Generation of artificial color images from narrow spectral band data aboard a camera-equipped vehicle

A vehicle comprising:

• a vehicle body;
• an indicator device connected to the vehicle body;
• and
• a visual perception system connected to the vehicle body and comprising:
• a liquid crystal polarized gratings (LCPG) scanning camera configured to capture full color pixel images of a multi-color traffic light, and to process the full color pixel images through a narrow band pass filter (BPF), such that the narrow BPF outputs monochromatic pixel images of the multi-color traffic light, wherein the narrow BPF filter is centered on about 600 nanometers (nm), has a bandwidth of about 40 nm, and a full width half maximum (FWHM) of about 30 nm;
• a color sensor equipped with a color filter array (CFA), wherein the color sensor and the CFA are configured to receive the monochromatic pixel images from the LCPG scanning camera, and wherein the color sensor has at least three color channels each corresponding to different colors of spectral data in the monochromatic pixel images;
• and
• a classifier node configured, using a predetermined classification decision tree, to classify constituent pixels of the monochromatic pixel images into one of a plurality of color bins as a corresponding color of interest, including calculating respective probabilities of each of the constituent pixels being red, green, or yellow as the corresponding color of interest, and outputting a color estimate having a maximum of the probabilities, the plurality of color bins including red, green, and yellow, wherein the classifier node is configured to output an electronic signal to the indicator device to activate the indicator device, the output signal being indicative of the color of interest.

A method for use aboard a host platform having an indicator device and a visual perception system including a liquid crystal polarized gratings (LCPG) scanning camera, the method comprising:

• capturing, via the (LCPG) scanning camera, full color pixel images of a multi-color traffic light;
• processing the full color pixel images through a narrow band pass filter (BPF), such that the narrow BPF outputs monochromatic pixel images of the multi-color traffic light, wherein the narrow BPF is centered on about 600 nanometers (nm), has a bandwidth of about 40 nm, and a full width half maximum (FWHM) of about 30 nm;
• receiving the monochromatic pixel images via a color sensor equipped with a color filter array (CFA), wherein the color sensor has at least three color channels each corresponding to different colors of spectral data in the monochromatic pixel images;
• and
• classifying constituent pixels of the monochromatic pixel images into one of a plurality of color bins as a corresponding color of interest, using a classifier node, the plurality of color bins including red, green, and yellow, including calculating respective probabilities of each of the constituent pixels being red, yellow, or green as the corresponding color of interest;
• and
• outputting an electronic signal to an indicator device to activate the indicator device, the electronic signal being indicative of the color of interest, wherein the color of interest is a color estimate having a maximum of the probabilities.