, the technical result is achieved, which consists in reducing the risk of distortion of the image of the object when it is projected onto the reflective screen, thereby improving the quality of projecting the image of the infrared night vision system on the inner surface of the windshield of the vehicle.

Claims

The formula of the group of inventions 1. The method of projecting an image of an infrared night vision system on the inner surface of the windshield of a vehicle, including installing infrared light sources in the direction of movement of the vehicle, installing a night vision camera in the direction of infrared light, installing a reflective screen on the windshield of the vehicle in the constant area visual control of a driver of a vehicle and installation of a means of outputting data from a night view camera the display on the reflective screen in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, characterized in that the night-vision camera, the reflective screen and the means for outputting data from the night-vision camera to the reflective screen are mounted in a longitudinal vertical plane of the vehicle.  2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that for the installation of devices choose a vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the vehicle.  3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that for the installation of devices choose a vertical plane passing through the geometric center of the cabin rear view mirror of the vehicle.  4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that for the installation of devices choose a vertical plane passing through the geometric center of the windshield of the vehicle.  5. The projection system of the infrared night vision image on the inner surface of the windshield of the vehicle, consisting of infrared light sources mounted in the direction of travel of the vehicle, a night vision camera mounted in the direction of infrared light, a reflective screen mounted on the windshield of the vehicle and means for outputting data from a night vision camera to a reflective screen installed in the vehicle interior, o Leach in that the night vision camera, a reflective screen and data output means with night vision cameras on a reflective screen disposed in a longitudinal vertical plane of the vehicle.  6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that the geometric centers of the night vision camera, reflective screen, means for outputting data from the night camera eight SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) Visions on the reflective screen and the interior rear-view mirror of the vehicle are located in one vertical plane.  7. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that the infrared light sources are represented by high-beam lamps of the vehicle, configured to emit infrared light.  8. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that the means for outputting data from the night vision camera to the reflective screen is represented by a monitor or projector.  9. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that the reflective screen is a retroreflective film based on lavsan. nine SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26)